Mosiah 1
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 1:1 | And now there was no more contention in all the land of Zarahemla, among all the people who belonged to king Benjamin, so that king Benjamin had continual peace all the remainder of his days. | Now everyone in Zarahemla got along. The people of King Benjamin had peace for the rest of King Benjamin’s life. |
| Mosiah 1:2 | And it came to pass that he had three sons; and he called their names Mosiah, and Helorum, and Helaman. And he caused that they should be taught in all the language of his fathers, that thereby they might become men of understanding; and that they might know concerning the prophecies which had been spoken by the mouths of their fathers, which were delivered them by the hand of the Lord. | He had three sons. He named them Mosiah, Helorum, and Helaman. He made sure they learned everything their fathers knew, so they could understand and know the prophecies their fathers told them, given to them by God. |
| Mosiah 1:3 | And he also taught them concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, saying: My sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God. | He taught them about the brass plates with important records. He said: My sons, remember these plates. Without them, we would not know God’s teachings and would still be confused. |
| Mosiah 1:4 | For it were not possible that our father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have taught them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates; for he having been taught in the language of the Egyptians therefore he could read these engravings, and teach them to his children, that thereby they could teach them to their children, and so fulfilling the commandments of God, even down to this present time. | Lehi could not remember everything to teach his kids without the help of these plates. The plates were written in Egyptian, which Lehi knew. So, he could read and teach his kids, who could teach their kids, and follow God’s commandments. |
| Mosiah 1:5 | I say unto you, my sons, were it not for these things, which have been kept and preserved by the hand of God, that we might read and understand of his mysteries, and have his commandments always before our eyes, that even our fathers would have dwindled in unbelief, and we should have been like unto our brethren, the Lamanites, who know nothing concerning these things, or even do not believe them when they are taught them, because of the traditions of their fathers, which are not correct. | I say to you, my sons, if we didn’t have these things saved by God, we couldn’t read and understand His mysteries or know His commandments. Without them, our fathers would have lost faith, and we would be like the Lamanites, who don’t know or believe in these things because of their fathers’ wrong traditions. |
| Mosiah 1:6 | O my sons, I would that ye should remember that these sayings are true, and also that these records are true. And behold, also the plates of Nephi, which contain the records and the sayings of our fathers from the time they left Jerusalem until now, and they are true; and we can know of their surety because we have them before our eyes. | My sons, I want you to remember that these things are true. The records and plates of Nephi are also true. They tell the stories of our fathers from when they left Jerusalem until now. We know they are true because we can see them. |
| Mosiah 1:7 | And now, my sons, I would that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby; and I would that ye should keep the commandments of God, that ye may prosper in the land according to the promises which the Lord made unto our fathers. | My sons, remember to read and follow God’s rules. This will help you be happy and do well. |
| Mosiah 1:8 | And many more things did king Benjamin teach his sons, which are not written in this book. | King Benjamin taught his sons many other things not written here. |
| Mosiah 1:9 | And it came to pass that after king Benjamin had made an end of teaching his sons, that he waxed old, and he saw that he must very soon go the way of all the earth; therefore, he thought it expedient that he should confer the kingdom upon one of his sons. | King Benjamin finished teaching his sons. He got old and knew he would die soon. He decided to make one of his sons the new king. |
| Mosiah 1:10 | Therefore, he had Mosiah brought before him; and these are the words which he spake unto him, saying: My son, I would that ye should make a proclamation throughout all this land among all this people, or the people of Zarahemla, and the people of Mosiah who dwell in the land, that thereby they may be gathered together; for on the morrow I shall proclaim unto this my people out of mine own mouth that thou art a king and a ruler over this people, whom the Lord our God hath given us. | So, he called Mosiah to come. He said: My son, tell everyone in the land to come together. Tomorrow, I will tell them that you are their king and leader. |
| Mosiah 1:11 | And moreover, I shall give this people a name, that thereby they may be distinguished above all the people which the Lord God hath brought out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I do because they have been a diligent people in keeping the commandments of the Lord. | I will give these people a special name because they have worked hard to follow God’s rules. |
| Mosiah 1:12 | And I give unto them a name that never shall be blotted out, except it be through transgression. | I give them a name that cannot be erased, unless they do something very bad. |
| Mosiah 1:13 | Yea, and moreover I say unto you, that if this highly favored people of the Lord should fall into transgression, and become a wicked and an adulterous people, that the Lord will deliver them up, that thereby they become weak like unto their brethren; and he will no more preserve them by his matchless and marvelous power, as he has hitherto preserved our fathers. | If the people do bad things and become wicked, God will not protect them anymore. They will become weak like others who are not protected. |
| Mosiah 1:14 | For I say unto you, that if he had not extended his arm in the preservation of our fathers they must have fallen into the hands of the Lamanites, and become victims to their hatred. | If God hadn’t helped our fathers, they would have been caught by the Lamanites and hurt. |
| Mosiah 1:15 | And it came to pass that after king Benjamin had made an end of these sayings to his son, that he gave him charge concerning all the affairs of the kingdom. | When King Benjamin finished talking to his son, he told him to take care of everything in the kingdom. |
| Mosiah 1:16 | And moreover, he also gave him charge concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass; and also the plates of Nephi; and also, the sword of Laban, and the ball or director, which led our fathers through the wilderness, which was prepared by the hand of the Lord that thereby they might be led, every one according to the heed and diligence which they gave unto him. | He gave him the books written on brass plates, Nephi’s plates, Laban’s sword, and the special ball that led our fathers in the wilderness. God made the ball to help them find the way, if they listened to Him and tried hard. |
| Mosiah 1:17 | Therefore, as they were unfaithful they did not prosper nor progress in their journey, but were driven back, and incurred the displeasure of God upon them; and therefore they were smitten with famine and sore afflictions, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty. | Because they didn’t listen to God, they didn’t do well and had to go back. God was unhappy with them, so they got hungry and had many problems to make them remember what they should do. |
| Mosiah 1:18 | And now, it came to pass that Mosiah went and did as his father had commanded him, and proclaimed unto all the people who were in the land of Zarahemla that thereby they might gather themselves together, to go up to the temple to hear the words which his father should speak unto them. | Mosiah did what his dad said. He told everyone in Zarahemla to come to the temple to hear his dad talk. |
Mosiah 2
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 2:1 | And it came to pass that after Mosiah had done as his father had commanded him, and had made a proclamation throughout all the land, that the people gathered themselves together throughout all the land, that they might go up to the temple to hear the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them. | After Mosiah did what his father told him to do, he told all the people. The people came together to go to the temple to hear king Benjamin talk. |
| Mosiah 2:2 | And there were a great number, even so many that they did not number them; for they had multiplied exceedingly and waxed great in the land. | There were lots and lots of people. There were so many people that they couldn’t count them because they had so many babies and grew big in the land. |
| Mosiah 2:3 | And they also took of the firstlings of their flocks, that they might offer sacrifice and burnt offerings according to the law of Moses; | They took baby animals from their flocks to give as gifts and burnt offerings, following Moses’ rules. |
| Mosiah 2:4 | And also that they might give thanks to the Lord their God, who had brought them out of the land of Jerusalem, and who had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies, and had appointed just men to be their teachers, and also a just man to be their king, who had established peace in the land of Zarahemla, and who had taught them to keep the commandments of God, that they might rejoice and be filled with love towards God and all men. | They gave thanks to God. He brought them out of Jerusalem and saved them from enemies. He gave them good teachers and a good king named Zarahemla. The king made peace and taught them to follow God’s rules. They were happy and loved God and everyone. |
| Mosiah 2:5 | And it came to pass that when they came up to the temple, they pitched their tents round about, every man according to his family, consisting of his wife, and his sons, and his daughters, and their sons, and their daughters, from the eldest down to the youngest, every family being separate one from another. | When they got to the temple, they set up their tents around it. Each family had their own spot with their wives, sons, daughters, and grandchildren. They all stayed separate from each other. |
| Mosiah 2:6 | And they pitched their tents round about the temple, every man having his tent with the door thereof towards the temple, that thereby they might remain in their tents and hear the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them; | They set up their tents in a circle around the temple. Each person made sure their tent door faced the temple so they could stay inside and listen to King Benjamin. |
| Mosiah 2:7 | For the multitude being so great that king Benjamin could not teach them all within the walls of the temple, therefore he caused a tower to be erected, that thereby his people might hear the words which he should speak unto them. | There were so many people that King Benjamin couldn’t talk to them all inside the temple. So, he had a tall tower built so everyone could hear him speak. |
| Mosiah 2:8 | And it came to pass that he began to speak to his people from the tower; and they could not all hear his words because of the greatness of the multitude; therefore he caused that the words which he spake should be written and sent forth among those that were not under the sound of his voice, that they might also receive his words. | He started talking to the people from a tower. Not everyone could hear him because there were so many people. So, he made sure his words were written down and given to the people who could not hear him. |
| Mosiah 2:9 | And these are the words which he spake and caused to be written, saying: My brethren, all ye that have assembled yourselves together, you that can hear my words which I shall speak unto you this day; for I have not commanded you to come up hither to trifle with the words which I shall speak, but that you should hearken unto me, and open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand, and your minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view. | These are the words he said and wrote: My brothers, everyone here listening to me today, I did not ask you to come here to play. I want you to listen to me carefully, open your ears to hear, your hearts to understand, and your minds to learn about God’s secrets. |
| Mosiah 2:10 | I have not commanded you to come up hither that ye should fear me, or that ye should think that I of myself am more than a mortal man. | I didn’t ask you to come here to be scared or to think I am more than just a normal person. |
| Mosiah 2:11 | But I am like as yourselves, subject to all manner of infirmities in body and mind; yet I have been chosen by this people, and consecrated by my father, and was suffered by the hand of the Lord that I should be a ruler and a king over this people; and have been kept and preserved by his matchless power, to serve you with all the might, mind and strength which the Lord hath granted unto me. | I am like you, with weaknesses in my body and mind. But the people chose me and my father made me king with the Lord’s help. The Lord’s power kept me safe so I can help you with all my strength. |
| Mosiah 2:12 | I say unto you that as I have been suffered to spend my days in your service, even up to this time, and have not sought gold nor silver nor any manner of riches of you; | I tell you that I have spent my time helping you and have not asked for gold, silver, or any riches from you. |
| Mosiah 2:13 | Neither have I suffered that ye should be confined in dungeons, nor that ye should make slaves one of another, nor that ye should murder, or plunder, or steal, or commit adultery; nor even have I suffered that ye should commit any manner of wickedness, and have taught you that ye should keep the commandments of the Lord, in all things which he hath commanded you— | I didn’t let you be locked up, or make each other slaves, or hurt, steal, or cheat. I taught you to be good and follow God’s rules. |
| Mosiah 2:14 | And even I, myself, have labored with mine own hands that I might serve you, and that ye should not be laden with taxes, and that there should nothing come upon you which was grievous to be borne—and of all these things which I have spoken, ye yourselves are witnesses this day. | I worked hard with my own hands to help you. I did not want you to have to pay extra taxes or have anything heavy to carry. You all saw me do this today. |
| Mosiah 2:15 | Yet, my brethren, I have not done these things that I might boast, neither do I tell these things that thereby I might accuse you; but I tell you these things that ye may know that I can answer a clear conscience before God this day. | My brothers, I didn’t do these things to brag. I’m not telling you to blame you. I’m telling you so you know I have a clean heart before God today. |
| Mosiah 2:16 | Behold, I say unto you that because I said unto you that I had spent my days in your service, I do not desire to boast, for I have only been in the service of God. | Look, I tell you that I have spent my time helping you, but I do not want to brag, because I have only been helping God. |
| Mosiah 2:17 | And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. | I tell you these things to help you be wise. When you help others, you are helping God. |
| Mosiah 2:18 | Behold, ye have called me your king; and if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to serve you, then ought not ye to labor to serve one another? | Look, you call me your king. If I work to help you, shouldn’t you work to help each other? |
| Mosiah 2:19 | And behold also, if I, whom ye call your king, who has spent his days in your service, and yet has been in the service of God, do merit any thanks from you, O how you ought to thank your heavenly King! | Look, if I am your king, and I have worked for you and for God, you should thank God, your heavenly King! |
| Mosiah 2:20 | I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another— | If you say thank you to God with all your heart because He made you, takes care of you, makes you happy, and lets you live in peace, that is very good. |
| Mosiah 2:21 | I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants. | If you serve the one who made you and gives you breath every day, and helps you live and move, even if you serve him with all your heart, you would still be unprofitable servants. |
| Mosiah 2:22 | And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you. | God wants you to follow his rules. If you do, you will be happy and do well. God always keeps his promises. So, follow his rules and he will help you. |
| Mosiah 2:23 | And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him. | God made you and gave you life, so you owe Him. |
| Mosiah 2:24 | And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast? | God wants you to do what He tells you. If you do, He will bless you right away. He has already given you much, and you will always owe Him. So, why would you brag? |
| Mosiah 2:25 | And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created you. | Can you say anything good about yourself? No. You are not as important as dust. But you were made from dust. And you belong to the one who made you. |
| Mosiah 2:26 | And I, even I, whom ye call your king, am no better than ye yourselves are; for I am also of the dust. And ye behold that I am old, and am about to yield up this mortal frame to its mother earth. | I am your king, but I am just like you. I am made from the dust. I am old and I will soon return to the earth. |
| Mosiah 2:27 | Therefore, as I said unto you that I had served you, walking with a clear conscience before God, even so I at this time have caused that ye should assemble yourselves together, that I might be found blameless, and that your blood should not come upon me, when I shall stand to be judged of God of the things whereof he hath commanded me concerning you. | I told you I helped you and did good things. Now I asked you to come here, so I can show I did nothing wrong and God will not blame me for anything about you. |
| Mosiah 2:28 | I say unto you that I have caused that ye should assemble yourselves together that I might rid my garments of your blood, at this period of time when I am about to go down to my grave, that I might go down in peace, and my immortal spirit may join the choirs above in singing the praises of a just God. | I brought you all here to tell you something important before I die, so I can be at peace and go to heaven. |
| Mosiah 2:29 | And moreover, I say unto you that I have caused that ye should assemble yourselves together, that I might declare unto you that I can no longer be your teacher, nor your king; | I brought you all here to tell you I can’t be your teacher or king anymore. |
| Mosiah 2:30 | For even at this time, my whole frame doth tremble exceedingly while attempting to speak unto you; but the Lord God doth support me, and hath suffered me that I should speak unto you, and hath commanded me that I should declare unto you this day, that my son Mosiah is a king and a ruler over you. | Right now, my whole body is shaking a lot while I try to talk to you. But God helps me and wants me to talk to you. Today, I need to tell you that my son Mosiah is your king and leader. |
| Mosiah 2:31 | And now, my brethren, I would that ye should do as ye have hitherto done. As ye have kept my commandments, and also the commandments of my father, and have prospered, and have been kept from falling into the hands of your enemies, even so if ye shall keep the commandments of my son, or the commandments of God which shall be delivered unto you by him, ye shall prosper in the land, and your enemies shall have no power over you. | Brothers, keep doing what you have been doing. You followed my rules and my father’s rules and did well. If you follow my son’s rules, or God’s rules he gives you, you will do well and your enemies won’t hurt you. |
| Mosiah 2:32 | But, O my people, beware lest there shall arise contentions among you, and ye list to obey the evil spirit, which was spoken of by my father Mosiah. | But, my people, be careful. Don’t fight and listen to the bad spirit that my father Mosiah talked about. |
| Mosiah 2:33 | For behold, there is a wo pronounced upon him who listeth to obey that spirit; for if he listeth to obey him, and remaineth and dieth in his sins, the same drinketh damnation to his own soul; for he receiveth for his wages an everlasting punishment, having transgressed the law of God contrary to his own knowledge. | Watch out! Bad things happen to people who listen to the bad spirit and keep doing wrong things until they die. They will get punished forever because they broke God’s rules even though they knew better. |
| Mosiah 2:34 | I say unto you, that there are not any among you, except it be your little children that have not been taught concerning these things, but what knoweth that ye are eternally indebted to your heavenly Father, to render to him all that you have and are; and also have been taught concerning the records which contain the prophecies which have been spoken by the holy prophets, even down to the time our father, Lehi, left Jerusalem; | Listen, everyone: Only your small children haven’t been taught about this. All of you know that you owe everything to Heavenly Father. You have also learned about the records with the prophets’ messages, all the way from when Lehi left Jerusalem. |
| Mosiah 2:35 | And also, all that has been spoken by our fathers until now. And behold, also, they spake that which was commanded them of the Lord; therefore, they are just and true. | And also, everything our fathers said before. They said what the Lord told them to. So, they are good and true. |
| Mosiah 2:36 | And now, I say unto you, my brethren, that after ye have known and have been taught all these things, if ye should transgress and go contrary to that which has been spoken, that ye do withdraw yourselves from the Spirit of the Lord, that it may have no place in you to guide you in wisdom—s paths that ye may be blessed, prospered, and preserved— | If you know the right things and do bad things instead, you will not have the Spirit of the Lord to help you make good choices and be happy and safe. |
| Mosiah 2:37 | I say unto you, that the man that doeth this, the same cometh out in open rebellion against God; therefore he listeth to obey the evil spirit, and becometh an enemy to all righteousness; therefore, the Lord has no place in him, for he dwelleth not in unholy temples. | I say to you, if a man does this, he goes against God. He follows the bad spirit, and becomes an enemy to all good things. So, the Lord cannot be with him because he does not stay in bad places. |
| Mosiah 2:38 | Therefore if that man repenteth not, and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine justice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever. | If a person does not say sorry to God and stays an enemy, they will feel very bad and sad forever. They will not want to be near God and will have a lot of pain and guilt, like a fire that never stops. |
| Mosiah 2:39 | And now I say unto you, that mercy hath no claim on that man; therefore his final doom is to endure a never-ending torment. | That man does not get mercy; he has to suffer forever. |
| Mosiah 2:40 | O, all ye old men, and also ye young men, and you little children who can understand my words, for I have spoken plainly unto you that ye might understand, I pray that ye should awake to a remembrance of the awful situation of those that have fallen into transgression. | Hey old men, young men, and little children who can understand me, I have spoken clearly so you can understand. I hope you remember the bad situation of those who have done wrong. |
| Mosiah 2:41 | And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it. | Think about how happy people are when they listen to God. They are happy in everything they do. If they stay good until the end, they go to heaven and live with God forever. Remember, this is true because God said it. |
Mosiah 3
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 3:1 | And again my brethren, I would call your attention, for I have somewhat more to speak unto you; for behold, I have things to tell you concerning that which is to come. | Listen, my brothers. I have more to say to you. I have some things to tell you about what will happen next. |
| Mosiah 3:2 | And the things which I shall tell you are made known unto me by an angel from God. And he said unto me: Awake; and I awoke, and behold he stood before me. | I will tell you things an angel from God told me. He said to me: Wake up. I woke up and saw him in front of me. |
| Mosiah 3:3 | And he said unto me: Awake, and hear the words which I shall tell thee; for behold, I am come to declare unto you the glad tidings of great joy. | He said to me: Wake up and listen to me. I have come to tell you good news. |
| Mosiah 3:4 | For the Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath judged of thy righteousness, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be filled with joy. | God heard your prayers and thinks you are good. He sent me to tell you to be happy and to tell your people so they can be happy too. |
| Mosiah 3:5 | For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases. | Listen! Soon, there will be a time when the powerful Lord will come down from heaven to live with people. He will do many amazing things like heal sick people, make dead people live again, help people who can’t walk to walk, help blind people see, help deaf people hear, and cure all kinds of diseases. |
| Mosiah 3:6 | And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men. | He will send away bad spirits from people’s hearts. |
| Mosiah 3:7 | And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people. | He will feel lots of hard things like being very tired, hungry, and thirsty. He will hurt so much that he sweats blood because he feels so sad for the bad things people do. |
| Mosiah 3:8 | And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary. | He will be called Jesus Christ. He is the Son of God. His mother will be called Mary. |
| Mosiah 3:9 | And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name; and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a devil, and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him. | He came to help people. He wanted to save them. But some people will say he is bad and hurt him, and then they will kill him. |
| Mosiah 3:10 | And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to judge the world; and behold, all these things are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men. | On the third day, he will come back to life. He will stand to judge everyone. This is done so everyone is judged fairly. |
| Mosiah 3:11 | For behold, and also his blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of Adam, who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have ignorantly sinned. | Jesus’ blood helps those who sinned without knowing. |
| Mosiah 3:12 | But wo, wo unto him who knoweth that he rebelleth against God! For salvation cometh to none such except it be through repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ. | But oh no, oh no to the person who knows they are going against God! You can only be saved if you say sorry and believe in Jesus. |
| Mosiah 3:13 | And the Lord God hath sent his holy prophets among all the children of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue, that thereby whosoever should believe that Christ should come, the same might receive remission of their sins, and rejoice with exceedingly great joy, even as though he had already come among them. | God sent holy men to tell everyone that if they believe Jesus will come, their bad choices will be forgiven and they will be very happy, like Jesus is already with them. |
| Mosiah 3:14 | Yet the Lord God saw that his people were a stiffnecked people, and he appointed unto them a law, even the law of Moses. | But God saw that his people were stubborn, so he gave them rules, called the law of Moses. |
| Mosiah 3:15 | And many signs, and wonders, and types, and shadows showed he unto them, concerning his coming; and also holy prophets spake unto them concerning his coming; and yet they hardened their hearts, and understood not that the law of Moses availeth nothing except it were through the atonement of his blood. | He showed them many signs and wonders about his coming. Holy prophets also talked to them about his coming. But they were stubborn and didn’t understand that the law of Moses was not enough without his sacrifice. |
| Mosiah 3:16 | And even if it were possible that little children could sin they could not be saved; but I say unto you they are blessed; for behold, as in Adam, or by nature, they fall, even so the blood of Christ atoneth for their sins. | Even if kids could do bad things, they can’t be saved like grown-ups. But don’t worry, kids are special. They make mistakes like everyone, but Jesus’ love and sacrifice covers their mistakes. |
| Mosiah 3:17 | And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent. | No one can be saved except by Jesus Christ. |
| Mosiah 3:18 | For behold he judgeth, and his judgment is just; and the infant perisheth not that dieth in his infancy; but men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent. | God is fair. Babies who die are safe. But grown-ups can be punished if they are not humble like little kids and believe in Jesus. Jesus saves us with his love. |
| Mosiah 3:19 | For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. | People who do only what they want are not friends with God. They have not been friends since Adam and Eve. They will not be friends unless they listen to the Holy Spirit and stop doing selfish things. They need to follow Jesus and become like children who are gentle, kind, and patient, and do what their father asks. |
| Mosiah 3:20 | And moreover, I say unto you, that the time shall come when the knowledge of the Savior shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. | One day, everyone in the world will get to know about Jesus. |
| Mosiah 3:21 | And behold, when that time cometh, none shall be found blameless before God, except it be little children, only through repentance and faith on the name of the Lord God Omnipotent. | When the time comes, only little children who have repented and believed in God will be without blame. |
| Mosiah 3:22 | And even at this time, when thou shalt have taught thy people the things which the Lord thy God hath commanded thee, even then are they found no more blameless in the sight of God, only according to the words which I have spoken unto thee. | When you tell the people the things God told you, they still make mistakes. God sees this. |
| Mosiah 3:23 | And now I have spoken the words which the Lord God hath commanded me. | Now I have said the words that God told me to say. |
| Mosiah 3:24 | And thus saith the Lord: They shall stand as a bright testimony against this people, at the judgment day; whereof they shall be judged, every man according to his works, whether they be good, or whether they be evil. | God says: These things will show if people were good or bad, and they will be judged by what they have done. |
| Mosiah 3:25 | And if they be evil they are consigned to an awful view of their own guilt and abominations, which doth cause them to shrink from the presence of the Lord into a state of misery and endless torment, from whence they can no more return; therefore they have drunk damnation to their own souls. | If they are bad, they will feel very guilty and ashamed. This makes them want to hide from God and they will be very sad forever. They can’t come back. They have made their own souls sad forever. |
| Mosiah 3:26 | Therefore, they have drunk out of the cup of the wrath of God, which justice could no more deny unto them than it could deny that Adam should fall because of his partaking of the forbidden fruit; therefore, mercy could have claim on them no more forever. | So, they have felt God’s anger, just like Adam had to leave the garden for eating the fruit. Now, they can’t have mercy forever. |
| Mosiah 3:27 | And their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames are unquenchable, and whose smoke ascendeth up forever and ever. Thus hath the Lord commanded me. Amen. | Their pain is like a burning fire that never stops. The smoke goes up forever. This is what God told me. Amen. |
Mosiah 4
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 4:1 | And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words which had been delivered unto him by the angel of the Lord, that he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold they had fallen to the earth, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them. | When King Benjamin finished talking, he looked at the people. They were on the ground because they were afraid of the Lord. |
| Mosiah 4:2 | And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men. | They saw they were not very good. They cried out loud, “Please help us and forgive our mistakes because of Jesus. We believe in Jesus, who made everything. He will come be with people.” |
| Mosiah 4:3 | And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them. | After they talked, they felt happy because God forgave them for doing wrong things. They felt peaceful because they believed in Jesus. |
| Mosiah 4:4 | And king Benjamin again opened his mouth and began to speak unto them, saying: My friends and my brethren, my kindred and my people, I would again call your attention, that ye may hear and understand the remainder of my words which I shall speak unto you. | King Benjamin started to talk again. He said: My friends and family, listen to what I am going to say. |
| Mosiah 4:5 | For behold, if the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time has awakened you to a sense of your nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state— | If you now understand how good God is and see that you need help because you are not perfect… |
| Mosiah 4:6 | I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body— | I want to tell you that if you learn about how good and powerful God is, and how wise and patient He is with people, and also about the big sacrifice He made long ago so that we can be saved if we trust Him, follow His rules, and believe in Him our whole lives. |
| Mosiah 4:7 | I say, that this is the man who receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world for all mankind, which ever were since the fall of Adam, or who are, or who ever shall be, even unto the end of the world. | This man gets saved because of Jesus. This was planned long ago for everyone, from Adam to the end of the world. |
| Mosiah 4:8 | And this is the means whereby salvation cometh. And there is none other salvation save this which hath been spoken of; neither are there any conditions whereby man can be saved except the conditions which I have told you. | This is how we can be saved. There is no other way to be saved except this way I told you. |
| Mosiah 4:9 | Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend. | Believe in God. Believe He is real. He made everything in heaven and on earth. He is very wise and very powerful. We cannot understand everything He understands. |
| Mosiah 4:10 | And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them. | Believe you should stop doing bad things and say sorry to God. Ask God nicely to forgive you, and if you believe this, make sure you do it. |
| Mosiah 4:11 | And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel. | Listen again to what I said before. If you know God’s glory and love, and if you are happy because He forgave your sins, remember this. Always remember how great God is and how small you are. Remember His kindness and patience. Be very humble and pray to God every day. Stay strong in your faith in what the angel said will come. |
| Mosiah 4:12 | And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true. | If you do this, you will always be happy, feel God’s love, and your sins will be forgiven. You will learn more about God and what is right and true. |
| Mosiah 4:13 | And ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due. | You will not want to hurt each other. You will want to live in peace and give everyone what they deserve. |
| Mosiah 4:14 | And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness. | Don’t let your kids be hungry or without clothes. Don’t let them break God’s rules, fight, or be mean to each other. Don’t let them follow the devil, who is bad and against everything good. |
| Mosiah 4:15 | But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another. | But you will teach them to be honest and good; you will teach them to love each other and to help each other. |
| Mosiah 4:16 | And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish. | Help people who need help. Give what you have to those who need it. Don’t ignore someone asking for help. |
| Mosiah 4:17 | Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just— | You might say: The man made himself sad; so I will not help him with my food or things because he deserves it. |
| Mosiah 4:18 | But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God. | But I say to you, O man, whoever does this needs to say sorry; and if he doesn’t say sorry, he will be sad forever and cannot go to God’s heaven. |
| Mosiah 4:19 | For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind? | Look, aren’t we all in need? Don’t we all rely on the same God for everything we have, like food, clothes, and money? |
| Mosiah 4:20 | And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy. | Look, right now you have been asking God to forgive your mistakes. Has he ignored your asking? No; he gave you his Spirit, made your hearts very happy, and made you so joyful you couldn’t even talk. |
| Mosiah 4:21 | And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another. | If God made you and gives you everything you need, and you ask Him for something good with faith, He will give it to you. So, you should share what you have with others. |
| Mosiah 4:22 | And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done. | If someone asks you for help so they don’t die, and you say no, you are doing something worse. Remember, what you have really belongs to God, and your life does too. You should not say no, and you need to say sorry for what you did wrong. |
| Mosiah 4:23 | I say unto you, wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him; and now, I say these things unto those who are rich as pertaining to the things of this world. | I say to you, oh no, that man will lose all he has. And now, I say this to those who are rich with things in this world. |
| Mosiah 4:24 | And again, I say unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give. | To the poor, who have just enough to get by each day: If you don’t help beggars because you have nothing to give, say in your hearts, “I don’t give because I have nothing, but if I had something, I would give.” |
| Mosiah 4:25 | And now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned; and your condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received. | If you say this in your hearts, you are not guilty. If you do not, you are guilty because you want something you do not have. |
| Mosiah 4:26 | And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants. | Give what you can to help the poor. Share food, clothes, and visit the sick to help them. |
| Mosiah 4:27 | And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order. | Make sure to do everything wisely and in order. Don’t try to do more than you can. Work hard and do things step by step so you can do your best. |
| Mosiah 4:28 | And I would that ye should remember, that whosoever among you borroweth of his neighbor should return the thing that he borroweth, according as he doth agree, or else thou shalt commit sin; and perhaps thou shalt cause thy neighbor to commit sin also. | Remember, if you borrow something from your neighbor, give it back like you promised, or it is wrong. It may make your neighbor do wrong too. |
| Mosiah 4:29 | And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them. | I can’t tell you all the ways you can do bad things because there are too many. |
| Mosiah 4:30 | But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not. | Pay attention to what you think, say, and do. Follow God’s rules and believe in Jesus until you die, or you will be lost. Remember this and don’t be lost. |
Mosiah 5
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 5:1 | And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had thus spoken to his people, he sent among them, desiring to know of his people if they believed the words which he had spoken unto them. | King Benjamin talked to the people. He wanted to know if they believed what he said. |
| Mosiah 5:2 | And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually. | They all said together: Yes, we believe what you told us. We know it is true because God’s Spirit changed our hearts, and now we want to do good all the time. |
| Mosiah 5:3 | And we, ourselves, also, through the infinite goodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit, have great views of that which is to come; and were it expedient, we could prophesy of all things. | God is very good to us. His Spirit helps us see what will happen. If needed, we could tell the future. |
| Mosiah 5:4 | And it is the faith which we have had on the things which our king has spoken unto us that has brought us to this great knowledge, whereby we do rejoice with such exceedingly great joy. | We are very happy because we believed what our king told us and learned many good things. |
| Mosiah 5:5 | And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a never-ending torment, as has been spoken by the angel, that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of God. | We promise to follow God and do what He wants us to do, always, so we won’t be punished forever like the angel warned us. |
| Mosiah 5:6 | And now, these are the words which king Benjamin desired of them; and therefore he said unto them: Ye have spoken the words that I desired; and the covenant which ye have made is a righteous covenant. | These are the words King Benjamin wanted to hear. He said: You have said what I wanted. The promise you made is a good promise. |
| Mosiah 5:7 | And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters. | Because you made a promise, you are now Christ’s children. Today, He has made you His sons and daughters. You believe in Him, so your hearts have changed. Now, you are a part of His family. |
| Mosiah 5:8 | And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives. | Jesus makes you free. No one else can make you free. Only Jesus can save you. So, I want you to follow Jesus and do what God wants for your whole life. |
| Mosiah 5:9 | And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ. | And anyone who does this will be with God, because they will know His name, and they will be called by Christ’s name. |
| Mosiah 5:10 | And now it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall not take upon him the name of Christ must be called by some other name; therefore, he findeth himself on the left hand of God. | If you don’t choose to follow Christ, you will be called a different name and be on God’s left side. |
| Mosiah 5:11 | And I would that ye should remember also, that this is the name that I said I should give unto you that never should be blotted out, except it be through transgression; therefore, take heed that ye do not transgress, that the name be not blotted out of your hearts. | Remember, I gave you a name that should not go away unless you do something wrong. So, be careful and do not do wrong things so the name stays in your hearts. |
| Mosiah 5:12 | I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts, that ye are not found on the left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you. | I want you to remember God’s name in your hearts. Stay close to God and listen to His voice. Know His name and remember it. |
| Mosiah 5:13 | For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart? | How can a man know the master if he has not served him? The master is a stranger to him and far from his thoughts. |
| Mosiah 5:14 | And again, doth a man take an ass which belongeth to his neighbor, and keep him? I say unto you, Nay; he will not even suffer that he shall feed among his flocks, but will drive him away, and cast him out. I say unto you, that even so shall it be among you if ye know not the name by which ye are called. | Does a man take his neighbor’s donkey and keep it? No, he does not. He will send it away. It will be the same for you if you do not know the name you are called by. |
| Mosiah 5:15 | Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen. | Stay strong and do good things all the time, so that Jesus can mark you as his and take you to heaven to live forever, because he is very wise, powerful, fair, and kind. He made everything in the world and in heaven. He is God above all. Amen. |
Mosiah 6
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 6:1 | And now, king Benjamin thought it was expedient, after having finished speaking to the people, that he should take the names of all those who had entered into a covenant with God to keep his commandments. | After King Benjamin finished talking to the people, he wanted to write down the names of everyone who promised to follow God’s rules. |
| Mosiah 6:2 | And it came to pass that there was not one soul, except it were little children, but who had entered into the covenant and had taken upon them the name of Christ. | Everyone except little children made a promise and took the name of Christ. |
| Mosiah 6:3 | And again, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of all these things, and had consecrated his son Mosiah to be a ruler and a king over his people, and had given him all the charges concerning the kingdom, and also had appointed priests to teach the people, that thereby they might hear and know the commandments of God, and to stir them up in remembrance of the oath which they had made, he dismissed the multitude, and they returned, every one, according to their families, to their own houses. | When King Benjamin finished talking, he made his son Mosiah the new king. He told Mosiah what to do. He also chose teachers to help the people remember God’s rules. Then King Benjamin told everyone to go back home. |
| Mosiah 6:4 | And Mosiah began to reign in his father—s stead. And he began to reign in the thirtieth year of his age, making in the whole, about four hundred and seventy-six years from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem. | Mosiah became king after his father. He became king when he was thirty years old, about 476 years after Lehi left Jerusalem. |
| Mosiah 6:5 | And king Benjamin lived three years and he died. | King Benjamin lived for three more years and then he died. |
| Mosiah 6:6 | And it came to pass that king Mosiah did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe his judgments and his statutes, and did keep his commandments in all things whatsoever he commanded him. | King Mosiah did what the Lord wanted. He followed all of God’s rules and listened to all of God’s commands. |
| Mosiah 6:7 | And king Mosiah did cause his people that they should till the earth. And he also, himself, did till the earth, that thereby he might not become burdensome to his people, that he might do according to that which his father had done in all things. And there was no contention among all his people for the space of three years. | King Mosiah told the people to farm. He farmed too, so he would not be a burden to them. He did what his dad did. The people did not fight for three years. |
Mosiah 7
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 7:1 | And now, it came to pass that after king Mosiah had had continual peace for the space of three years, he was desirous to know concerning the people who went up to dwell in the land of Lehi-Nephi, or in the city of Lehi-Nephi; for his people had heard nothing from them from the time they left the land of Zarahemla; therefore, they wearied him with their teasings. | After three years of peace, King Mosiah wanted to know about the people who went to live in Lehi-Nephi. His people had not heard from them, so they kept asking him questions. |
| Mosiah 7:2 | And it came to pass that king Mosiah granted that sixteen of their strong men might go up to the land of Lehi-Nephi to inquire concerning their brethren. | King Mosiah let sixteen strong men go to the land of Lehi-Nephi to ask about their brothers. |
| Mosiah 7:3 | And it came to pass that on the morrow they started to go up, having with them one Ammon, he being a strong and mighty man, and a descendant of Zarahemla; and he was also their leader. | The next day they began to go with Ammon. He was strong and a leader. |
| Mosiah 7:4 | And now, they knew not the course they should travel in the wilderness to go up to the land of Lehi-Nephi; therefore they wandered many days in the wilderness, even forty days did they wander. | They didn’t know which way to go in the wilderness to get to Lehi-Nephi. So, they walked around for many days, even for forty days. |
| Mosiah 7:5 | And when they had wandered forty days they came to a hill, which is north of the land of Shilom, and there they pitched their tents. | After walking for forty days, they found a hill north of Shilom and set up their tents there. |
| Mosiah 7:6 | And Ammon took three of his brethren, and their names were Amaleki, Helem, and Hem, and they went down into the land of Nephi. | Ammon took three brothers named Amaleki, Helem, and Hem. They went to the land of Nephi. |
| Mosiah 7:7 | And behold, they met the king of the people who were in the land of Nephi, and in the land of Shilom; and they were surrounded by the king—s guard, and were taken, and were bound, and were committed to prison. | They saw the king of the people in the land of Nephi and the land of Shilom. The king’s guards surrounded them. The guards took them and tied them up and put them in prison. |
| Mosiah 7:8 | And it came to pass when they had been in prison two days they were again brought before the king, and their bands were loosed; and they stood before the king, and were permitted, or rather commanded, that they should answer the questions which he should ask them. | After two days in jail, they were brought to the king. Their chains were taken off. They stood before the king. The king told them to answer his questions. |
| Mosiah 7:9 | And he said unto them: Behold, I am Limhi, the son of Noah, who was the son of Zeniff, who came up out of the land of Zarahemla to inherit this land, which was the land of their fathers, who was made a king by the voice of the people. | He said, “I am Limhi. My dad was Noah. My grandpa was Zeniff. We came from Zarahemla to this land. The people made me king.” |
| Mosiah 7:10 | And now, I desire to know the cause whereby ye were so bold as to come near the walls of the city, when I, myself, was with my guards without the gate? | Why did you come close to the city walls when I was outside with my guards? |
| Mosiah 7:11 | And now, for this cause have I suffered that ye should be preserved, that I might inquire of you, or else I should have caused that my guards should have put you to death. Ye are permitted to speak. | I let you live so I could talk to you. If not, I would have told my guards to kill you. You can talk now. |
| Mosiah 7:12 | And now, when Ammon saw that he was permitted to speak, he went forth and bowed himself before the king; and rising again he said: O king, I am very thankful before God this day that I am yet alive, and am permitted to speak; and I will endeavor to speak with boldness; | Ammon was allowed to talk. He went to the king, bowed, and stood up. He said, “King, I am glad to be alive and to talk to you. I will try to speak bravely.” |
| Mosiah 7:13 | For I am assured that if ye had known me ye would not have suffered that I should have worn these bands. For I am Ammon, and am a descendant of Zarahemla, and have come up out of the land of Zarahemla to inquire concerning our brethren, whom Zeniff brought up out of that land. | If you knew me, you wouldn’t have let me wear these chains. I am Ammon from Zarahemla. I came from Zarahemla to ask about our brothers who Zeniff brought here. |
| Mosiah 7:14 | And now, it came to pass that after Limhi had heard the words of Ammon, he was exceedingly glad, and said: Now, I know of a surety that my brethren who were in the land of Zarahemla are yet alive. And now, I will rejoice; and on the morrow I will cause that my people shall rejoice also. | Limhi heard Ammon’s words. He was very happy. Limhi said, “Now I know my friends in Zarahemla are alive. I am happy, and tomorrow I will make my people happy too.” |
| Mosiah 7:15 | For behold, we are in bondage to the Lamanites, and are taxed with a tax which is grievous to be borne. And now, behold, our brethren will deliver us out of our bondage, or out of the hands of the Lamanites, and we will be their slaves; for it is better that we be slaves to the Nephites than to pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites. | We are trapped by the Lamanites and have to pay a big tax. Our brothers will free us and we will work for them. It is better to work for the Nephites than to pay the Lamanites. |
| Mosiah 7:16 | And now, king Limhi commanded his guards that they should no more bind Ammon nor his brethren, but caused that they should go to the hill which was north of Shilom, and bring their brethren into the city, that thereby they might eat, and drink, and rest themselves from the labors of their journey; for they had suffered many things; they had suffered hunger, thirst, and fatigue. | King Limhi told his guards to stop tying up Ammon and his friends. He told them to go to the hill north of Shilom and bring their friends to the city. They needed to eat, drink, and rest because they were very tired and hungry. |
| Mosiah 7:17 | And now, it came to pass on the morrow that king Limhi sent a proclamation among all his people, that thereby they might gather themselves together to the temple to hear the words which he should speak unto them. | The next day, King Limhi told all his people to come to the temple to hear what he had to say. |
| Mosiah 7:18 | And it came to pass that when they had gathered themselves together that he spake unto them in this wise, saying: O ye, my people, lift up your heads and be comforted; for behold, the time is at hand, or is not far distant, when we shall no longer be in subjection to our enemies, notwithstanding our many strugglings, which have been in vain; yet I trust there remaineth an effectual struggle to be made. | And it happened that when they were all together, he said: My people, be happy and feel better. The time is coming soon when we won’t be under our enemies, even though we tried hard and it didn’t work before. But I believe we can still try again. |
| Mosiah 7:19 | Therefore, lift up your heads, and rejoice, and put your trust in God, in that God who was the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; and also, that God who brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, and caused that they should walk through the Red Sea on dry ground, and fed them with manna that they might not perish in the wilderness; and many more things did he do for them. | Be happy and trust God. God helped Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He helped people leave Egypt. He made the sea dry so they could walk. He gave them food so they didn’t starve in the desert. God did many more things to help them. |
| Mosiah 7:20 | And again, that same God has brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem, and has kept and preserved his people even until now; and behold, it is because of our iniquities and abominations that he has brought us into bondage. | The same God took our fathers out of Jerusalem. He has taken care of us until now. But because we did bad things, He let us be captured. |
| Mosiah 7:21 | And ye all are witnesses this day, that Zeniff, who was made king over this people, he being over-zealous to inherit the land of his fathers, therefore being deceived by the cunning and craftiness of king Laman, who having entered into a treaty with king Zeniff, and having yielded up into his hands the possessions of a part of the land, or even the city of Lehi-Nephi, and the city of Shilom; and the land round about— | Today, you saw Zeniff become king. Zeniff wanted his father’s land very badly. King Laman tricked him. They made a deal and King Laman gave Zeniff some land and two cities named Lehi-Nephi and Shilom. |
| Mosiah 7:22 | And all this he did, for the sole purpose of bringing this people into subjection or into bondage. And behold, we at this time do pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites, to the amount of one half of our corn, and our barley, and even all our grain of every kind, and one half of the increase of our flocks and our herds; and even one half of all we have or possess the king of the Lamanites doth exact of us, or our lives. | He did all this to make the people obey him or be in chains. Right now, we give the king of the Lamanites half of our corn, barley, and all kinds of grain. We also give him half of our animals and everything we own, or else we could die. |
| Mosiah 7:23 | And now, is not this grievous to be borne? And is not this, our affliction, great? Now behold, how great reason we have to mourn. | Isn’t this hard to carry? Isn’t this trouble very big? Look, we have a big reason to be sad. |
| Mosiah 7:24 | Yea, I say unto you, great are the reasons which we have to mourn; for behold how many of our brethren have been slain, and their blood has been spilt in vain, and all because of iniquity. | Yes, I say to you, we have many reasons to be sad; look, many of our friends have died, and their blood was lost for nothing, all because of wrongdoing. |
| Mosiah 7:25 | For if this people had not fallen into transgression the Lord would not have suffered that this great evil should come upon them. But behold, they would not hearken unto his words; but there arose contentions among them, even so much that they did shed blood among themselves. | If these people had not done bad things, the Lord would not have let this great bad thing happen to them. But they did not listen to His words. They started fighting with each other, and even hurt each other badly. |
| Mosiah 7:26 | And a prophet of the Lord have they slain; yea, a chosen man of God, who told them of their wickedness and abominations, and prophesied of many things which are to come, yea, even the coming of Christ. | They killed a prophet of God, a special man who told them about their bad things and warned them about the future, even about Jesus coming. |
| Mosiah 7:27 | And because he said unto them that Christ was the God, the Father of all things, and said that he should take upon him the image of man, and it should be the image after which man was created in the beginning; or in other words, he said that man was created after the image of God, and that God should come down among the children of men, and take upon him flesh and blood, and go forth upon the face of the earth— | He told them that Christ, who is God, would become a man. He said that people were made to look like God. He also said that God would come to live with people and have a body like ours. |
| Mosiah 7:28 | And now, because he said this, they did put him to death; and many more things did they do which brought down the wrath of God upon them. Therefore, who wondereth that they are in bondage, and that they are smitten with sore afflictions? | Because he said this, they killed him. They did many bad things that made God angry with them. So, it is not surprising that they are in trouble and suffering. |
| Mosiah 7:29 | For behold, the Lord hath said: I will not succor my people in the day of their transgression; but I will hedge up their ways that they prosper not; and their doings shall be as a stumbling block before them. | God said: I will not help my people when they do bad things; I will stop them so they do not succeed, and their actions will make them fall. |
| Mosiah 7:30 | And again, he saith: If my people shall sow filthiness they shall reap the chaff thereof in the whirlwind; and the effect thereof is poison. | If my people do bad things, they will get bad results; and it will hurt them. |
| Mosiah 7:31 | And again he saith: If my people shall sow filthiness they shall reap the east wind, which bringeth immediate destruction. | If my people do bad things, they will get bad things back, and it will be really bad. |
| Mosiah 7:32 | And now, behold, the promise of the Lord is fulfilled, and ye are smitten and afflicted. | Now, look, what God promised has happened, and you are hurt and sad. |
| Mosiah 7:33 | But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage. | If you love the Lord a lot, trust Him, and work hard to help Him, He will help you. |
Mosiah 8
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 8:1 | And it came to pass that after king Limhi had made an end of speaking to his people, for he spake many things unto them and only a few of them have I written in this book, he told his people all the things concerning their brethren who were in the land of Zarahemla. | After King Limhi finished talking to his people, he told them about their brothers in Zarahemla. |
| Mosiah 8:2 | And he caused that Ammon should stand up before the multitude, and rehearse unto them all that had happened unto their brethren from the time that Zeniff went up out of the land even until the time that he himself came up out of the land. | Ammon stood up and told the people what had happened to their brothers from when Zeniff left the land until he came back. |
| Mosiah 8:3 | And he also rehearsed unto them the last words which king Benjamin had taught them, and explained them to the people of king Limhi, so that they might understand all the words which he spake. | He told them what King Benjamin said and helped the people of King Limhi understand. |
| Mosiah 8:4 | And it came to pass that after he had done all this, that king Limhi dismissed the multitude, and caused that they should return every one unto his own house. | After he finished everything, King Limhi told everyone to go back to their own homes. |
| Mosiah 8:5 | And it came to pass that he caused that the plates which contained the record of his people from the time that they left the land of Zarahemla, should be brought before Ammon, that he might read them. | He made sure the plates with the story of his people were brought to Ammon so he could read them. |
| Mosiah 8:6 | Now, as soon as Ammon had read the record, the king inquired of him to know if he could interpret languages, and Ammon told him that he could not. | When Ammon read the book, the king asked him if he could understand different languages. Ammon said he could not. |
| Mosiah 8:7 | And the king said unto him: Being grieved for the afflictions of my people, I caused that forty and three of my people should take a journey into the wilderness, that thereby they might find the land of Zarahemla, that we might appeal unto our brethren to deliver us out of bondage. | The king said: I was sad because my people were suffering. I sent 43 people into the wilderness to find the land of Zarahemla and ask for help. |
| Mosiah 8:8 | And they were lost in the wilderness for the space of many days, yet they were diligent, and found not the land of Zarahemla but returned to this land, having traveled in a land among many waters, having discovered a land which was covered with bones of men, and of beasts, and was also covered with ruins of buildings of every kind, having discovered a land which had been peopled with a people who were as numerous as the hosts of Israel. | They were lost in the forest for many days. They did not find a place called Zarahemla. They came back to their land. They found a place with lots of water, bones of people and animals, and broken buildings. Many people used to live there. |
| Mosiah 8:9 | And for a testimony that the things that they had said are true they have brought twenty-four plates which are filled with engravings, and they are of pure gold. | They brought twenty-four gold plates with writing to show that what they said is true. |
| Mosiah 8:10 | And behold, also, they have brought breastplates, which are large, and they are of brass and of copper, and are perfectly sound. | Look, they brought big breastplates made of brass and copper, and they are in perfect condition. |
| Mosiah 8:11 | And again, they have brought swords, the hilts thereof have perished, and the blades thereof were cankered with rust; and there is no one in the land that is able to interpret the language or the engravings that are on the plates. Therefore I said unto thee: Canst thou translate? | They found old, rusty swords and nobody can read the strange writing on metal plates. So I asked, “Can you understand it?” |
| Mosiah 8:12 | And I say unto thee again: Knowest thou of any one that can translate? For I am desirous that these records should be translated into our language; for, perhaps, they will give us a knowledge of a remnant of the people who have been destroyed, from whence these records came; or, perhaps, they will give us a knowledge of this very people who have been destroyed; and I am desirous to know the cause of their destruction. | Can you find someone who can change these words into our language? I want to know what they say. They might tell us about people who lived long ago and were destroyed. I want to know why they were destroyed. |
| Mosiah 8:13 | Now Ammon said unto him: I can assuredly tell thee, O king, of a man that can translate the records; for he has wherewith that he can look, and translate all records that are of ancient date; and it is a gift from God. And the things are called interpreters, and no man can look in them except he be commanded, lest he should look for that he ought not and he should perish. And whosoever is commanded to look in them, the same is called seer. | Ammon said to the king: I know someone who can read the old records. He can do it because God gave him a special gift. This gift is called interpreters. Only the person God chooses can use them. That person is called a seer. |
| Mosiah 8:14 | And behold, the king of the people who are in the land of Zarahemla is the man that is commanded to do these things, and who has this high gift from God. | The king in Zarahemla is told to do these things by God. |
| Mosiah 8:15 | And the king said that a seer is greater than a prophet. | The king said a seer is better than a prophet. |
| Mosiah 8:16 | And Ammon said that a seer is a revelator and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him from God. | Ammon said a seer is someone who sees things, and also a prophet. This is a very special gift from God. No one can have a gift greater than this, unless they have God’s power. But God can give people great power. |
| Mosiah 8:17 | But a seer can know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or, rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known. | A seer can know things from the past and the future. They can tell secret things and hidden things. They can help people know things they didn’t know before. |
| Mosiah 8:18 | Thus God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings. | God made a way for people to do big miracles by believing. This helps everyone. |
| Mosiah 8:19 | And now, when Ammon had made an end of speaking these words the king rejoiced exceedingly, and gave thanks to God, saying: Doubtless a great mystery is contained within these plates, and these interpreters were doubtless prepared for the purpose of unfolding all such mysteries to the children of men. | When Ammon finished talking, the king was very happy and thanked God. He said, “These plates have big secrets. These tools will help us understand the secrets for everyone.” |
| Mosiah 8:20 | O how marvelous are the works of the Lord, and how long doth he suffer with his people; yea, and how blind and impenetrable are the understandings of the children of men; for they will not seek wisdom, neither do they desire that she should rule over them! | God’s works are amazing. He is very patient with people. But people do not look for wisdom. They do not want wisdom to guide them. |
| Mosiah 8:21 | Yea, they are as a wild flock which fleeth from the shepherd, and scattereth, and are driven, and are devoured by the beasts of the forest. | They are like scared sheep running away from the shepherd. They scatter and get lost. The wild animals catch and eat them. |
Mosiah 9
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 9:1 | I, Zeniff, having been taught in all the language of the Nephites, and having had a knowledge of the land of Nephi, or of the land of our fathers— first inheritance, and having been sent as a spy among the Lamanites that I might spy out their forces, that our army might come upon them and destroy them—but when I saw that which was good among them I was desirous that they should not be destroyed. | I am Zeniff. I know the language of the Nephites and about the land of Nephi. I was a spy to learn about the Lamanites. Our army wanted to fight them. But I saw good things in them and did not want them to be hurt. |
| Mosiah 9:2 | Therefore, I contended with my brethren in the wilderness for I would that our ruler should make a treaty with them; but he being an austere and a bloodthirsty man commanded that I should be slain; but I was rescued by the shedding of much blood; for father fought against father, and brother against brother, until the greater number of our army was destroyed in the wilderness; and we returned, those of us that were spared, to the land of Zarahemla, to relate that tale to their wives and their children. | I argued with my brothers in the forest because I wanted our leader to make peace with them. But the leader was mean and wanted to kill me. Luckily, I was saved after many fights. Fathers and brothers fought each other and most of our army was destroyed. We went back to Zarahemla to tell the story to our families. |
| Mosiah 9:3 | And yet, I being over-zealous to inherit the land of our fathers, collected as many as were desirous to go up to possess the land, and started again on our journey into the wilderness to go up to the land; but we were smitten with famine and sore afflictions; for we were slow to remember the Lord our God. | I really wanted to get our father’s land, so I gathered people who wanted to go. We started our trip again into the wild to get the land. But we had no food and many problems because we forgot about God. |
| Mosiah 9:4 | Nevertheless, after many days— wandering in the wilderness we pitched our tents in the place where our brethren were slain, which was near to the land of our fathers. | After many days in the wild, we set up our tents where our brothers were killed, near our father’s land. |
| Mosiah 9:5 | And it came to pass that I went again with four of my men into the city, in unto the king, that I might know of the disposition of the king, and that I might know if I might go in with my people and possess the land in peace. | I went with four men to the city to talk to the king. I wanted to see if we could live in the land peacefully. |
| Mosiah 9:6 | And I went in unto the king, and he covenanted with me that I might possess the land of Lehi-Nephi, and the land of Shilom. | I went to the king. He promised I could have the lands called Lehi-Nephi and Shilom. |
| Mosiah 9:7 | And he also commanded that his people should depart out of the land, and I and my people went into the land that we might possess it. | He told his people to leave, and I and my people went to the new land to live there. |
| Mosiah 9:8 | And we began to build buildings, and to repair the walls of the city, yea, even the walls of the city of Lehi-Nephi, and the city of Shilom. | We started making buildings and fixing the city walls, even the walls of Lehi-Nephi and Shilom. |
| Mosiah 9:9 | And we began to till the ground, yea, even with all manner of seeds, with seeds of corn, and of wheat, and of barley, and with neas, and with sheum, and with seeds of all manner of fruits; and we did begin to multiply and prosper in the land. | We started to plant seeds in the ground. We planted corn, wheat, barley, neas, sheum, and many kinds of fruits. We began to grow and do well in the land. |
| Mosiah 9:10 | Now it was the cunning and the craftiness of king Laman, to bring my people into bondage, that he yielded up the land that we might possess it. | King Laman had a tricky plan. He gave us land so he could make us his prisoners. |
| Mosiah 9:11 | Therefore it came to pass, that after we had dwelt in the land for the space of twelve years that king Laman began to grow uneasy, lest by any means my people should wax strong in the land, and that they could not overpower them and bring them into bondage. | So, after we lived in the land for twelve years, King Laman started to worry that my people were getting too strong, and he couldn’t make them his prisoners. |
| Mosiah 9:12 | Now they were a lazy and an idolatrous people; therefore they were desirous to bring us into bondage, that they might glut themselves with the labors of our hands; yea, that they might feast themselves upon the flocks of our fields. | They were lazy people who liked idols. They wanted to make us work for them. They wanted to take all our food and animals. |
| Mosiah 9:13 | Therefore it came to pass that king Laman began to stir up his people that they should contend with my people; therefore there began to be wars and contentions in the land. | So, King Laman told his people to fight my people. Then, there were wars in the land. |
| Mosiah 9:14 | For, in the thirteenth year of my reign in the land of Nephi, away on the south of the land of Shilom, when my people were watering and feeding their flocks, and tilling their lands, a numerous host of Lamanites came upon them and began to slay them, and to take off their flocks, and the corn of their fields. | In the thirteenth year of my rule in Nephi, near Shilom, while my people were taking care of their animals and farms, a large group of Lamanites came and started hurting them and taking their animals and crops. |
| Mosiah 9:15 | Yea, and it came to pass that they fled, all that were not overtaken, even into the city of Nephi, and did call upon me for protection. | They ran away to the city of Nephi and asked me to help keep them safe. |
| Mosiah 9:16 | And it came to pass that I did arm them with bows, and with arrows, with swords, and with cimeters, and with clubs, and with slings, and with all manner of weapons which we could invent, and I and my people did go forth against the Lamanites to battle. | I gave my people bows, arrows, swords, and other weapons. Then we went to fight the Lamanites. |
| Mosiah 9:17 | Yea, in the strength of the Lord did we go forth to battle against the Lamanites; for I and my people did cry mightily to the Lord that he would deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, for we were awakened to a remembrance of the deliverance of our fathers. | Yes, with God’s help, we went to fight the Lamanites. We prayed hard to God to save us from our enemies because we remembered how God helped our ancestors. |
| Mosiah 9:18 | And God did hear our cries and did answer our prayers; and we did go forth in his might; yea, we did go forth against the Lamanites, and in one day and a night we did slay three thousand and forty-three; we did slay them even until we had driven them out of our land. | God heard us and answered our prayers. We fought the Lamanites and won. In one day and night, we defeated many of them and made them leave our land. |
| Mosiah 9:19 | And I, myself, with mine own hands, did help to bury their dead. And behold, to our great sorrow and lamentation, two hundred and seventy-nine of our brethren were slain. | I helped bury the dead people with my own hands. It made us very sad because 279 of our friends died. |
Mosiah 10
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 10:1 | And it came to pass that we again began to establish the kingdom and we again began to possess the land in peace. And I caused that there should be weapons of war made of every kind, that thereby I might have weapons for my people against the time the Lamanites should come up again to war against my people. | We started to build our kingdom again and live in peace. I made sure we had many kinds of weapons for when the Lamanites might come to fight us again. |
| Mosiah 10:2 | And I set guards round about the land, that the Lamanites might not come upon us again unawares and destroy us; and thus I did guard my people and my flocks, and keep them from falling into the hands of our enemies. | I put guards all around so the Lamanites could not sneak up and hurt us. This way, I protected my people and animals from our enemies. |
| Mosiah 10:3 | And it came to pass that we did inherit the land of our fathers for many years, yea, for the space of twenty and two years. | We lived in our fathers’ land for 22 years. |
| Mosiah 10:4 | And I did cause that the men should till the ground, and raise all manner of grain and all manner of fruit of every kind. | I told the men to dig the soil and grow all kinds of grain and fruit. |
| Mosiah 10:5 | And I did cause that the women should spin, and toil, and work, and work all manner of fine linen, yea, and cloth of every kind, that we might clothe our nakedness; and thus we did prosper in the land—thus we did have continual peace in the land for the space of twenty and two years. | I asked the women to make clothes. They worked very hard. They made many kinds of cloth. We used the cloth to make clothes so we were not naked. We lived happily and peacefully for 22 years. |
| Mosiah 10:6 | And it came to pass that king Laman died, and his son began to reign in his stead. And he began to stir his people up in rebellion against my people; therefore they began to prepare for war, and to come up to battle against my people. | King Laman died. His son became the new king. The new king made his people want to fight my people. They got ready for war and came to fight my people. |
| Mosiah 10:7 | But I had sent my spies out round about the land of Shemlon, that I might discover their preparations, that I might guard against them, that they might not come upon my people and destroy them. | I sent my spies to look around Shemlon so we know what they are doing and can protect my people. |
| Mosiah 10:8 | And it came to pass that they came up upon the north of the land of Shilom, with their numerous hosts, men armed with bows, and with arrows, and with swords, and with cimeters, and with stones, and with slings; and they had their heads shaved that they were naked; and they were girded with a leathern girdle about their loins. | They went to the north of Shilom. They brought many men with bows, arrows, swords, and stones. The men had shaved heads and wore leather belts. |
| Mosiah 10:9 | And it came to pass that I caused that the women and children of my people should be hid in the wilderness; and I also caused that all my old men that could bear arms, and also all my young men that were able to bear arms, should gather themselves together to go to battle against the Lamanites; and I did place them in their ranks, every man according to his age. | I made the women and children hide in the forest. I told the old men and young men who could fight to get ready for battle. They all stood in lines by their age. |
| Mosiah 10:10 | And it came to pass that we did go up to battle against the Lamanites; and I, even I, in my old age, did go up to battle against the Lamanites. And it came to pass that we did go up in the strength of the Lord to battle. | We went to fight the Lamanites. Even though I was old, I went to fight too. We went with the Lord’s help to fight. |
| Mosiah 10:11 | Now, the Lamanites knew nothing concerning the Lord, nor the strength of the Lord, therefore they depended upon their own strength. Yet they were a strong people, as to the strength of men. | The Lamanites did not know about the Lord or His strength. So, they trusted their own strength. They were strong people. |
| Mosiah 10:12 | They were a wild, and ferocious, and a blood-thirsty people, believing in the tradition of their fathers, which is this—Believing that they were driven out of the land of Jerusalem because of the iniquities of their fathers, and that they were wronged in the wilderness by their brethren, and they were also wronged while crossing the sea; | They were wild and mean people. They thought their fathers were kicked out of Jerusalem because their fathers did bad things. They believed their brothers treated them badly in the wilderness and also when they crossed the sea. |
| Mosiah 10:13 | And again, that they were wronged while in the land of their first inheritance, after they had crossed the sea, and all this because that Nephi was more faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord—therefore he was favored of the Lord, for the Lord heard his prayers and answered them, and he took the lead of their journey in the wilderness. | Nephi was good at following God’s rules, so God liked him and helped him. Nephi led his family when they moved to a new land after crossing the sea. |
| Mosiah 10:14 | And his brethren were wroth with him because they understood not the dealings of the Lord; they were also wroth with him upon the waters because they hardened their hearts against the Lord. | His brothers were very angry with him because they did not understand God’s ways; they were also mad at him on the boat because they chose not to listen to God. |
| Mosiah 10:15 | And again, they were wroth with him when they had arrived in the promised land, because they said that he had taken the ruling of the people out of their hands; and they sought to kill him. | They were mad at him when they got to the new land. They said he took away their power to lead. They wanted to kill him. |
| Mosiah 10:16 | And again, they were wroth with him because he departed into the wilderness as the Lord had commanded him, and took the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, for they said that he robbed them. | They were very mad at him because he left and went into the wild places like God told him to. He took the important metal plates with writing on them, and they said he stole them. |
| Mosiah 10:17 | And thus they have taught their children that they should hate them, and that they should murder them, and that they should rob and plunder them, and do all they could to destroy them; therefore they have an eternal hatred towards the children of Nephi. | They told their kids to hate, hurt, and take from Nephi’s kids forever. |
| Mosiah 10:18 | For this very cause has king Laman, by his cunning, and lying craftiness, and his fair promises, deceived me, that I have brought this my people up into this land, that they may destroy them; yea, and we have suffered these many years in the land. | King Laman tricked me with lies and promises, so I brought my people here and they hurt us for many years. |
| Mosiah 10:19 | And now I, Zeniff, after having told all these things unto my people concerning the Lamanites, I did stimulate them to go to battle with their might, putting their trust in the Lord; therefore, we did contend with them, face to face. | I am Zeniff. I told my people about the Lamanites. I encouraged them to be brave and trust the Lord. We fought the Lamanites. |
| Mosiah 10:20 | And it came to pass that we did drive them again out of our land; and we slew them with a great slaughter, even so many that we did not number them. | We made them leave our land, and we defeated many of them. |
| Mosiah 10:21 | And it came to pass that we returned again to our own land, and my people again began to tend their flocks, and to till their ground. | We went back home. My people took care of their animals and farmed their land again. |
| Mosiah 10:22 | And now I, being old, did confer the kingdom upon one of my sons; therefore, I say no more. And may the Lord bless my people. Amen. | I am old. I gave the kingdom to one of my sons. I am done talking. May the Lord bless my people. Amen. |
Mosiah 11
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 11:1 | And now it came to pass that Zeniff conferred the kingdom upon Noah, one of his sons; therefore Noah began to reign in his stead; and he did not walk in the ways of his father. | Zeniff gave the kingdom to his son Noah. Noah became king, but he did not follow his father’s good ways. |
| Mosiah 11:2 | For behold, he did not keep the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart. And he had many wives and concubines. And he did cause his people to commit sin, and do that which was abominable in the sight of the Lord. Yea, and they did commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness. | He didn’t follow God’s rules. He did what he wanted. He had many wives. He made his people do bad things. They did many wrong things. |
| Mosiah 11:3 | And he laid a tax of one fifth part of all they possessed, a fifth part of their gold and of their silver, and a fifth part of their ziff, and of their copper, and of their brass and their iron; and a fifth part of their fatlings; and also a fifth part of all their grain. | He made everyone give 1 part out of 5 of what they had. This means 1 part out of 5 of their gold, silver, ziff, copper, brass, iron, animals, and their grain. |
| Mosiah 11:4 | And all this did he take to support himself, and his wives and his concubines; and also his priests, and their wives and their concubines; thus he had changed the affairs of the kingdom. | He used all of this to take care of himself, his wives, his other women, his priests, and their wives and other women. This changed things in the kingdom. |
| Mosiah 11:5 | For he put down all the priests that had been consecrated by his father, and consecrated new ones in their stead, such as were lifted up in the pride of their hearts. | He removed all the priests his father chose and picked new ones who were proud. |
| Mosiah 11:6 | Yea, and thus they were supported in their laziness, and in their idolatry, and in their whoredoms, by the taxes which king Noah had put upon his people; thus did the people labor exceedingly to support iniquity. | They were lazy, they worshipped wrong things, and did bad things, using the money king Noah took from the people. The people worked very hard to support bad things. |
| Mosiah 11:7 | Yea, and they also became idolatrous, because they were deceived by the vain and flattering words of the king and priests; for they did speak flattering things unto them. | Yes, and they started worshipping idols, because they were tricked by the nice and fancy words of the king and priests. |
| Mosiah 11:8 | And it came to pass that king Noah built many elegant and spacious buildings; and he ornamented them with fine work of wood, and of all manner of precious things, of gold, and of silver, and of iron, and of brass, and of ziff, and of copper; | King Noah made many big and fancy buildings. He decorated them with nice wood and pretty things like gold, silver, iron, brass, ziff, and copper. |
| Mosiah 11:9 | And he also built him a spacious palace, and a throne in the midst thereof, all of which was of fine wood and was ornamented with gold and silver and with precious things. | He made a big palace. Inside, he made a big chair. The palace and chair were made from nice wood. It had gold, silver, and other pretty things on it. |
| Mosiah 11:10 | And he also caused that his workmen should work all manner of fine work within the walls of the temple, of fine wood, and of copper, and of brass. | He made his workers do good work inside the temple with nice wood, copper, and brass. |
| Mosiah 11:11 | And the seats which were set apart for the high priests, which were above all the other seats, he did ornament with pure gold; and he caused a breastwork to be built before them, that they might rest their bodies and their arms upon while they should speak lying and vain words to his people. | The special seats for the important priests were covered in pure gold. A small wall was built in front of them so they could lean on it while talking to the people. |
| Mosiah 11:12 | And it came to pass that he built a tower near the temple; yea, a very high tower, even so high that he could stand upon the top thereof and overlook the land of Shilom, and also the land of Shemlon, which was possessed by the Lamanites; and he could even look over all the land round about. | He made a tall tower by the temple. It was so tall he could see the land of Shilom and Shemlon, where the Lamanites lived, and all the land around. |
| Mosiah 11:13 | And it came to pass that he caused many buildings to be built in the land Shilom; and he caused a great tower to be built on the hill north of the land Shilom, which had been a resort for the children of Nephi at the time they fled out of the land; and thus he did do with the riches which he obtained by the taxation of his people. | He made many buildings in Shilom. He made a big tower on the hill north of Shilom. The children of Nephi used that hill when they ran away. He used the money he got from taxing his people to do this. |
| Mosiah 11:14 | And it came to pass that he placed his heart upon his riches, and he spent his time in riotous living with his wives and his concubines; and so did also his priests spend their time with harlots. | He loved his money and lived a wild life with his wives and other women. His priests also spent time with bad women. |
| Mosiah 11:15 | And it came to pass that he planted vineyards round about in the land; and he built wine-presses, and made wine in abundance; and therefore he became a wine-bibber, and also his people. | He planted grapes all around the land. He made machines to squeeze the grapes and made lots of wine. He and his people drank a lot of wine. |
| Mosiah 11:16 | And it came to pass that the Lamanites began to come in upon his people, upon small numbers, and to slay them in their fields, and while they were tending their flocks. | The Lamanites started to come and hurt his people in small groups. They hurt them in their fields and while they were taking care of their animals. |
| Mosiah 11:17 | And king Noah sent guards round about the land to keep them off; but he did not send a sufficient number, and the Lamanites came upon them and killed them, and drove many of their flocks out of the land; thus the Lamanites began to destroy them, and to exercise their hatred upon them. | King Noah sent guards, but not enough. The Lamanites attacked and killed some people. They chased away many animals and started to hurt the people. |
| Mosiah 11:18 | And it came to pass that king Noah sent his armies against them, and they were driven back, or they drove them back for a time; therefore, they returned rejoicing in their spoil. | King Noah sent his soldiers to fight. They made the other soldiers go away for a little while. Then King Noah’s soldiers came back happy with what they took. |
| Mosiah 11:19 | And now, because of this great victory they were lifted up in the pride of their hearts; they did boast in their own strength, saying that their fifty could stand against thousands of the Lamanites; and thus they did boast, and did delight in blood, and the shedding of the blood of their brethren, and this because of the wickedness of their king and priests. | They won a big fight. They felt proud and strong. They said their fifty could beat many Lamanites. They were happy to fight and hurt others. Their king and priests were bad. |
| Mosiah 11:20 | And it came to pass that there was a man among them whose name was Abinadi; and he went forth among them, and began to prophesy, saying: Behold, thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he commanded me, saying, Go forth, and say unto this people, thus saith the Lord—Wo be unto this people, for I have seen their abominations, and their wickedness, and their whoredoms; and except they repent I will visit them in mine anger. | There was a man named Abinadi. He said, “Listen, God told me to tell you to stop doing bad things or He will be very mad.” |
| Mosiah 11:21 | And except they repent and turn to the Lord their God, behold, I will deliver them into the hands of their enemies; yea, and they shall be brought into bondage; and they shall be afflicted by the hand of their enemies. | If they do not say sorry and turn to God, He will let their enemies capture them. They will become slaves and be hurt by their enemies. |
| Mosiah 11:22 | And it shall come to pass that they shall know that I am the Lord their God, and am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of my people. | They will know I am their God. I am a jealous God and I see when my people do wrong things. |
| Mosiah 11:23 | And it shall come to pass that except this people repent and turn unto the Lord their God, they shall be brought into bondage; and none shall deliver them, except it be the Lord the Almighty God. | If the people don’t say sorry and go back to God, they will be captured. Only God can save them. |
| Mosiah 11:24 | Yea, and it shall come to pass that when they shall cry unto me I will be slow to hear their cries; yea, and I will suffer them that they be smitten by their enemies. | Yes, when they call out to me, I will be slow to listen. I will let their enemies hurt them. |
| Mosiah 11:25 | And except they repent in sackcloth and ashes, and cry mightily to the Lord their God, I will not hear their prayers, neither will I deliver them out of their afflictions; and thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he commanded me. | If they do not say sorry in a big way and pray very hard to God, He will not listen to their prayers or help them out of their troubles. God told me to say this. |
| Mosiah 11:26 | Now it came to pass that when Abinadi had spoken these words unto them they were wroth with him, and sought to take away his life; but the Lord delivered him out of their hands. | Abinadi said these things, and the people got very mad at him. They wanted to hurt him, but God kept him safe. |
| Mosiah 11:27 | Now when king Noah had heard of the words which Abinadi had spoken unto the people, he was also wroth; and he said: Who is Abinadi, that I and my people should be judged of him, or who is the Lord, that shall bring upon my people such great affliction? | King Noah heard what Abinadi said and got very mad. He asked, “Who is Abinadi? Why should we listen to him? Who is the Lord to make us suffer?” |
| Mosiah 11:28 | I command you to bring Abinadi hither, that I may slay him, for he has said these things that he might stir up my people to anger one with another, and to raise contentions among my people; therefore I will slay him. | Bring Abinadi here. He made my people angry. I will kill him. |
| Mosiah 11:29 | Now the eyes of the people were blinded; therefore they hardened their hearts against the words of Abinadi, and they sought from that time forward to take him. And king Noah hardened his heart against the word of the Lord, and he did not repent of his evil doings. | The people could not see the truth. They did not listen to Abinadi. They wanted to catch him. King Noah did not listen to God. He did not say sorry for being bad. |
Mosiah 12
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 12:1 | And it came to pass that after the space of two years that Abinadi came among them in disguise, that they knew him not, and began to prophesy among them, saying: Thus has the Lord commanded me, saying—Abinadi, go and prophesy unto this my people, for they have hardened their hearts against my words; they have repented not of their evil doings; therefore, I will visit them in my anger, yea, in my fierce anger will I visit them in their iniquities and abominations. | After two years, Abinadi went to them in disguise. They didn’t know it was him. He started to say what God told him. God said, “Abinadi, go and tell these people my words. They have been very bad and did not change. I am very angry and I will punish them.” |
| Mosiah 12:2 | Yea, wo be unto this generation! And the Lord said unto me: Stretch forth thy hand and prophesy saying: Thus saith the Lord, it shall come to pass that this generation, because of their iniquities, shall be brought into bondage, and shall be smitten on the cheek; yea, and shall be driven by men, and shall be slain; and the vultures of the air, and the dogs, yea, and the wild beasts, shall devour their flesh. | Oh no, bad things will happen to the people now! God told me to say, “Because the people are doing bad things, they will be in big trouble. They will be hurt and hit. People will chase them, hurt them, and they will die. Birds, dogs, and wild animals will eat their bodies.” |
| Mosiah 12:3 | And it shall come to pass that the life of king Noah shall be valued even as a garment in a hot furnace; for he shall know that I am the Lord. | King Noah’s life will be like a piece of clothing in a hot fire, and he will know that I am God. |
| Mosiah 12:4 | And it shall come to pass that I will smite this my people with sore afflictions, yea, with famine and with pestilence; and I will cause that they shall howl all the day long. | I will hurt my people with bad things. They will be hungry and sick. They will cry all day. |
| Mosiah 12:5 | Yea, and I will cause that they shall have burdens lashed upon their backs; and they shall be driven before like a dumb ass. | Yes, I will make them carry heavy loads and they will be pushed like a donkey. |
| Mosiah 12:6 | And it shall come to pass that I will send forth hail among them, and it shall smite them; and they shall also be smitten with the east wind; and insects shall pester their land also, and devour their grain. | I will send hail to hit them. A strong wind will blow on them. Bugs will bother them and eat their food. |
| Mosiah 12:7 | And they shall be smitten with a great pestilence—and all this will I do because of their iniquities and abominations. | They will get very sick because they have done bad things. |
| Mosiah 12:8 | And it shall come to pass that except they repent I will utterly destroy them from off the face of the earth; yet they shall leave a record behind them, and I will preserve them for other nations which shall possess the land; yea, even this will I do that I may discover the abominations of this people to other nations. And many things did Abinadi prophesy against this people. | If they do not say sorry and change, I will make them go away from the earth. But they will leave a book behind them, and I will keep it safe for other people who will live in the land. I will do this to show other people the bad things they did. Abinadi said many things about these people. |
| Mosiah 12:9 | And it came to pass that they were angry with him; and they took him and carried him bound before the king, and said unto the king: Behold, we have brought a man before thee who has prophesied evil concerning thy people, and saith that God will destroy them. | They got mad at him. They tied him up and took him to the king. They told the king, “This man said bad things will happen to your people and that God will destroy them.” |
| Mosiah 12:10 | And he also prophesieth evil concerning thy life, and saith that thy life shall be as a garment in a furnace of fire. | He says bad things will happen to you, and that your life will be burned up like clothes in a fire. |
| Mosiah 12:11 | And again, he saith that thou shalt be as a stalk, even as a dry stalk of the field, which is run over by the beasts and trodden under foot. | He says you will be like a dry plant in a field, stepped on by animals. |
| Mosiah 12:12 | And again, he saith thou shalt be as the blossoms of a thistle, which, when it is fully ripe, if the wind bloweth, it is driven forth upon the face of the land. And he pretendeth the Lord hath spoken it. And he saith all this shall come upon thee except thou repent, and this because of thine iniquities. | He says you will be like the flowers of a thistle. When they are ready, the wind blows them away. He says the Lord said this. He says this will happen to you if you do not say sorry for your bad actions. |
| Mosiah 12:13 | And now, O king, what great evil hast thou done, or what great sins have thy people committed, that we should be condemned of God or judged of this man? | Now, O king, what bad thing have you done, or what bad things have your people done, that we should be punished by God or judged by this man? |
| Mosiah 12:14 | And now, O king, behold, we are guiltless, and thou, O king, hast not sinned; therefore, this man has lied concerning you, and he has prophesied in vain. | Dear king, look, we did nothing wrong, and you, dear king, did not do anything bad; so, this man lied about you, and what he said is not true. |
| Mosiah 12:15 | And behold, we are strong, we shall not come into bondage, or be taken captive by our enemies; yea, and thou hast prospered in the land, and thou shalt also prosper. | We are strong. We will not be caught by our enemies. You have done well here, and you will keep doing well. |
| Mosiah 12:16 | Behold, here is the man, we deliver him into thy hands; thou mayest do with him as seemeth thee good. | Look, here is the man. We give him to you. You can do what you think is best. |
| Mosiah 12:17 | And it came to pass that king Noah caused that Abinadi should be cast into prison; and he commanded that the priests should gather themselves together that he might hold a council with them what he should do with him. | King Noah put Abinadi in jail. He told the priests to come together so they could decide what to do with Abinadi. |
| Mosiah 12:18 | And it came to pass that they said unto the king: Bring him hither that we may question him; and the king commanded that he should be brought before them. | The people asked the king, “Bring him here so we can ask him questions.” The king said to bring him. |
| Mosiah 12:19 | And they began to question him, that they might cross him, that thereby they might have wherewith to accuse him; but he answered them boldly, and withstood all their questions, yea, to their astonishment; for he did withstand them in all their questions, and did confound them in all their words. | They asked him tricky questions, trying to get him in trouble. But he answered them confidently and stood up to all their questions. They were amazed because he did not get confused and answered everything well. |
| Mosiah 12:20 | And it came to pass that one of them said unto him: What meaneth the words which are written, and which have been taught by our fathers, saying: | One of them asked him: What do the words mean that our fathers wrote and taught us? |
| Mosiah 12:21 | How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth; | How nice on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news; who tells about peace; who brings good news of good things; who tells about being saved; who says to Zion, Your God rules. |
| Mosiah 12:22 | Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion; | Your guards will shout for joy. Together, they will sing. They will see clearly when the Lord brings Zion back. |
| Mosiah 12:23 | Break forth into joy; sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem; | Be happy and sing together, Jerusalem! The Lord has made His people feel better. He has saved Jerusalem. |
| Mosiah 12:24 | The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God? | The Lord showed his power to everyone, and all people everywhere will see that God can save us. |
| Mosiah 12:25 | And now Abinadi said unto them: Are you priests, and pretend to teach this people, and to understand the spirit of prophesying, and yet desire to know of me what these things mean? | Abinadi said to them: Are you priests? Do you teach the people? Do you understand the spirit of prophesying? Why do you ask me what these things mean? |
| Mosiah 12:26 | I say unto you, wo be unto you for perverting the ways of the Lord! For if ye understand these things ye have not taught them; therefore, ye have perverted the ways of the Lord. | I say to you, it is bad to change the ways of the Lord! If you know these things and did not teach them, you have changed the ways of the Lord. |
| Mosiah 12:27 | Ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise. Therefore, what teach ye this people? | You have not tried to understand. So, you have not been smart. What do you teach the people? |
| Mosiah 12:28 | And they said: We teach the law of Moses. | They said: We teach the law of Moses. |
| Mosiah 12:29 | And again he said unto them: If ye teach the law of Moses why do ye not keep it? Why do ye set your hearts upon riches? Why do ye commit whoredoms and spend your strength with harlots, yea, and cause this people to commit sin, that the Lord has cause to send me to prophesy against this people, yea, even a great evil against this people? | And again he said to them: If you teach the law of Moses, why don’t you follow it? Why do you love money? Why do you do bad things and spend time with bad people, and make others do bad things too? That is why the Lord sent me to warn you about the bad things you are doing. |
| Mosiah 12:30 | Know ye not that I speak the truth? Yea, ye know that I speak the truth; and you ought to tremble before God. | You know I am telling the truth. Yes, you know I am telling the truth. You should feel afraid of God. |
| Mosiah 12:31 | And it shall come to pass that ye shall be smitten for your iniquities, for ye have said that ye teach the law of Moses. And what know ye concerning the law of Moses? Doth salvation come by the law of Moses? What say ye? | You will be punished for doing bad things. You say you teach the laws of Moses. Do you really know what the laws of Moses are? Can they save you? What do you think? |
| Mosiah 12:32 | And they answered and said that salvation did come by the law of Moses. | And they said that being saved came by following the law of Moses. |
| Mosiah 12:33 | But now Abinadi said unto them: I know if ye keep the commandments of God ye shall be saved; yea, if ye keep the commandments which the Lord delivered unto Moses in the mount of Sinai, saying: | Abinadi said, “If you obey God’s rules, you will be safe. Follow the rules God gave Moses on the mountain.” |
| Mosiah 12:34 | I am the Lord thy God, who hath brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. | I am God. I helped you leave Egypt where you were not free. |
| Mosiah 12:35 | Thou shalt have no other God before me. | You should only love and worship me. |
| Mosiah 12:36 | Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing in heaven above, or things which are in the earth beneath. | Do not make any carved picture or shape of anything in the sky or on the ground. |
| Mosiah 12:37 | Now Abinadi said unto them, Have ye done all this? I say unto you, Nay, ye have not. And have ye taught this people that they should do all these things? I say unto you, Nay, ye have not. | Abinadi said, “Did you do all this? No, you did not. Did you teach the people to do all these things? No, you did not.” |
Mosiah 13
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 13:1 | And now when the king had heard these words, he said unto his priests: Away with this fellow, and slay him; for what have we to do with him, for he is mad. | The king heard these words and told his helpers: Take this man away and kill him. He is crazy. Why do we need him? |
| Mosiah 13:2 | And they stood forth and attempted to lay their hands on him; but he withstood them, and said unto them: | They tried to grab him, but he stopped them and said: |
| Mosiah 13:3 | Touch me not, for God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me, for I have not delivered the message which the Lord sent me to deliver; neither have I told you that which ye requested that I should tell; therefore, God will not suffer that I shall be destroyed at this time. | Don’t touch me. God will hurt you if you touch me. I have not told you what God wants me to say. So, God will keep me safe right now. |
| Mosiah 13:4 | But I must fulfil the commandments wherewith God has commanded me; and because I have told you the truth ye are angry with me. And again, because I have spoken the word of God ye have judged me that I am mad. | But I must do what God told me to do. You are angry because I told you the truth. And because I spoke God’s words, you think I am crazy. |
| Mosiah 13:5 | Now it came to pass after Abinadi had spoken these words that the people of king Noah durst not lay their hands on him, for the Spirit of the Lord was upon him; and his face shone with exceeding luster, even as Moses— did while in the mount of Sinai, while speaking with the Lord. | After Abinadi spoke, people were too scared to touch him because God’s Spirit was with him. His face was very bright like Moses’ was when he talked to God. |
| Mosiah 13:6 | And he spake with power and authority from God; and he continued his words, saying: | He talked strongly and with power from God; and he kept talking, saying:. |
| Mosiah 13:7 | Ye see that ye have not power to slay me, therefore I finish my message. Yea, and I perceive that it cuts you to your hearts because I tell you the truth concerning your iniquities. | You can’t hurt me, so I will keep talking. I see that what I say makes you feel bad because I am telling you the truth about your mistakes. |
| Mosiah 13:8 | Yea, and my words fill you with wonder and amazement, and with anger. | Yes, my words make you feel amazed and angry. |
| Mosiah 13:9 | But I finish my message; and then it matters not whither I go, if it so be that I am saved. | I am done talking; it doesn’t matter where I go, as long as I am safe. |
| Mosiah 13:10 | But this much I tell you, what you do with me, after this, shall be as a type and a shadow of things which are to come. | I want to tell you this: What happens to me now will show you about things that will happen later. |
| Mosiah 13:11 | And now I read unto you the remainder of the commandments of God, for I perceive that they are not written in your hearts; I perceive that ye have studied and taught iniquity the most part of your lives. | Now I will tell you the rest of God’s rules. I see that you do not know them well. You have learned and done bad things for most of your lives. |
| Mosiah 13:12 | And now, ye remember that I said unto you: Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of things which are in heaven above, or which are in the earth beneath, or which are in the water under the earth. | Remember, I told you: Do not make any statues or pictures of things in the sky, on the ground, or in the water. |
| Mosiah 13:13 | And again: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generations of them that hate me; | Don’t bow down or serve other gods. I am the Lord your God. I will punish those who hate me, even their children and grandchildren. |
| Mosiah 13:14 | And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. | I am kind to thousands of people who love me and follow my rules. |
| Mosiah 13:15 | Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. | Do not use God’s name in a bad way because God will not like it. |
| Mosiah 13:16 | Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. | Remember the day of rest, keep it special. |
| Mosiah 13:17 | Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; | Work for six days and do all your jobs. |
| Mosiah 13:18 | But the seventh day, the sabbath of the Lord thy God, thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; | On the seventh day, the Lord’s day, you must rest. You, your son, your daughter, your workers, your animals, and your visitors must not work. |
| Mosiah 13:19 | For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is; wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. | In six days, God made the sky, earth, sea, and everything in them. So, God made the Sabbath day special and blessed it. |
| Mosiah 13:20 | Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. | Respect your mom and dad so you can live a long time in the place God gives you. |
| Mosiah 13:21 | Thou shalt not kill. | Do not kill. |
| Mosiah 13:22 | Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. | Do not cheat. Do not take what is not yours. |
| Mosiah 13:23 | Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. | Do not lie about others. |
| Mosiah 13:24 | Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor—s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor—s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor—s. | Do not want your neighbor’s house. Do not want your neighbor’s wife. Do not want his helpers or his animals. Do not want anything that belongs to your neighbor. |
| Mosiah 13:25 | And it came to pass that after Abinadi had made an end of these sayings that he said unto them: Have ye taught this people that they should observe to do all these things for to keep these commandments? | After Abinadi finished talking, he asked them: Have you told the people to do all these things and follow the rules? |
| Mosiah 13:26 | I say unto you, Nay; for if ye had, the Lord would not have caused me to come forth and to prophesy evil concerning this people. | No, because if you did, God would not have made me come here to say bad things about these people. |
| Mosiah 13:27 | And now ye have said that salvation cometh by the law of Moses. I say unto you that it is expedient that ye should keep the law of Moses as yet; but I say unto you, that the time shall come when it shall no more be expedient to keep the law of Moses. | You said we are saved by following Moses’ law. I tell you that we should still follow Moses’ law for now; but I also tell you, a time will come when we won’t need to follow it anymore. |
| Mosiah 13:28 | And moreover, I say unto you, that salvation doth not come by the law alone; and were it not for the atonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses. | Salvation doesn’t come just by following the law. Without God’s help to pay for people’s mistakes, they would be lost. |
| Mosiah 13:29 | And now I say unto you that it was expedient that there should be a law given to the children of Israel, yea, even a very strict law; for they were a stiffnecked people, quick to do iniquity, and slow to remember the Lord their God; | I say to you that there needed to be a strict rule for the children of Israel because they often did bad things and were slow to remember the Lord their God. |
| Mosiah 13:30 | Therefore there was a law given them, yea, a law of performances and of ordinances, a law which they were to observe strictly from day to day, to keep them in remembrance of God and their duty towards him. | They had rules to follow every day to remember God and what they should do for Him. |
| Mosiah 13:31 | But behold, I say unto you, that all these things were types of things to come. | But listen, I tell you, all these things show what will happen later. |
| Mosiah 13:32 | And now, did they understand the law? I say unto you, Nay, they did not all understand the law; and this because of the hardness of their hearts; for they understood not that there could not any man be saved except it were through the redemption of God. | Did they understand the law? No, not everyone understood the law because their hearts were hard. They did not know that only God can save people. |
| Mosiah 13:33 | For behold, did not Moses prophesy unto them concerning the coming of the Messiah, and that God should redeem his people? Yea, and even all the prophets who have prophesied ever since the world began—have they not spoken more or less concerning these things? | Moses talked about the Messiah coming, and that God would save his people. Many other prophets have talked about these things too. |
| Mosiah 13:34 | Have they not said that God himself should come down among the children of men, and take upon him the form of man, and go forth in mighty power upon the face of the earth? | Did they say that God would come down as a man and do great things on the earth? |
| Mosiah 13:35 | Yea, and have they not said also that he should bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, and that he, himself, should be oppressed and afflicted? | Yes, they said he would make dead people alive again, and that he would suffer and be hurt too. |
Mosiah 14
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 14:1 | Yea, even doth not Isaiah say: Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? | Doesn’t Isaiah say: Who has believed what we told them, and to whom has God shown His power? |
| Mosiah 14:2 | For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground; he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him. | He will grow like a small plant in dry ground. He does not look special. When we see him, we will not think he is beautiful. |
| Mosiah 14:3 | He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. | People did not like him and did not want him. He was often sad and hurt. We looked away from him. We did not think he was important. |
| Mosiah 14:4 | Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. | He took our pain, and carried our sadness; but we thought he was punished, hurt by God, and suffering. |
| Mosiah 14:5 | But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. | But he was hurt for our mistakes, he was punished for our bad actions; he suffered so we can have peace; and by his suffering we are healed. |
| Mosiah 14:6 | All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all. | We are like sheep that got lost. Each of us went our own way. But the Lord put all our mistakes on him. |
| Mosiah 14:7 | He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb so he opened not his mouth. | He was hurt and treated badly, but he did not say anything; he was taken like a lamb to be killed, and he was quiet like a sheep getting its wool cut, so he did not say anything. |
| Mosiah 14:8 | He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgressions of my people was he stricken. | He was taken away and punished. Who will talk about his family? He was killed for the wrong things my people did. |
| Mosiah 14:9 | And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no evil, neither was any deceit in his mouth. | He was buried with bad people and rich people. He did nothing wrong and did not lie. |
| Mosiah 14:10 | Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief; when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. | The Lord was happy to let him suffer. He made him feel sad. When he offers his life for our sins, he will see his children, live a long time, and the Lord’s plan will be successful. |
| Mosiah 14:11 | He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied; by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. | He will see the hard things he went through and be happy. Because he knows, my good helper will make many people right. He will take on their mistakes. |
| Mosiah 14:12 | Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. | So, I will give him a big reward. He will share the prize with strong people. This is because he died for others. He was counted with bad people. He took on the bad things people did. He helped the bad people. |
Mosiah 15
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 15:1 | And now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people. | Abinadi said: I want you to know that God will come down to the people and save them. |
| Mosiah 15:2 | And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son— | Because he lives in a body, he will be called the Son of God. He will follow the Father’s will. He is both the Father and the Son. |
| Mosiah 15:3 | The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son— | God is the Father because He has God’s power. Jesus is the Son because He was born as a human. So, He is both the Father and the Son. |
| Mosiah 15:4 | And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth. | They are one God, the Eternal Father in heaven and on earth. |
| Mosiah 15:5 | And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people. | Jesus, who is one with God, faces temptation but does not give in. He allows people to make fun of him, hurt him, send him away, and reject him. |
| Mosiah 15:6 | And after all this, after working many mighty miracles among the children of men, he shall be led, yea, even as Isaiah said, as a sheep before the shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. | After doing many big miracles for people, he will be taken, just like Isaiah said, like a quiet sheep that does not talk. |
| Mosiah 15:7 | Yea, even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father. | Yes, he will be led, nailed to a cross, and die, following God’s plan. |
| Mosiah 15:8 | And thus God breaketh the bands of death, having gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to make intercession for the children of men— | God broke the chains of death. He won over death. He gave His Son power to help people. |
| Mosiah 15:9 | Having ascended into heaven, having the bowels of mercy; being filled with compassion towards the children of men; standing betwixt them and justice; having broken the bands of death, taken upon himself their iniquity and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of justice. | He went to heaven. He is very kind and feels for people. He helps them against justice. He beat death and took their wrongs. He saved them and made things right. |
| Mosiah 15:10 | And now I say unto you, who shall declare his generation? Behold, I say unto you, that when his soul has been made an offering for sin he shall see his seed. And now what say ye? And who shall be his seed? | When Jesus gave His life for us, who will talk about it? He will see the people who follow Him. Who are these people? Are they you? |
| Mosiah 15:11 | Behold I say unto you, that whosoever has heard the words of the prophets, yea, all the holy prophets who have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord—I say unto you, that all those who have hearkened unto their words, and believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins, I say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are heirs of the kingdom of God. | Listen to me. If you heard the prophets talk about the Lord coming and you believed them and hoped He would save us, you are God’s children and will live in His kingdom. |
| Mosiah 15:12 | For these are they whose sins he has borne; these are they for whom he has died, to redeem them from their transgressions. And now, are they not his seed? | These are the people whose bad things Jesus took away. He died for them to help them. Now, aren’t they his children? |
| Mosiah 15:13 | Yea, and are not the prophets, every one that has opened his mouth to prophesy, that has not fallen into transgression, I mean all the holy prophets ever since the world began? I say unto you that they are his seed. | Yes, and all the prophets who talked about God and did not do wrong things are his children. |
| Mosiah 15:14 | And these are they who have published peace, who have brought good tidings of good, who have published salvation; and said unto Zion: Thy God reigneth! | These people told everyone about peace, good news, and being saved. They said to Zion: “Your God is in charge!” |
| Mosiah 15:15 | And O how beautiful upon the mountains were their feet! | Their feet were so beautiful on the mountains! |
| Mosiah 15:16 | And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that are still publishing peace! | Wow, look at the pretty feet of the people on the mountains who still talk about peace! |
| Mosiah 15:17 | And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who shall hereafter publish peace, yea, from this time henceforth and forever! | The feet of those who bring peace are very beautiful on the mountains. This will be true forever! |
| Mosiah 15:18 | And behold, I say unto you, this is not all. For O how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that is the founder of peace, yea, even the Lord, who has redeemed his people; yea, him who has granted salvation unto his people; | Look! There is more to tell you. The person who brings good news from the mountains has beautiful feet. This person is the Lord. He gives peace and has saved his people. |
| Mosiah 15:19 | For were it not for the redemption which he hath made for his people, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, I say unto you, were it not for this, all mankind must have perished. | If Jesus did not save people, everyone would have died. |
| Mosiah 15:20 | But behold, the bands of death shall be broken, and the Son reigneth, and hath power over the dead; therefore, he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead. | But look, death will stop, Jesus will be the king, and he can make dead people alive again. |
| Mosiah 15:21 | And there cometh a resurrection, even a first resurrection; yea, even a resurrection of those that have been, and who are, and who shall be, even until the resurrection of Christ—for so shall he be called. | There will be a time when people come back to life. This is the first time. People from the past, present, and future will all come back to life. This will happen when Jesus comes back. He will be called Christ. |
| Mosiah 15:22 | And now, the resurrection of all the prophets, and all those that have believed in their words, or all those that have kept the commandments of God, shall come forth in the first resurrection; therefore, they are the first resurrection. | All the prophets and people who listened to them and followed God’s rules will come back to life first. They are in the first group to come back to life. |
| Mosiah 15:23 | They are raised to dwell with God who has redeemed them; thus they have eternal life through Christ, who has broken the bands of death. | They go to live with God who saved them; so they live forever because of Jesus, who beat death. |
| Mosiah 15:24 | And these are those who have part in the first resurrection; and these are they that have died before Christ came, in their ignorance, not having salvation declared unto them. And thus the Lord bringeth about the restoration of these; and they have a part in the first resurrection, or have eternal life, being redeemed by the Lord. | These people are in the first resurrection. They died before Jesus came and didn’t know about salvation. The Lord saves them and gives them eternal life. |
| Mosiah 15:25 | And little children also have eternal life. | And young kids also live forever. |
| Mosiah 15:26 | But behold, and fear, and tremble before God, for ye ought to tremble; for the Lord redeemeth none such that rebel against him and die in their sins; yea, even all those that have perished in their sins ever since the world began, that have wilfully rebelled against God, that have known the commandments of God, and would not keep them; these are they that have no part in the first resurrection. | Be afraid of God. People who don’t listen to God and do bad things will not be saved. Those who do not follow God’s rules will not be in the first resurrection. |
| Mosiah 15:27 | Therefore ought ye not to tremble? For salvation cometh to none such; for the Lord hath redeemed none such; yea, neither can the Lord redeem such; for he cannot deny himself; for he cannot deny justice when it has its claim. | You should be scared. People cannot be saved if they do bad things. The Lord cannot save them because he must be fair and just. |
| Mosiah 15:28 | And now I say unto you that the time shall come that the salvation of the Lord shall be declared to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. | One day, everyone everywhere will hear about God’s love. |
| Mosiah 15:29 | Yea, Lord, thy watchmen shall lift up their voice; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion. | Yes, Lord, your helpers will call out loud; they will sing together when they see the Lord bring back Zion. |
| Mosiah 15:30 | Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. | Be happy and sing together, places of Jerusalem. The Lord has made his people feel better and saved Jerusalem. |
| Mosiah 15:31 | The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. | God showed his power to everyone; all people will see that God saves us. |
Mosiah 16
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 16:1 | And now, it came to pass that after Abinadi had spoken these words he stretched forth his hand and said: The time shall come when all shall see the salvation of the Lord; when every nation, kindred, tongue, and people shall see eye to eye and shall confess before God that his judgments are just. | After Abinadi talked, he reached out his hand and said: One day, everyone will see God’s saving power. Every group and every person will agree that God’s choices are right. |
| Mosiah 16:2 | And then shall the wicked be cast out, and they shall have cause to howl, and weep, and wail, and gnash their teeth; and this because they would not hearken unto the voice of the Lord; therefore the Lord redeemeth them not. | The bad people will be sent away. They will be very sad and cry a lot because they did not listen to the Lord. The Lord will not save them. |
| Mosiah 16:3 | For they are carnal and devilish, and the devil has power over them; yea, even that old serpent that did beguile our first parents, which was the cause of their fall; which was the cause of all mankind becoming carnal, sensual, devilish, knowing evil from good, subjecting themselves to the devil. | They are bad and the devil has control over them. The devil tricked the first people, and that’s why everyone now knows good and bad and sometimes chooses to do bad things. |
| Mosiah 16:4 | Thus all mankind were lost; and behold, they would have been endlessly lost were it not that God redeemed his people from their lost and fallen state. | All people were lost, but God saved them from being lost forever. |
| Mosiah 16:5 | But remember that he that persists in his own carnal nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, remaineth in his fallen state and the devil hath all power over him. Therefore, he is as though there was no redemption made, being an enemy to God; and also is the devil an enemy to God. | If someone keeps doing wrong things and doesn’t listen to God, they stay in a bad place. The devil controls them. It’s like they were never saved. They are against God, and the devil is also against God. |
| Mosiah 16:6 | And now if Christ had not come into the world, speaking of things to come as though they had already come, there could have been no redemption. | If Jesus had not come to the world, there could be no saving. |
| Mosiah 16:7 | And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection. | If Jesus did not come back to life, then no one could come back to life. |
| Mosiah 16:8 | But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ. | But people will come back to life. So, the grave cannot win, and because of Jesus, we do not have to be afraid of dying. |
| Mosiah 16:9 | He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death. | Jesus is the light and life of the world. His light never goes out. His life never ends. There will be no more death. |
| Mosiah 16:10 | Even this mortal shall put on immortality, and this corruption shall put on incorruption, and shall be brought to stand before the bar of God, to be judged of him according to their works whether they be good or whether they be evil— | Everyone will become forever alive and will no longer die. They will stand before God to be judged for what they did, good or bad. |
| Mosiah 16:11 | If they be good, to the resurrection of endless life and happiness; and if they be evil, to the resurrection of endless damnation, being delivered up to the devil, who hath subjected them, which is damnation— | If they are good, they will live with happiness forever; but if they are bad, they will be with the devil forever, which is very sad. |
| Mosiah 16:12 | Having gone according to their own carnal wills and desires; having never called upon the Lord while the arms of mercy were extended towards them; for the arms of mercy were extended towards them, and they would not; they being warned of their iniquities and yet they would not depart from them; and they were commanded to repent and yet they would not repent. | They did what they wanted and didn’t ask God for help. God wanted to help them but they didn’t listen. They were told to stop being bad, but they didn’t stop. They were told to say sorry, but they didn’t say sorry. |
| Mosiah 16:13 | And now, ought ye not to tremble and repent of your sins, and remember that only in and through Christ ye can be saved? | Shouldn’t you feel sorry and say sorry for your bad choices, and remember that only through Jesus you can be saved? |
| Mosiah 16:14 | Therefore, if ye teach the law of Moses, also teach that it is a shadow of those things which are to come— | So, if you teach about the law of Moses, also say it shows things that will happen in the future. |
| Mosiah 16:15 | Teach them that redemption cometh through Christ the Lord, who is the very Eternal Father. Amen. | Teach them that Jesus saves us. He is like a very good father. Amen. |
Mosiah 17
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 17:1 | And now it came to pass that when Abinadi had finished these sayings, that the king commanded that the priests should take him and cause that he should be put to death. | When Abinadi stopped talking, the king told the priests to take him and put him to death. |
| Mosiah 17:2 | But there was one among them whose name was Alma, he also being a descendant of Nephi. And he was a young man, and he believed the words which Abinadi had spoken, for he knew concerning the iniquity which Abinadi has testified against them; therefore he began to plead with the king that he would not be angry with Abinadi, but suffer that he might depart in peace. | There was a man named Alma. He was from Nephi’s family. He listened to Abinadi. He knew Abinadi was telling the truth. Alma asked the king to let Abinadi go in peace. |
| Mosiah 17:3 | But the king was more wroth, and caused that Alma should be cast out from among them, and sent his servants after him that they might slay him. | The king got even more angry. He told his servants to kick Alma out and send people to hurt him. |
| Mosiah 17:4 | But he fled from before them and hid himself that they found him not. And he being concealed for many days did write all the words which Abinadi had spoken. | But he ran away and hid so they could not find him. While hiding for many days, he wrote down all the words Abinadi had said. |
| Mosiah 17:5 | And it came to pass that the king caused that his guards should surround Abinadi and take him; and they bound him and cast him into prison. | The king told his guards to go get Abinadi. They tied him up and put him in prison. |
| Mosiah 17:6 | And after three days, having counseled with his priests, he caused that he should again be brought before him. | After three days, he talked with his priests. Then he said to bring him back. |
| Mosiah 17:7 | And he said unto him: Abinadi, we have found an accusation against thee, and thou art worthy of death. | He said to Abinadi: “We found something bad you did. You should die.” |
| Mosiah 17:8 | For thou hast said that God himself should come down among the children of men; and now, for this cause thou shalt be put to death unless thou wilt recall all the words which thou hast spoken evil concerning me and my people. | You said God would come to earth to be with people. Now, because you said this, you will be killed unless you take back all the bad things you said about me and my people. |
| Mosiah 17:9 | Now Abinadi said unto him: I say unto you, I will not recall the words which I have spoken unto you concerning this people, for they are true; and that ye may know of their surety I have suffered myself that I have fallen into your hands. | Abinadi said: I will not take back my words. What I said is true. To prove this, I let you catch me. |
| Mosiah 17:10 | Yea, and I will suffer even until death, and I will not recall my words, and they shall stand as a testimony against you. And if ye slay me ye will shed innocent blood, and this shall also stand as a testimony against you at the last day. | Yes, I will suffer until I die. I will not take back my words. They will prove you did wrong. If you kill me, you will kill an innocent person. This will show you did wrong on the last day. |
| Mosiah 17:11 | And now king Noah was about to release him, for he feared his word; for he feared that the judgments of God would come upon him. | King Noah was scared and was going to let him go because he thought God would punish him. |
| Mosiah 17:12 | But the priests lifted up their voices against him, and began to accuse him, saying: He has reviled the king. Therefore the king was stirred up in anger against him, and he delivered him up that he might be slain. | The priests shouted at him and said he was mean to the king. The king got very angry and decided to kill him. |
| Mosiah 17:13 | And it came to pass that they took him and bound him, and scourged his skin with faggots, yea, even unto death. | They caught him, tied him up, hit him with sticks, and he died. |
| Mosiah 17:14 | And now when the flames began to scorch him, he cried unto them, saying: | When the fire started to burn him, he shouted to them, saying: |
| Mosiah 17:15 | Behold, even as ye have done unto me, so shall it come to pass that thy seed shall cause that many shall suffer the pains that I do suffer, even the pains of death by fire; and this because they believe in the salvation of the Lord their God. | Look, because you hurt me, your children will also hurt many people. These people will be in a lot of pain and might even die in a fire because they believe in God. |
| Mosiah 17:16 | And it will come to pass that ye shall be afflicted with all manner of diseases because of your iniquities. | You will get sick because you did bad things. |
| Mosiah 17:17 | Yea, and ye shall be smitten on every hand, and shall be driven and scattered to and fro, even as a wild flock is driven by wild and ferocious beasts. | Yes, you will be hurt and chased everywhere, just like a wild flock is chased by wild animals. |
| Mosiah 17:18 | And in that day ye shall be hunted, and ye shall be taken by the hand of your enemies, and then ye shall suffer, as I suffer, the pains of death by fire. | One day, bad people will catch you. They will make you hurt a lot, like I will hurt, by fire. |
| Mosiah 17:19 | Thus God executeth vengeance upon those that destroy his people. O God, receive my soul. | So God punishes bad people who hurt his people. God, please take care of me. |
| Mosiah 17:20 | And now, when Abinadi had said these words, he fell, having suffered death by fire; yea, having been put to death because he would not deny the commandments of God, having sealed the truth of his words by his death. | After Abinadi said these things, he died in a fire because he wouldn’t say God’s rules were wrong. He showed his words were true by dying. |
Mosiah 18
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 18:1 | And now, it came to pass that Alma, who had fled from the servants of king Noah, repented of his sins and iniquities, and went about privately among the people, and began to teach the words of Abinadi— | Alma ran away from King Noah’s men. He said sorry for his bad choices. He went to the people in secret and started to teach them what Abinadi said. |
| Mosiah 18:2 | Yea, concerning that which was to come, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and the redemption of the people, which was to be brought to pass through the power, and sufferings, and death of Christ, and his resurrection and ascension into heaven. | Yes, about what will happen and the rising of the dead, and saving the people, which will happen because of the power, pain, and death of Christ, and his coming back to life and going to heaven. |
| Mosiah 18:3 | And as many as would hear his word he did teach. And he taught them privately, that it might not come to the knowledge of the king. And many did believe his words. | He taught the people who wanted to listen. He taught them in secret so the king wouldn’t know. Many people believed him. |
| Mosiah 18:4 | And it came to pass that as many as did believe him did go forth to a place which was called Mormon, having received its name from the king, being in the borders of the land having been infested, by times or at seasons, by wild beasts. | People who believed him went to a place called Mormon. The king gave it that name. Sometimes, wild animals were there. |
| Mosiah 18:5 | Now, there was in Mormon a fountain of pure water, and Alma resorted thither, there being near the water a thicket of small trees, where he did hide himself in the daytime from the searches of the king. | In Mormon, there was clean water. Alma went there. Near the water, there were some small trees. Alma hid in the trees during the day so the king’s people could not find him. |
| Mosiah 18:6 | And it came to pass that as many as believed him went thither to hear his words. | And the people who believed him went to listen to his words. |
| Mosiah 18:7 | And it came to pass after many days there were a goodly number gathered together at the place of Mormon, to hear the words of Alma. Yea, all were gathered together that believed on his word, to hear him. And he did teach them, and did preach unto them repentance, and redemption, and faith on the Lord. | After many days, lots of people went to a place called Mormon. They went to listen to a man named Alma. The people who believed his words all came to hear him. Alma taught them to say sorry for bad things, to be saved, and to have faith in the Lord. |
| Mosiah 18:8 | And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another—s burdens, that they may be light; | He said to them: Look, here is water called Mormon. You want to join God’s group and be His people. You are ready to help each other so things are easier. |
| Mosiah 18:9 | Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life— | Be sad with others who are sad. Help people who need it. Always show you believe in God, no matter where you are. Try to do this until you die. Then God can save you, and you can live forever. |
| Mosiah 18:10 | Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you? | If you want this, why not be baptized in the name of the Lord to show you promise to serve him and follow his rules so he can give you his Spirit? |
| Mosiah 18:11 | And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts. | The people heard these words, and they were very happy. They clapped their hands and said: “This is what we want.” |
| Mosiah 18:12 | And now it came to pass that Alma took Helam, he being one of the first, and went and stood forth in the water, and cried, saying: O Lord, pour out thy Spirit upon thy servant, that he may do this work with holiness of heart. | Alma took Helam to the water. He asked God to help him do the work with a good heart. |
| Mosiah 18:13 | And when he had said these words, the Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he said: Helam, I baptize thee, having authority from the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into a covenant to serve him until you are dead as to the mortal body; and may the Spirit of the Lord be poured out upon you; and may he grant unto you eternal life, through the redemption of Christ, whom he has prepared from the foundation of the world. | He said: Helam, I baptize you because God gave me the power. This means you promise to serve God your whole life. May God’s Spirit be with you and give you eternal life through Jesus Christ. |
| Mosiah 18:14 | And after Alma had said these words, both Alma and Helam were buried in the water; and they arose and came forth out of the water rejoicing, being filled with the Spirit. | After Alma said this, he and Helam went into the water. Then they came out of the water happy because they felt the Spirit. |
| Mosiah 18:15 | And again, Alma took another, and went forth a second time into the water, and baptized him according to the first, only he did not bury himself again in the water. | Alma took another person and went into the water again. He baptized him like he did the first time, but he did not go under the water himself again. |
| Mosiah 18:16 | And after this manner he did baptize every one that went forth to the place of Mormon; and they were in number about two hundred and four souls; yea, and they were baptized in the waters of Mormon, and were filled with the grace of God. | He baptized everyone who came to the place called Mormon. There were about two hundred and four people. They were baptized in the waters of Mormon and felt God’s love. |
| Mosiah 18:17 | And they were called the church of God, or the church of Christ, from that time forward. And it came to pass that whosoever was baptized by the power and authority of God was added to his church. | And they were called the church of God, or the church of Christ. If someone was baptized by God’s power, they joined his church. |
| Mosiah 18:18 | And it came to pass that Alma, having authority from God, ordained priests; even one priest to every fifty of their number did he ordain to preach unto them, and to teach them concerning the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. | Alma, who had power from God, picked priests. He chose one priest for every fifty people to teach them about God. |
| Mosiah 18:19 | And he commanded them that they should teach nothing save it were the things which he had taught, and which had been spoken by the mouth of the holy prophets. | He told them to only teach what he had taught and what the holy prophets had said. |
| Mosiah 18:20 | Yea, even he commanded them that they should preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord, who had redeemed his people. | He told them to only teach about saying sorry and believing in the Lord who saved his people. |
| Mosiah 18:21 | And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another. | He told them not to argue with each other. Instead, they should all work together, believe the same, be baptized, and love each other. |
| Mosiah 18:22 | And thus he commanded them to preach. And thus they became the children of God. | He told them to teach. They became God’s children. |
| Mosiah 18:23 | And he commanded them that they should observe the sabbath day, and keep it holy, and also every day they should give thanks to the Lord their God. | He told them to rest on the Sabbath day and keep it special, and also to say thank you to God every day. |
| Mosiah 18:24 | And he also commanded them that the priests whom he had ordained should labor with their own hands for their support. | He told the priests to work with their own hands to take care of themselves. |
| Mosiah 18:25 | And there was one day in every week that was set apart that they should gather themselves together to teach the people, and to worship the Lord their God, and also, as often as it was in their power, to assemble themselves together. | There was one day every week when they met to teach people and worship God. They met as often as they could. |
| Mosiah 18:26 | And the priests were not to depend upon the people for their support; but for their labor they were to receive the grace of God, that they might wax strong in the Spirit, having the knowledge of God, that they might teach with power and authority from God. | The priests did not get food and help from the people. They worked and got help from God. This made them strong and smart, so they could teach well about God. |
| Mosiah 18:27 | And again Alma commanded that the people of the church should impart of their substance, every one according to that which he had; if he have more abundantly he should impart more abundantly; and of him that had but little, but little should be required; and to him that had not should be given. | Alma told the people to share what they had. If someone had a lot, they should give a lot. If someone had a little, they only needed to give a little. If someone had nothing, they should be given some. |
| Mosiah 18:28 | And thus they should impart of their substance of their own free will and good desires towards God, and to those priests that stood in need, yea, and to every needy, naked soul. | They should give what they have because they want to help God and those who need it, like the priests and anyone who is poor and without clothes. |
| Mosiah 18:29 | And this he said unto them, having been commanded of God; and they did walk uprightly before God, imparting to one another both temporally and spiritually according to their needs and their wants. | He told them what God wanted. They were good to each other, sharing what they needed. |
| Mosiah 18:30 | And now it came to pass that all this was done in Mormon, yea, by the waters of Mormon, in the forest that was near the waters of Mormon; yea, the place of Mormon, the waters of Mormon, the forest of Mormon, how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer; yea, and how blessed are they, for they shall sing to his praise forever. | This happened in a place called Mormon. It was near the waters of Mormon, in a forest by the waters. The place was very beautiful to the people who learned about their Savior there. They were very happy and would sing praises forever. |
| Mosiah 18:31 | And these things were done in the borders of the land, that they might not come to the knowledge of the king. | These things were done at the edge of the land so the king would not know. |
| Mosiah 18:32 | But behold, it came to pass that the king, having discovered a movement among the people, sent his servants to watch them. Therefore on the day that they were assembling themselves together to hear the word of the Lord they were discovered unto the king. | The king found out that people were gathering, so he sent his helpers to watch. When they all met to listen to God’s word, the king found out. |
| Mosiah 18:33 | And now the king said that Alma was stirring up the people to rebellion against him; therefore he sent his army to destroy them. | The king said that Alma was making the people upset. So, he sent his soldiers to stop them. |
| Mosiah 18:34 | And it came to pass that Alma and the people of the Lord were apprised of the coming of the king—s army; therefore they took their tents and their families and departed into the wilderness. | Alma and the people heard the king’s army was coming, so they took their tents and families and left to the wilderness. |
| Mosiah 18:35 | And they were in number about four hundred and fifty souls. | There were about 450 people. |
Mosiah 19
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 19:1 | And it came to pass that the army of the king returned, having searched in vain for the people of the Lord. | The king’s army came back. They could not find the people of the Lord. |
| Mosiah 19:2 | And now behold, the forces of the king were small, having been reduced, and there began to be a division among the remainder of the people. | The king’s army was small. The people started to break into groups. |
| Mosiah 19:3 | And the lesser part began to breathe out threatenings against the king, and there began to be a great contention among them. | Some people started to say mean things to the king, and they all started to fight a lot. |
| Mosiah 19:4 | And now there was a man among them whose name was Gideon, and he being a strong man and an enemy to the king, therefore he drew his sword, and swore in his wrath that he would slay the king. | There was a man named Gideon. He was strong and did not like the king. He took his sword and got very angry. He said he would kill the king. |
| Mosiah 19:5 | And it came to pass that he fought with the king; and when the king saw that he was about to overpower him, he fled and ran and got upon the tower which was near the temple. | He fought with the king. The king saw he was losing, so he ran to the tower by the temple. |
| Mosiah 19:6 | And Gideon pursued after him and was about to get upon the tower to slay the king, and the king cast his eyes round about towards the land of Shemlon, and behold, the army of the Lamanites were within the borders of the land. | Gideon chased the king and almost got to the tower to hurt him. The king looked around and saw the Lamanite army coming into the land. |
| Mosiah 19:7 | And now the king cried out in the anguish of his soul, saying: Gideon, spare me, for the Lamanites are upon us, and they will destroy us; yea, they will destroy my people. | The king was very scared and said, “Gideon, help me. The bad Lamanites are here. They will hurt us. They will hurt my people.” |
| Mosiah 19:8 | And now the king was not so much concerned about his people as he was about his own life; nevertheless, Gideon did spare his life. | The king cared more about himself than his people. But Gideon did not kill him. |
| Mosiah 19:9 | And the king commanded the people that they should flee before the Lamanites, and he himself did go before them, and they did flee into the wilderness, with their women and their children. | The king told the people to run away from the Lamanites. He went with them. They ran into the wild with their women and children. |
| Mosiah 19:10 | And it came to pass that the Lamanites did pursue them, and did overtake them, and began to slay them. | The Lamanites chased them, caught them, and started to kill them. |
| Mosiah 19:11 | Now it came to pass that the king commanded them that all the men should leave their wives and their children, and flee before the Lamanites. | The king told all the men to leave their wives and children and run away from the Lamanites. |
| Mosiah 19:12 | Now there were many that would not leave them, but had rather stay and perish with them. And the rest left their wives and their children and fled. | Some people did not want to leave. They wanted to stay and die with their families. The others ran away and left their wives and children behind. |
| Mosiah 19:13 | And it came to pass that those who tarried with their wives and their children caused that their fair daughters should stand forth and plead with the Lamanites that they would not slay them. | The people stayed with their families. Their daughters asked the Lamanites not to kill them. |
| Mosiah 19:14 | And it came to pass that the Lamanites had compassion on them, for they were charmed with the beauty of their women. | The Lamanites felt sorry for them because they liked how the women looked. |
| Mosiah 19:15 | Therefore the Lamanites did spare their lives, and took them captives and carried them back to the land of Nephi, and granted unto them that they might possess the land, under the conditions that they would deliver up king Noah into the hands of the Lamanites, and deliver up their property, even one half of all they possessed, one half of their gold, and their silver, and all their precious things, and thus they should pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites from year to year. | The Lamanites did not kill them. They took them as prisoners back to the land of Nephi. They said the people could stay there if they gave up King Noah and half of everything they had, like their gold and silver, to the Lamanites. They had to do this every year. |
| Mosiah 19:16 | And now there was one of the sons of the king among those that were taken captive, whose name was Limhi. | One of the king’s sons was captured. His name was Limhi. |
| Mosiah 19:17 | And now Limhi was desirous that his father should not be destroyed; nevertheless, Limhi was not ignorant of the iniquities of his father, he himself being a just man. | Limhi wanted his dad to be safe, even though he knew his dad did bad things. Limhi was a good man. |
| Mosiah 19:18 | And it came to pass that Gideon sent men into the wilderness secretly, to search for the king and those that were with him. And it came to pass that they met the people in the wilderness, all save the king and his priests. | Gideon sent some men quietly into the forest to look for the king and his friends. They found some people in the forest, but not the king or his helpers. |
| Mosiah 19:19 | Now they had sworn in their hearts that they would return to the land of Nephi, and if their wives and their children were slain, and also those that had tarried with them, that they would seek revenge, and also perish with them. | They promised to go back to the land of Nephi. If their wives and children were hurt, they would try to get back at those who hurt them, even if it meant they might also get hurt. |
| Mosiah 19:20 | And the king commanded them that they should not return; and they were angry with the king, and caused that he should suffer, even unto death by fire. | The king told them not to come back. They got mad at the king and made him die in a fire. |
| Mosiah 19:21 | And they were about to take the priests also and put them to death, and they fled before them. | And they were going to take the priests and kill them, but the priests ran away. |
| Mosiah 19:22 | And it came to pass that they were about to return to the land of Nephi, and they met the men of Gideon. And the men of Gideon told them of all that had happened to their wives and their children; and that the Lamanites had granted unto them that they might possess the land by paying a tribute to the Lamanites of one half of all they possessed. | They were going back to the land of Nephi. They met men from Gideon. The men from Gideon told them what happened to their families. The Lamanites said they could stay if they gave half of everything. |
| Mosiah 19:23 | And the people told the men of Gideon that they had slain the king, and his priests had fled from them farther into the wilderness. | The people said to the men of Gideon, “We killed the king, and his priests ran away into the woods.” |
| Mosiah 19:24 | And it came to pass that after they had ended the ceremony, that they returned to the land of Nephi, rejoicing, because their wives and their children were not slain; and they told Gideon what they had done to the king. | After the ceremony, they went back to Nephi. They were happy because their families were safe. They told Gideon what they did to the king. |
| Mosiah 19:25 | And it came to pass that the king of the Lamanites made an oath unto them, that his people should not slay them. | The king of the Lamanites promised that his people would not hurt them. |
| Mosiah 19:26 | And also Limhi, being the son of the king, having the kingdom conferred upon him by the people, made oath unto the king of the Lamanites that his people should pay tribute unto him, even one half of all they possessed. | Limhi, the king’s son, became the new king because the people chose him. He promised the king of the Lamanites that his people would give him half of everything they had. |
| Mosiah 19:27 | And it came to pass that Limhi began to establish the kingdom and to establish peace among his people. | Limhi started to help the kingdom and made everyone feel safe and happy. |
| Mosiah 19:28 | And the king of the Lamanites set guards round about the land, that he might keep the people of Limhi in the land, that they might not depart into the wilderness; and he did support his guards out of the tribute which he did receive from the Nephites. | The king of the Lamanites put guards around the land to keep the people of Limhi from leaving. He used the money he got from the Nephites to pay his guards. |
| Mosiah 19:29 | And now king Limhi did have continual peace in his kingdom for the space of two years, that the Lamanites did not molest them nor seek to destroy them. | King Limhi’s land was peaceful for two years. The Lamanites did not bother or hurt them. |
Mosiah 20
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 20:1 | Now there was a place in Shemlon where the daughters of the Lamanites did gather themselves together to sing, and to dance, and to make themselves merry. | There was a spot in Shemlon where the Lamanite girls came together to sing, dance, and have fun. |
| Mosiah 20:2 | And it came to pass that there was one day a small number of them gathered together to sing and to dance. | One day, some people got together to sing and dance. |
| Mosiah 20:3 | And now the priests of king Noah, being ashamed to return to the city of Nephi, yea, and also fearing that the people would slay them, therefore they durst not return to their wives and their children. | The priests of King Noah were too scared to go back to the city. They were afraid the people would hurt them, so they didn’t go back to their families. |
| Mosiah 20:4 | And having tarried in the wilderness, and having discovered the daughters of the Lamanites, they laid and watched them; | They stayed in the forest and found the Lamanite girls. They watched them. |
| Mosiah 20:5 | And when there were but few of them gathered together to dance, they came forth out of their secret places and took them and carried them into the wilderness; yea, twenty and four of the daughters of the Lamanites they carried into the wilderness. | When only a few people were dancing, some men came out of hiding. They took 24 girls from the Lamanites and took them into the wilderness. |
| Mosiah 20:6 | And it came to pass that when the Lamanites found that their daughters had been missing, they were angry with the people of Limhi, for they thought it was the people of Limhi. | The Lamanites saw their daughters were gone. They got mad at the people of Limhi. They thought Limhi’s people took their daughters. |
| Mosiah 20:7 | Therefore they sent their armies forth; yea, even the king himself went before his people; and they went up to the land of Nephi to destroy the people of Limhi. | So they sent their fighters; even the king went with them; and they went to Nephi to fight the people of Limhi. |
| Mosiah 20:8 | And now Limhi had discovered them from the tower, even all their preparations for war did he discover; therefore he gathered his people together, and laid wait for them in the fields and in the forests. | Limhi saw them getting ready for war from his tower. He got his people together and hid in the fields and forests. |
| Mosiah 20:9 | And it came to pass that when the Lamanites had come up, that the people of Limhi began to fall upon them from their waiting places, and began to slay them. | The Lamanites came. The people of Limhi attacked from their hiding spots and started to kill them. |
| Mosiah 20:10 | And it came to pass that the battle became exceedingly sore, for they fought like lions for their prey. | The battle became very, very hard because they fought very strongly. |
| Mosiah 20:11 | And it came to pass that the people of Limhi began to drive the Lamanites before them; yet they were not half so numerous as the Lamanites. But they fought for their lives, and for their wives, and for their children; therefore they exerted themselves and like dragons did they fight. | The people of Limhi started to push the Lamanites away. There were not as many of them as there were Lamanites. But they fought very hard to protect their families. They fought like strong dragons. |
| Mosiah 20:12 | And it came to pass that they found the king of the Lamanites among the number of their dead; yet he was not dead, having been wounded and left upon the ground, so speedy was the flight of his people. | They found the king of the Lamanites with the dead people. But he was not dead. He was hurt and on the ground because his people ran away very fast. |
| Mosiah 20:13 | And they took him and bound up his wounds, and brought him before Limhi, and said: Behold, here is the king of the Lamanites; he having received a wound has fallen among their dead, and they have left him; and behold, we have brought him before you; and now let us slay him. | They helped him by fixing his cuts. Then they took him to Limhi and said, “Look, this is the leader of the Lamanites. He got hurt and was left behind. We brought him to you. Now, let’s kill him.” |
| Mosiah 20:14 | But Limhi said unto them: Ye shall not slay him, but bring him hither that I may see him. And they brought him. And Limhi said unto him: What cause have ye to come up to war against my people? Behold, my people have not broken the oath that I made unto you; therefore, why should ye break the oath which ye made unto my people? | But Limhi said, “Do not kill him. Bring him to me so I can see him.” And they brought him. Limhi asked him, “Why did you come to fight my people? We did not break our promise to you. Why did you break your promise to us?” |
| Mosiah 20:15 | And now the king said: I have broken the oath because thy people did carry away the daughters of my people; therefore, in my anger I did cause my people to come up to war against thy people. | The king said: I am angry because your people took away the daughters of my people. So, my people went to fight your people. |
| Mosiah 20:16 | And now Limhi had heard nothing concerning this matter; therefore he said: I will search among my people and whosoever has done this thing shall perish. Therefore he caused a search to be made among his people. | Limhi didn’t know about this. He said, “I will look for who did it. The person who did this will be punished.” So he started looking for the person. |
| Mosiah 20:17 | Now when Gideon had heard these things, he being the king—s captain, he went forth and said unto the king: I pray thee forbear, and do not search this people, and lay not this thing to their charge. | Gideon heard this. He was the king’s captain. He went to the king and said, “Please stop. Do not blame these people.” |
| Mosiah 20:18 | For do ye not remember the priests of thy father, whom this people sought to destroy? And are they not in the wilderness? And are not they the ones who have stolen the daughters of the Lamanites? | Do you remember your father’s priests? The people wanted to get rid of them. They are in the wilderness now. They took the daughters of the Lamanites. |
| Mosiah 20:19 | And now, behold, and tell the king of these things, that he may tell his people that they may be pacified towards us; for behold they are already preparing to come against us; and behold also there are but few of us. | Tell the king what we know. He can tell the people so they won’t be angry. They are getting ready to fight us. There are only a few of us. |
| Mosiah 20:20 | And behold, they come with their numerous hosts; and except the king doth pacify them towards us we must perish. | Look, they are coming with many people; and if the king doesn’t make them happy with us, we will die. |
| Mosiah 20:21 | For are not the words of Abinadi fulfilled, which he prophesied against us—and all this because we would not hearken unto the words of the Lord, and turn from our iniquities? | Didn’t Abinadi’s words come true because we didn’t listen to God and stop doing bad things? |
| Mosiah 20:22 | And now let us pacify the king, and we fulfil the oath which we have made unto him; for it is better that we should be in bondage than that we should lose our lives; therefore, let us put a stop to the shedding of so much blood. | Let’s keep the king happy and do what we promised him. It’s better to be his helpers than die. So, let’s stop the fighting and bloodshed. |
| Mosiah 20:23 | And now Limhi told the king all the things concerning his father, and the priests that had fled into the wilderness, and attributed the carrying away of their daughters to them. | Limhi told the king about his dad and the priests who ran away to the jungle, and he said the priests took their daughters. |
| Mosiah 20:24 | And it came to pass that the king was pacified towards his people; and he said unto them: Let us go forth to meet my people, without arms; and I swear unto you with an oath that my people shall not slay thy people. | The king calmed down and told his people: Let’s go meet my people without weapons. I promise they won’t hurt you. |
| Mosiah 20:25 | And it came to pass that they followed the king, and went forth without arms to meet the Lamanites. And it came to pass that they did meet the Lamanites; and the king of the Lamanites did bow himself down before them, and did plead in behalf of the people of Limhi. | The king and his people walked to meet the Lamanites with no weapons. When they met, the king of the Lamanites bowed down and begged for the people of Limhi. |
| Mosiah 20:26 | And when the Lamanites saw the people of Limhi, that they were without arms, they had compassion on them and were pacified towards them, and returned with their king in peace to their own land. | When the Lamanites saw the people of Limhi had no weapons, they felt sorry for them and were not angry anymore. They went back to their land with their king peacefully. |
Mosiah 21
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 21:1 | And it came to pass that Limhi and his people returned to the city of Nephi, and began to dwell in the land again in peace. | Limhi and his people went back to the city of Nephi and started living there again, happy and safe. |
| Mosiah 21:2 | And it came to pass that after many days the Lamanites began again to be stirred up in anger against the Nephites, and they began to come into the borders of the land round about. | After many days, the Lamanites got mad at the Nephites again and started to come near their land. |
| Mosiah 21:3 | Now they durst not slay them, because of the oath which their king had made unto Limhi; but they would smite them on their cheeks, and exercise authority over them; and began to put heavy burdens upon their backs, and drive them as they would a dumb ass— | They didn’t kill them because of a promise the king made. But they hit them on the face and made them work very hard. They treated them badly, like animals. |
| Mosiah 21:4 | Yea, all this was done that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled. | Yes, all this was done so that what God said would come true. |
| Mosiah 21:5 | And now the afflictions of the Nephites were great, and there was no way that they could deliver themselves out of their hands, for the Lamanites had surrounded them on every side. | The Nephites had big problems and couldn’t escape. The Lamanites were all around them. |
| Mosiah 21:6 | And it came to pass that the people began to murmur with the king because of their afflictions; and they began to be desirous to go against them to battle. And they did afflict the king sorely with their complaints; therefore he granted unto them that they should do according to their desires. | The people started to complain to the king because they were unhappy. They wanted to fight back. They bothered the king a lot with their complaints, so he let them do what they wanted. |
| Mosiah 21:7 | And they gathered themselves together again, and put on their armor, and went forth against the Lamanites to drive them out of their land. | They got together, put on their armor, and went to push the Lamanites out of their land. |
| Mosiah 21:8 | And it came to pass that the Lamanites did beat them, and drove them back, and slew many of them. | The Lamanites hurt them, made them go back, and killed many of them. |
| Mosiah 21:9 | And now there was a great mourning and lamentation among the people of Limhi, the widow mourning for her husband, the son and the daughter mourning for their father, and the brothers for their brethren. | The people of Limhi were very sad. Wives were crying because their husbands died, children were crying because their fathers died, and brothers were crying because their brothers died. |
| Mosiah 21:10 | Now there were a great many widows in the land, and they did cry mightily from day to day, for a great fear of the Lamanites had come upon them. | There were many women without husbands in the land. They cried a lot every day because they were very scared of the Lamanites. |
| Mosiah 21:11 | And it came to pass that their continual cries did stir up the remainder of the people of Limhi to anger against the Lamanites; and they went again to battle, but they were driven back again, suffering much loss. | The people of Limhi cried a lot and made others angry at the Lamanites. They fought again but lost many people. |
| Mosiah 21:12 | Yea, they went again even the third time, and suffered in the like manner; and those that were not slain returned again to the city of Nephi. | They went back a third time and got hurt again. The ones who did not die went back to the city. |
| Mosiah 21:13 | And they did humble themselves even to the dust, subjecting themselves to the yoke of bondage, submitting themselves to be smitten, and to be driven to and fro, and burdened, according to the desires of their enemies. | They made themselves very low, like dust. They let themselves be taken as prisoners. They let themselves be hit and moved around by their enemies. |
| Mosiah 21:14 | And they did humble themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would deliver them out of their afflictions. | They made themselves very humble and prayed a lot to God. They prayed all day so God would help them with their problems. |
| Mosiah 21:15 | And now the Lord was slow to hear their cry because of their iniquities; nevertheless the Lord did hear their cries, and began to soften the hearts of the Lamanites that they began to ease their burdens; yet the Lord did not see fit to deliver them out of bondage. | God took a long time to listen because the people did bad things. But He did listen and made the Lamanites kinder. So, the people had less hard work. But God did not set them free yet. |
| Mosiah 21:16 | And it came to pass that they began to prosper by degrees in the land, and began to raise grain more abundantly, and flocks, and herds, that they did not suffer with hunger. | They started to do better and grow more food and animals, so they did not feel hungry. |
| Mosiah 21:17 | Now there was a great number of women, more than there was of men; therefore king Limhi commanded that every man should impart to the support of the widows and their children, that they might not perish with hunger; and this they did because of the greatness of their number that had been slain. | There were more women than men. King Limhi told every man to help the women without husbands and their kids so they would not go hungry. This was because many men had died. |
| Mosiah 21:18 | Now the people of Limhi kept together in a body as much as it was possible, and secured their grain and their flocks; | The people of Limhi stayed together as much as they could, and kept their food and animals safe. |
| Mosiah 21:19 | And the king himself did not trust his person without the walls of the city, unless he took his guards with him, fearing that he might by some means fall into the hands of the Lamanites. | The king was scared to leave the city alone. He took his guards with him so he wouldn’t be caught by the Lamanites. |
| Mosiah 21:20 | And he caused that his people should watch the land round about, that by some means they might take those priests that fled into the wilderness, who had stolen the daughters of the Lamanites, and that had caused such a great destruction to come upon them. | He told his people to look around and find the bad priests who took the daughters of the Lamanites and made big trouble. |
| Mosiah 21:21 | For they were desirous to take them that they might punish them; for they had come into the land of Nephi by night, and carried off their grain and many of their precious things; therefore they laid wait for them. | They wanted to catch them to punish them because they came at night and took grain and other important things. So they waited for them. |
| Mosiah 21:22 | And it came to pass that there was no more disturbance between the Lamanites and the people of Limhi, even until the time that Ammon and his brethren came into the land. | There were no more fights between the Lamanites and the people of Limhi. This lasted until Ammon and his friends came. |
| Mosiah 21:23 | And the king having been without the gates of the city with his guard, discovered Ammon and his brethren; and supposing them to be priests of Noah therefore he caused that they should be taken, and bound, and cast into prison. And had they been the priests of Noah he would have caused that they should be put to death. | The king was outside the city with his guards. He saw Ammon and his friends. He thought they were bad priests. So, he told his guards to catch them and put them in jail. If they were really bad priests, he would have them killed. |
| Mosiah 21:24 | But when he found that they were not, but that they were his brethren, and had come from the land of Zarahemla, he was filled with exceedingly great joy. | When he saw they were his brothers from Zarahemla, he was very, very happy. |
| Mosiah 21:25 | Now king Limhi had sent, previous to the coming of Ammon, a small number of men to search for the land of Zarahemla; but they could not find it, and they were lost in the wilderness. | Before Ammon came, King Limhi sent a few men to look for the land of Zarahemla. But they got lost in the woods. |
| Mosiah 21:26 | Nevertheless, they did find a land which had been peopled; yea, a land which was covered with dry bones; yea, a land which had been peopled and which had been destroyed; and they, having supposed it to be the land of Zarahemla, returned to the land of Nephi, having arrived in the borders of the land not many days before the coming of Ammon. | They found a land with lots of bones. The people there were gone. They thought it was Zarahemla and went back to Nephi before Ammon came. |
| Mosiah 21:27 | And they brought a record with them, even a record of the people whose bones they had found; and it was engraven on plates of ore. | They brought a record. It was about the people whose bones they found. The record was written on metal plates. |
| Mosiah 21:28 | And now Limhi was again filled with joy in learning from the mouth of Ammon that king Mosiah had a gift from God, whereby he could interpret such engravings; yea, and Ammon also did rejoice. | Limhi was happy to hear from Ammon that king Mosiah had a special gift from God to read the writings. Ammon was also happy. |
| Mosiah 21:29 | Yet Ammon and his brethren were filled with sorrow because so many of their brethren had been slain; | Ammon and his brothers were very sad because many of their friends had died. |
| Mosiah 21:30 | And also that king Noah and his priests had caused the people to commit so many sins and iniquities against God; and they also did mourn for the death of Abinadi; and also for the departure of Alma and the people that went with him, who had formed a church of God through the strength and power of God, and faith on the words which had been spoken by Abinadi. | King Noah and his priests made the people do bad things against God. The people were sad because Abinadi died. They were also sad because Alma and his people left. Alma and his people made a church with God’s help and believed Abinadi’s words. |
| Mosiah 21:31 | Yea, they did mourn for their departure, for they knew not whither they had fled. Now they would have gladly joined with them, for they themselves had entered into a covenant with God to serve him and keep his commandments. | They were sad because their friends left and didn’t know where they went. Now they wanted to be with them because they promised to follow God and do what he says. |
| Mosiah 21:32 | And now since the coming of Ammon, king Limhi had also entered into a covenant with God, and also many of his people, to serve him and keep his commandments. | When Ammon came, King Limhi and many of his people promised God to obey Him and follow His rules. |
| Mosiah 21:33 | And it came to pass that king Limhi and many of his people were desirous to be baptized; but there was none in the land that had authority from God. And Ammon declined doing this thing, considering himself an unworthy servant. | King Limhi and many of his people wanted to be baptized, but no one in the land had permission from God. Ammon refused to do it because he felt he was not good enough. |
| Mosiah 21:34 | Therefore they did not at that time form themselves into a church, waiting upon the Spirit of the Lord. Now they were desirous to become even as Alma and his brethren, who had fled into the wilderness. | So, they did not make a church yet. They were waiting for the Lord’s Spirit. They wanted to be like Alma and his friends, who went to the wilderness. |
| Mosiah 21:35 | They were desirous to be baptized as a witness and a testimony that they were willing to serve God with all their hearts; nevertheless they did prolong the time; and an account of their baptism shall be given hereafter. | They wanted to be baptized to show they loved God. But they waited. We will tell more about their baptism later. |
| Mosiah 21:36 | And now all the study of Ammon and his people, and king Limhi and his people, was to deliver themselves out of the hands of the Lamanites and from bondage. | Ammon, King Limhi, and their people just wanted to escape from the Lamanites and be free. |
Mosiah 22
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 22:1 | And now it came to pass that Ammon and king Limhi began to consult with the people how they should deliver themselves out of bondage; and even they did cause that all the people should gather themselves together; and this they did that they might have the voice of the people concerning the matter. | Ammon and King Limhi talked with the people about how to get free. They asked everyone to come together to decide what to do. |
| Mosiah 22:2 | And it came to pass that they could find no way to deliver themselves out of bondage, except it were to take their women and children, and their flocks, and their herds, and their tents, and depart into the wilderness; for the Lamanites being so numerous, it was impossible for the people of Limhi to contend with them, thinking to deliver themselves out of bondage by the sword. | They couldn’t find a way to escape except to take their families and animals and leave. There were too many Lamanites to fight. |
| Mosiah 22:3 | Now it came to pass that Gideon went forth and stood before the king, and said unto him: Now O king, thou hast hitherto hearkened unto my words many times when we have been contending with our brethren, the Lamanites. | Gideon went to the king. He said, “King, you have listened to me many times when we fought the Lamanites.” |
| Mosiah 22:4 | And now O king, if thou hast not found me to be an unprofitable servant, or if thou hast hitherto listened to my words in any degree, and they have been of service to thee, even so I desire that thou wouldst listen to my words at this time, and I will be thy servant and deliver this people out of bondage. | King, if you think I have helped you before, please listen to me now. I want to help you free these people. |
| Mosiah 22:5 | And the king granted unto him that he might speak. And Gideon said unto him: | The king said Gideon could talk. Gideon said to the king: |
| Mosiah 22:6 | Behold the back pass, through the back wall, on the back side of the city. The Lamanites, or the guards of the Lamanites, by night are drunken; therefore let us send a proclamation among all this people that they gather together their flocks and herds, that they may drive them into the wilderness by night. | Look at the back way, through the back wall, at the back of the city. The Lamanites, or their guards, are drunk at night. So, let’s tell everyone to gather their animals and take them into the wilderness at night. |
| Mosiah 22:7 | And I will go according to thy command and pay the last tribute of wine to the Lamanites, and they will be drunken; and we will pass through the secret pass on the left of their camp when they are drunken and asleep. | I will do what you say. I will take wine to the Lamanites. They will drink it and become drunk. Then we will go through the secret path on the left side of their camp when they are sleeping. |
| Mosiah 22:8 | Thus we will depart with our women and our children, our flocks, and our herds into the wilderness; and we will travel around the land of Shilom. | We will leave with our women and children, our animals, and go into the wilderness; and we will walk around the land of Shilom. |
| Mosiah 22:9 | And it came to pass that the king hearkened unto the words of Gideon. | The king listened to Gideon. |
| Mosiah 22:10 | And king Limhi caused that his people should gather their flocks together; and he sent the tribute of wine to the Lamanites; and he also sent more wine, as a present unto them; and they did drink freely of the wine which king Limhi did send unto them. | King Limhi told his people to get all their animals. He sent wine to the Lamanites. He sent extra wine as a gift. The Lamanites drank the wine happily. |
| Mosiah 22:11 | And it came to pass that the people of king Limhi did depart by night into the wilderness with their flocks and their herds, and they went round about the land of Shilom in the wilderness, and bent their course towards the land of Zarahemla, being led by Ammon and his brethren. | The people of King Limhi left at night with their animals and went around Shilom in the wild. They headed to Zarahemla, guided by Ammon and his friends. |
| Mosiah 22:12 | And they had taken all their gold, and silver, and their precious things, which they could carry, and also their provisions with them, into the wilderness; and they pursued their journey. | They took their gold, silver, and important things, and also their food, into the wilderness and continued their journey. |
| Mosiah 22:13 | And after being many days in the wilderness they arrived in the land of Zarahemla, and joined Mosiah—s people, and became his subjects. | After many days in the wild, they got to Zarahemla, met Mosiah’s people, and became part of them. |
| Mosiah 22:14 | And it came to pass that Mosiah received them with joy; and he also received their records, and also the records which had been found by the people of Limhi. | Mosiah was happy to see them. He got their books and the books from Limhi’s people. |
| Mosiah 22:15 | And now it came to pass when the Lamanites had found that the people of Limhi had departed out of the land by night, that they sent an army into the wilderness to pursue them; | The Lamanites saw that the people of Limhi left at night, so they sent an army to chase them. |
| Mosiah 22:16 | And after they had pursued them two days, they could no longer follow their tracks; therefore they were lost in the wilderness. | They chased them for two days but then couldn’t see their footprints anymore, so they got lost in the woods. |
Mosiah 23
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 23:1 | Now Alma, having been warned of the Lord that the armies of king Noah would come upon them, and having made it known to his people, therefore they gathered together their flocks, and took of their grain, and departed into the wilderness before the armies of king Noah. | Alma was warned by the Lord that king Noah’s soldiers were coming. Alma told his people, so they got their animals and food and ran away into the wilderness before the soldiers came. |
| Mosiah 23:2 | And the Lord did strengthen them, that the people of king Noah could not overtake them to destroy them. | God made them strong so king Noah’s people couldn’t catch and hurt them. |
| Mosiah 23:3 | And they fled eight days— journey into the wilderness. | They ran away into the forest for eight days. |
| Mosiah 23:4 | And they came to a land, yea, even a very beautiful and pleasant land, a land of pure water. | They came to a nice land. It was very pretty and had clean water. |
| Mosiah 23:5 | And they pitched their tents, and began to till the ground, and began to build buildings; yea, they were industrious, and did labor exceedingly. | They set up their tents and started to work on the land. They also began to build houses. They worked very hard. |
| Mosiah 23:6 | And the people were desirous that Alma should be their king, for he was beloved by his people. | The people wanted Alma to be their king because they loved him. |
| Mosiah 23:7 | But he said unto them: Behold, it is not expedient that we should have a king; for thus saith the Lord: Ye shall not esteem one flesh above another, or one man shall not think himself above another; therefore I say unto you it is not expedient that ye should have a king. | He said: We should not have a king. The Lord says we are all equal and no one should think they are better than others. So, we should not have a king. |
| Mosiah 23:8 | Nevertheless, if it were possible that ye could always have just men to be your kings it would be well for you to have a king. | But if you could always have good men as your kings, it would be good for you to have a king. |
| Mosiah 23:9 | But remember the iniquity of king Noah and his priests; and I myself was caught in a snare, and did many things which were abominable in the sight of the Lord, which caused me sore repentance; | Remember the bad things King Noah and his helpers did. I was tricked and did bad things that made the Lord very sad. Then I felt very sorry. |
| Mosiah 23:10 | Nevertheless, after much tribulation, the Lord did hear my cries, and did answer my prayers, and has made me an instrument in his hands in bringing so many of you to a knowledge of his truth. | Even though I was very sad, God listened to me, answered me, and helped me tell many of you about His truth. |
| Mosiah 23:11 | Nevertheless, in this I do not glory, for I am unworthy to glory of myself. | But I do not feel proud, because I do not deserve to be proud of myself. |
| Mosiah 23:12 | And now I say unto you, ye have been oppressed by king Noah, and have been in bondage to him and his priests, and have been brought into iniquity by them; therefore ye were bound with the bands of iniquity. | You have been hurt by King Noah and his helpers. They made you do bad things. You were stuck because of the bad things. |
| Mosiah 23:13 | And now as ye have been delivered by the power of God out of these bonds; yea, even out of the hands of king Noah and his people, and also from the bonds of iniquity, even so I desire that ye should stand fast in this liberty wherewith ye have been made free, and that ye trust no man to be a king over you. | You were saved by God from King Noah and his people. You were also saved from doing bad things. Now I want you to stay free and not let anyone be your king. |
| Mosiah 23:14 | And also trust no one to be your teacher nor your minister, except he be a man of God, walking in his ways and keeping his commandments. | Don’t let anyone teach you or lead you, unless he follows God and obeys His rules. |
| Mosiah 23:15 | Thus did Alma teach his people, that every man should love his neighbor as himself, that there should be no contention among them. | Alma told his people to love each other and not to fight. |
| Mosiah 23:16 | And now, Alma was their high priest, he being the founder of their church. | Alma was the leader of their church. He started it. |
| Mosiah 23:17 | And it came to pass that none received authority to preach or to teach except it were by him from God. Therefore he consecrated all their priests and all their teachers; and none were consecrated except they were just men. | Only good men were chosen by God to teach. God chose all the teachers and priests. No one else could teach. |
| Mosiah 23:18 | Therefore they did watch over their people, and did nourish them with things pertaining to righteousness. | So they took care of their people and taught them to do good things. |
| Mosiah 23:19 | And it came to pass that they began to prosper exceedingly in the land; and they called the land Helam. | And they did very well in the land and called the land Helam. |
| Mosiah 23:20 | And it came to pass that they did multiply and prosper exceedingly in the land of Helam; and they built a city, which they called the city of Helam. | The people had more children and did really well in Helam. They built a city and named it Helam. |
| Mosiah 23:21 | Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith. | But the Lord thinks it’s good to teach his people. Yes, he tests how patient and faithful they are. |
| Mosiah 23:22 | Nevertheless—whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people. | But anyone who trusts in Him will be lifted up in the end. This happened to these people. |
| Mosiah 23:23 | For behold, I will show unto you that they were brought into bondage, and none could deliver them but the Lord their God, yea, even the God of Abraham and Isaac and of Jacob. | I will show you that they were made slaves, and only the Lord their God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, could save them. |
| Mosiah 23:24 | And it came to pass that he did deliver them, and he did show forth his mighty power unto them, and great were their rejoicings. | He helped them and showed them his great power, and they were very happy. |
| Mosiah 23:25 | For behold, it came to pass that while they were in the land of Helam, yea, in the city of Helam, while tilling the land round about, behold an army of the Lamanites was in the borders of the land. | They were in the city of Helam, working on the farms, when an army of Lamanites came to their land. |
| Mosiah 23:26 | Now it came to pass that the brethren of Alma fled from their fields, and gathered themselves together in the city of Helam; and they were much frightened because of the appearance of the Lamanites. | Alma’s brothers ran away from their farms and went to the city of Helam. They were very scared because they saw the Lamanites. |
| Mosiah 23:27 | But Alma went forth and stood among them, and exhorted them that they should not be frightened, but that they should remember the Lord their God and he would deliver them. | Alma went to the people and told them not to be scared. He said to remember God, and God would help them. |
| Mosiah 23:28 | Therefore they hushed their fears, and began to cry unto the Lord that he would soften the hearts of the Lamanites, that they would spare them, and their wives, and their children. | They stopped being scared and prayed to God to make the Lamanites kind so they wouldn’t hurt them or their families. |
| Mosiah 23:29 | And it came to pass that the Lord did soften the hearts of the Lamanites. And Alma and his brethren went forth and delivered themselves up into their hands; and the Lamanites took possession of the land of Helam. | The Lord made the Lamanites kinder. Alma and his friends went to them and gave themselves up. The Lamanites took over the land of Helam. |
| Mosiah 23:30 | Now the armies of the Lamanites, which had followed after the people of king Limhi, had been lost in the wilderness for many days. | The Lamanite armies chased king Limhi’s people but got lost in the forest for many days. |
| Mosiah 23:31 | And behold, they had found those priests of king Noah, in a place which they called Amulon; and they had begun to possess the land of Amulon and had begun to till the ground. | Look! They found King Noah’s priests in a place called Amulon. They started living in Amulon and began to farm the land. |
| Mosiah 23:32 | Now the name of the leader of those priests was Amulon. | The leader of the priests was named Amulon. |
| Mosiah 23:33 | And it came to pass that Amulon did plead with the Lamanites; and he also sent forth their wives, who were the daughters of the Lamanites, to plead with their brethren, that they should not destroy their husbands. | Amulon asked the Lamanites not to hurt their husbands. He sent their wives to ask too. |
| Mosiah 23:34 | And the Lamanites had compassion on Amulon and his brethren, and did not destroy them, because of their wives. | The Lamanites felt sorry for Amulon and his friends and did not kill them because of their wives. |
| Mosiah 23:35 | And Amulon and his brethren did join the Lamanites, and they were traveling in the wilderness in search of the land of Nephi when they discovered the land of Helam, which was possessed by Alma and his brethren. | Amulon and his friends joined the Lamanites. They were walking in the forest to find the land of Nephi. They found the land of Helam where Alma and his friends lived. |
| Mosiah 23:36 | And it came to pass that the Lamanites promised unto Alma and his brethren, that if they would show them the way which led to the land of Nephi that they would grant unto them their lives and their liberty. | The Lamanites told Alma and his friends that if they showed them the way to the land of Nephi, they would let them live and go free. |
| Mosiah 23:37 | But after Alma had shown them the way that led to the land of Nephi the Lamanites would not keep their promise; but they set guards round about the land of Helam, over Alma and his brethren. | After Alma showed them the way to Nephi, the Lamanites broke their promise. They put guards around Helam to watch Alma and his friends. |
| Mosiah 23:38 | And the remainder of them went to the land of Nephi; and a part of them returned to the land of Helam, and also brought with them the wives and the children of the guards who had been left in the land. | Some people went to the land of Nephi. Some went back to the land of Helam. They took the wives and children of the guards who were left behind. |
| Mosiah 23:39 | And the king of the Lamanites had granted unto Amulon that he should be a king and a ruler over his people, who were in the land of Helam; nevertheless he should have no power to do anything contrary to the will of the king of the Lamanites. | The king of the Lamanites made Amulon a leader over his people in Helam, but Amulon had to do what the king of the Lamanites wanted. |
Mosiah 24
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 24:1 | And it came to pass that Amulon did gain favor in the eyes of the king of the Lamanites; therefore, the king of the Lamanites granted unto him and his brethren that they should be appointed teachers over his people, yea, even over the people who were in the land of Shemlon, and in the land of Shilom, and in the land of Amulon. | Amulon made the king of the Lamanites happy. So, the king let Amulon and his friends become teachers for the people in Shemlon, Shilom, and Amulon. |
| Mosiah 24:2 | For the Lamanites had taken possession of all these lands; therefore, the king of the Lamanites had appointed kings over all these lands. | The Lamanites took over all the lands. So, the king of the Lamanites chose other kings to rule these lands. |
| Mosiah 24:3 | And now the name of the king of the Lamanites was Laman, being called after the name of his father; and therefore he was called king Laman. And he was king over a numerous people. | The king of the Lamanites was named Laman, just like his dad. So, he was called King Laman. He was the king of many people. |
| Mosiah 24:4 | And he appointed teachers of the brethren of Amulon in every land which was possessed by his people; and thus the language of Nephi began to be taught among all the people of the Lamanites. | He got teachers to teach all the people. The teachers started teaching everyone how to talk like Nephi. |
| Mosiah 24:5 | And they were a people friendly one with another; nevertheless they knew not God; neither did the brethren of Amulon teach them anything concerning the Lord their God, neither the law of Moses; nor did they teach them the words of Abinadi; | They were nice to each other, but they didn’t know about God. The brothers of Amulon didn’t teach them about God or the law of Moses. They didn’t teach them about Abinadi’s words. |
| Mosiah 24:6 | But they taught them that they should keep their record, and that they might write one to another. | They told them to keep a record and write to each other. |
| Mosiah 24:7 | And thus the Lamanites began to increase in riches, and began to trade one with another and wax great, and began to be a cunning and a wise people, as to the wisdom of the world, yea, a very cunning people, delighting in all manner of wickedness and plunder, except it were among their own brethren. | The Lamanites got more money and started trading with each other. They became smart and sneaky, doing bad things to others but not to their own people. |
| Mosiah 24:8 | And now it came to pass that Amulon began to exercise authority over Alma and his brethren, and began to persecute him, and cause that his children should persecute their children. | Amulon started to boss Alma and his friends around. He was mean to them, and made his kids be mean to their kids. |
| Mosiah 24:9 | For Amulon knew Alma, that he had been one of the king—s priests, and that it was he that believed the words of Abinadi and was driven out before the king, and therefore he was wroth with him; for he was subject to king Laman, yet he exercised authority over them, and put tasks upon them, and put task-masters over them. | Amulon knew Alma. Alma was one of the king’s priests. Alma believed Abinadi and had to leave because of the king. Amulon was mad at Alma. Amulon worked for King Laman but made Alma and his people work very hard. |
| Mosiah 24:10 | And it came to pass that so great were their afflictions that they began to cry mightily to God. | And it happened that their troubles were so big that they started to cry loudly to God. |
| Mosiah 24:11 | And Amulon commanded them that they should stop their cries; and he put guards over them to watch them, that whosoever should be found calling upon God should be put to death. | Amulon told them to stop crying. He put guards to watch them. If anyone prayed, they would be killed. |
| Mosiah 24:12 | And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts. | Alma and his people didn’t shout to God, but they talked to Him in their hearts, and God knew what they were thinking. |
| Mosiah 24:13 | And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage. | The Lord spoke to them when they were sad. He said, “Be happy and don’t be afraid. I know the promise you made to me. I will make a promise too and help my people be free.” |
| Mosiah 24:14 | And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions. | I will help you so your burdens don’t feel so heavy, even while you are in trouble. I will do this so you can tell others what I did for you and know that I, the Lord God, am with you in your hard times. |
| Mosiah 24:15 | And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord. | Alma and his friends had heavy loads, but God made them light. God made them strong so they could carry the loads easily. They were happy and patient and did what God wanted. |
| Mosiah 24:16 | And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage. | Their faith and patience were strong. God spoke to them again: “Don’t worry. Tomorrow, I will free you.” |
| Mosiah 24:17 | And he said unto Alma: Thou shalt go before this people, and I will go with thee and deliver this people out of bondage. | He told Alma: You will lead the people, and I will help you free them. |
| Mosiah 24:18 | Now it came to pass that Alma and his people in the night-time gathered their flocks together, and also of their grain; yea, even all the night-time were they gathering the flocks together. | Alma and his people got their animals and grain together at night. They did this all night. |
| Mosiah 24:19 | And in the morning the Lord caused a deep sleep to come upon the Lamanites, yea, and all their task-masters were in a profound sleep. | In the morning, God made the Lamanites and their leaders fall into a very deep sleep. |
| Mosiah 24:20 | And Alma and his people departed into the wilderness; and when they had traveled all day they pitched their tents in a valley, and they called the valley Alma, because he led their way in the wilderness. | Alma and his friends walked into the woods. At night, they put up their tents in a valley. They called the valley “Alma” because Alma was their leader. |
| Mosiah 24:21 | Yea, and in the valley of Alma they poured out their thanks to God because he had been merciful unto them, and eased their burdens, and had delivered them out of bondage; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it were the Lord their God. | In the valley of Alma, the people said thank you to God. God helped them and made their lives easier. He saved them from being controlled by others. Only God could do this for them. |
| Mosiah 24:22 | And they gave thanks to God, yea, all their men and all their women and all their children that could speak lifted their voices in the praises of their God. | They said thank you to God. All the men, women, and children who could talk praised God. |
| Mosiah 24:23 | And now the Lord said unto Alma: Haste thee and get thou and this people out of this land, for the Lamanites have awakened and do pursue thee; therefore get thee out of this land, and I will stop the Lamanites in this valley that they come no further in pursuit of this people. | The Lord said to Alma: Hurry and take the people away from this land. The Lamanites are coming after you. Go now, and I will stop the Lamanites from chasing you. |
| Mosiah 24:24 | And it came to pass that they departed out of the valley, and took their journey into the wilderness. | They left the valley and went into the wild. |
| Mosiah 24:25 | And after they had been in the wilderness twelve days they arrived in the land of Zarahemla; and king Mosiah did also receive them with joy. | After 12 days in the wild, they got to the land of Zarahemla. King Mosiah was happy to see them. |
Mosiah 25
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 25:1 | And now king Mosiah caused that all the people should be gathered together. | King Mosiah asked everyone to come together. |
| Mosiah 25:2 | Now there were not so many of the children of Nephi, or so many of those who were descendants of Nephi, as there were of the people of Zarahemla, who was a descendant of Mulek, and those who came with him into the wilderness. | There were not as many kids of Nephi as there were people of Zarahemla who came with Mulek into the wild. |
| Mosiah 25:3 | And there were not so many of the people of Nephi and of the people of Zarahemla as there were of the Lamanites; yea, they were not half so numerous. | There were fewer Nephites and Zarahemla people than Lamanites; they were less than half. |
| Mosiah 25:4 | And now all the people of Nephi were assembled together, and also all the people of Zarahemla, and they were gathered together in two bodies. | All the people of Nephi and all the people of Zarahemla came together. They were in two groups. |
| Mosiah 25:5 | And it came to pass that Mosiah did read, and caused to be read, the records of Zeniff to his people; yea, he read the records of the people of Zeniff, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla until they returned again. | Mosiah read the story of Zeniff’s people to everyone. He read about when they left Zarahemla and came back again. |
| Mosiah 25:6 | And he also read the account of Alma and his brethren, and all their afflictions, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla until the time they returned again. | He read about Alma and his friends, all their troubles, from when they left Zarahemla until they came back. |
| Mosiah 25:7 | And now, when Mosiah had made an end of reading the records, his people who tarried in the land were struck with wonder and amazement. | When Mosiah finished reading the records, the people were very surprised and amazed. |
| Mosiah 25:8 | For they knew not what to think; for when they beheld those that had been delivered out of bondage they were filled with exceedingly great joy. | They didn’t know what to think; when they saw the people who were freed, they felt very, very happy. |
| Mosiah 25:9 | And again, when they thought of their brethren who had been slain by the Lamanites they were filled with sorrow, and even shed many tears of sorrow. | When they thought about their brothers who were killed by the Lamanites, they felt very sad and cried a lot. |
| Mosiah 25:10 | And again, when they thought of the immediate goodness of God, and his power in delivering Alma and his brethren out of the hands of the Lamanites and of bondage, they did raise their voices and give thanks to God. | When they thought about how good God was and how He helped Alma and his friends escape from the Lamanites, they thanked God out loud. |
| Mosiah 25:11 | And again, when they thought upon the Lamanites, who were their brethren, of their sinful and polluted state, they were filled with pain and anguish for the welfare of their souls. | When they thought about the Lamanites, their brothers, and how bad they were, they felt very sad and worried about them. |
| Mosiah 25:12 | And it came to pass that those who were the children of Amulon and his brethren, who had taken to wife the daughters of the Lamanites, were displeased with the conduct of their fathers, and they would no longer be called by the names of their fathers, therefore they took upon themselves the name of Nephi, that they might be called the children of Nephi and be numbered among those who were called Nephites. | The children of Amulon and his brothers were not happy with what their dads did. They married Lamanite girls. They did not want to use their dads’ names anymore, so they chose the name Nephi. They wanted to be called Nephites. |
| Mosiah 25:13 | And now all the people of Zarahemla were numbered with the Nephites, and this because the kingdom had been conferred upon none but those who were descendants of Nephi. | Now all the people of Zarahemla were counted with the Nephites because only Nephi’s family could be kings. |
| Mosiah 25:14 | And now it came to pass that when Mosiah had made an end of speaking and reading to the people, he desired that Alma should also speak to the people. | When Mosiah finished talking and reading to the people, he wanted Alma to talk to the people too. |
| Mosiah 25:15 | And Alma did speak unto them, when they were assembled together in large bodies, and he went from one body to another, preaching unto the people repentance and faith on the Lord. | Alma talked to the people when they were in big groups. He went from one group to another, telling them to say sorry for their mistakes and to believe in the Lord. |
| Mosiah 25:16 | And he did exhort the people of Limhi and his brethren, all those that had been delivered out of bondage, that they should remember that it was the Lord that did deliver them. | He told the people of Limhi and his brothers, who had been freed, to remember that it was the Lord who freed them. |
| Mosiah 25:17 | And it came to pass that after Alma had taught the people many things, and had made an end of speaking to them, that king Limhi was desirous that he might be baptized; and all his people were desirous that they might be baptized also. | After Alma taught the people, King Limhi and all his people wanted to be baptized. |
| Mosiah 25:18 | Therefore, Alma did go forth into the water and did baptize them; yea, he did baptize them after the manner he did his brethren in the waters of Mormon; yea, and as many as he did baptize did belong to the church of God; and this because of their belief on the words of Alma. | So, Alma went into the water and baptized the people. He baptized them just like he did his friends in the waters of Mormon. All the people he baptized became part of the church of God because they believed Alma’s words. |
| Mosiah 25:19 | And it came to pass that king Mosiah granted unto Alma that he might establish churches throughout all the land of Zarahemla; and gave him power to ordain priests and teachers over every church. | King Mosiah let Alma start churches everywhere in Zarahemla. He also gave Alma power to choose priests and teachers for each church. |
| Mosiah 25:20 | Now this was done because there were so many people that they could not all be governed by one teacher; neither could they all hear the word of God in one assembly; | This happened because there were too many people for one teacher and too many people to hear God’s words in one group. |
| Mosiah 25:21 | Therefore they did assemble themselves together in different bodies, being called churches; every church having their priests and their teachers, and every priest preaching the word according as it was delivered to him by the mouth of Alma. | So they got into different groups called churches. Each church had priests and teachers. Every priest taught what Alma told them. |
| Mosiah 25:22 | And thus, notwithstanding there being many churches they were all one church, yea, even the church of God; for there was nothing preached in all the churches except it were repentance and faith in God. | There were many churches, but they were all part of one church, the church of God. In all the churches, they only talked about saying sorry for bad things and believing in God. |
| Mosiah 25:23 | And now there were seven churches in the land of Zarahemla. And it came to pass that whosoever were desirous to take upon them the name of Christ, or of God, they did join the churches of God; | There were seven churches in the land of Zarahemla. Anyone who wanted to follow Christ or God joined the churches. |
| Mosiah 25:24 | And they were called the people of God. And the Lord did pour out his Spirit upon them, and they were blessed, and prospered in the land. | They were called God’s people. God gave them His Spirit. They were happy and did well in the land. |
Mosiah 26
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 26:1 | Now it came to pass that there were many of the rising generation that could not understand the words of king Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did not believe the tradition of their fathers. | A long time ago, King Benjamin talked to the people. Many of the little children didn’t understand his words. They also didn’t believe the stories their parents told them. |
| Mosiah 26:2 | They did not believe what had been said concerning the resurrection of the dead, neither did they believe concerning the coming of Christ. | They did not believe people could live again after dying. They also did not believe Christ would come. |
| Mosiah 26:3 | And now because of their unbelief they could not understand the word of God; and their hearts were hardened. | They did not believe in God, so they could not understand His words. Their hearts were not soft. |
| Mosiah 26:4 | And they would not be baptized; neither would they join the church. And they were a separate people as to their faith, and remained so ever after, even in their carnal and sinful state; for they would not call upon the Lord their God. | They did not get baptized. They did not join the church. They stayed separate because of their beliefs. They did not ask God for help. They stayed bad and sinful. |
| Mosiah 26:5 | And now in the reign of Mosiah they were not half so numerous as the people of God; but because of the dissensions among the brethren they became more numerous. | Now, when Mosiah was king, there were less people not following God. But, because the people fought, there became more. |
| Mosiah 26:6 | For it came to pass that they did deceive many with their flattering words, who were in the church, and did cause them to commit many sins; therefore it became expedient that those who committed sin, that were in the church, should be admonished by the church. | They tricked many people in the church with nice words and made them do bad things. So the church needed to tell those people to stop doing bad things. |
| Mosiah 26:7 | And it came to pass that they were brought before the priests, and delivered up unto the priests by the teachers; and the priests brought them before Alma, who was the high priest. | The teachers took the people to the priests. The priests took them to Alma, the chief priest. |
| Mosiah 26:8 | Now king Mosiah had given Alma the authority over the church. | King Mosiah told Alma he could be the leader of the church. |
| Mosiah 26:9 | And it came to pass that Alma did not know concerning them; but there were many witnesses against them; yea, the people stood and testified of their iniquity in abundance. | Alma did not know what they did, but many people saw them do bad things. Many people told about the bad things they did. |
| Mosiah 26:10 | Now there had not any such thing happened before in the church; therefore Alma was troubled in his spirit, and he caused that they should be brought before the king. | Something new happened in the church. Alma was worried, so he brought the people to the king. |
| Mosiah 26:11 | And he said unto the king: Behold, here are many whom we have brought before thee, who are accused of their brethren; yea, and they have been taken in divers iniquities. And they do not repent of their iniquities; therefore we have brought them before thee, that thou mayest judge them according to their crimes. | He said to the king: See, here are many people we brought to you. These people did bad things and their brothers accused them. They did not say sorry for their bad actions. So, we brought them to you so you can judge them for their bad actions. |
| Mosiah 26:12 | But king Mosiah said unto Alma: Behold, I judge them not; therefore I deliver them into thy hands to be judged. | King Mosiah said to Alma: I do not judge them; I give you the job to judge them. |
| Mosiah 26:13 | And now the spirit of Alma was again troubled; and he went and inquired of the Lord what he should do concerning this matter, for he feared that he should do wrong in the sight of God. | Alma felt worried again. He asked God what to do because he didn’t want to do something wrong. |
| Mosiah 26:14 | And it came to pass that after he had poured out his whole soul to God, the voice of the Lord came to him, saying: | After he prayed really hard to God, he heard God’s voice saying: |
| Mosiah 26:15 | Blessed art thou, Alma, and blessed are they who were baptized in the waters of Mormon. Thou art blessed because of thy exceeding faith in the words alone of my servant Abinadi. | You are blessed, Alma. And the people who were baptized in the waters of Mormon are also blessed. You are blessed because you believed very much in the words of my servant Abinadi. |
| Mosiah 26:16 | And blessed are they because of their exceeding faith in the words alone which thou hast spoken unto them. | They are blessed because they believe a lot in what you said. |
| Mosiah 26:17 | And blessed art thou because thou hast established a church among this people; and they shall be established, and they shall be my people. | You are blessed because you started a church for this people. They will be my people. |
| Mosiah 26:18 | Yea, blessed is this people who are willing to bear my name; for in my name shall they be called; and they are mine. | Happy are the people who want to be called by my name. I will call them by my name. They belong to me. |
| Mosiah 26:19 | And because thou hast inquired of me concerning the transgressor, thou art blessed. | You asked me about someone who did something bad, so you are blessed. |
| Mosiah 26:20 | Thou art my servant; and I covenant with thee that thou shalt have eternal life; and thou shalt serve me and go forth in my name, and shalt gather together my sheep. | You are my helper. I promise you will live forever. You will help me and go in my name to bring my people together. |
| Mosiah 26:21 | And he that will hear my voice shall be my sheep; and him shall ye receive into the church, and him will I also receive. | If you listen to me, you are like my sheep. You can join the church, and I will accept you too. |
| Mosiah 26:22 | For behold, this is my church; whosoever is baptized shall be baptized unto repentance. And whomsoever ye receive shall believe in my name; and him will I freely forgive. | This is my church. If you get baptized, it means you are sorry for your mistakes. Anyone you accept has to believe in my name. I will forgive them for free. |
| Mosiah 26:23 | For it is I that taketh upon me the sins of the world; for it is I that hath created them; and it is I that granteth unto him that believeth unto the end a place at my right hand. | I will take away the bad things from the world because I made them. If you believe in me until the end, you can sit by me. |
| Mosiah 26:24 | For behold, in my name are they called; and if they know me they shall come forth, and shall have a place eternally at my right hand. | They are called by my name. If they know me, they will come and stay with me forever. |
| Mosiah 26:25 | And it shall come to pass that when the second trump shall sound then shall they that never knew me come forth and shall stand before me. | When the second trumpet sounds, people who never knew me will come and stand before me. |
| Mosiah 26:26 | And then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, that I am their Redeemer; but they would not be redeemed. | And then they will know that I am the Lord their God, that I am their Savior; but they did not want to be saved. |
| Mosiah 26:27 | And then I will confess unto them that I never knew them; and they shall depart into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. | I will tell them, “I never knew you.” Then they will go to a place of fire made for the devil and his helpers. |
| Mosiah 26:28 | Therefore I say unto you, that he that will not hear my voice, the same shall ye not receive into my church, for him I will not receive at the last day. | So I say, if someone won’t listen to me, don’t let them join my church. I won’t accept them at the end. |
| Mosiah 26:29 | Therefore I say unto you, Go; and whosoever transgresseth against me, him shall ye judge according to the sins which he has committed; and if he confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him shall ye forgive, and I will forgive him also. | So I tell you, go; and if someone does wrong, you should judge them for what they did wrong; but if they say sorry and really mean it, you should forgive them, and I will forgive them too. |
| Mosiah 26:30 | Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me. | Yes, if my people say sorry, I will forgive them every time. |
| Mosiah 26:31 | And ye shall also forgive one another your trespasses; for verily I say unto you, he that forgiveth not his neighbor—s trespasses when he says that he repents, the same hath brought himself under condemnation. | You should forgive each other. If someone says they are sorry and you don’t forgive them, you are doing something wrong. |
| Mosiah 26:32 | Now I say unto you, Go; and whosoever will not repent of his sins the same shall not be numbered among my people; and this shall be observed from this time forward. | I say to you, Go; and whoever does not say sorry for being bad will not be counted as my people; and this rule starts now. |
| Mosiah 26:33 | And it came to pass when Alma had heard these words he wrote them down that he might have them, and that he might judge the people of that church according to the commandments of God. | Alma heard the words and wrote them down. He wanted to keep them and help the people follow God’s rules. |
| Mosiah 26:34 | And it came to pass that Alma went and judged those that had been taken in iniquity, according to the word of the Lord. | Alma went to judge bad people, just like God told him to. |
| Mosiah 26:35 | And whosoever repented of their sins and did confess them, them he did number among the people of the church; | If someone said sorry for their wrongs and told them, they got to join the church. |
| Mosiah 26:36 | And those that would not confess their sins and repent of their iniquity, the same were not numbered among the people of the church, and their names were blotted out. | If people did not say they were sorry and change their bad ways, they were not part of the church, and their names were erased. |
| Mosiah 26:37 | And it came to pass that Alma did regulate all the affairs of the church; and they began again to have peace and to prosper exceedingly in the affairs of the church, walking circumspectly before God, receiving many, and baptizing many. | Alma helped run the church. They felt happy and did well. They followed God and baptized many people. |
| Mosiah 26:38 | And now all these things did Alma and his fellow laborers do who were over the church, walking in all diligence, teaching the word of God in all things, suffering all manner of afflictions, being persecuted by all those who did not belong to the church of God. | Alma and his friends worked hard. They taught about God. They suffered and were treated badly by people who were not in their church. |
| Mosiah 26:39 | And they did admonish their brethren; and they were also admonished, every one by the word of God, according to his sins, or to the sins which he had committed, being commanded of God to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in all things. | They told their brothers to do good. They were also told to do good by God’s word. God told them to pray all the time and to always say thank you. |
Mosiah 27
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 27:1 | And now it came to pass that the persecutions which were inflicted on the church by the unbelievers became so great that the church began to murmur, and complain to their leaders concerning the matter; and they did complain to Alma. And Alma laid the case before their king, Mosiah. And Mosiah consulted with his priests. | The people who did not believe were very mean to the church. The church people got very sad and talked to their leader, Alma. Alma talked to the king, Mosiah. Mosiah asked his priests for help. |
| Mosiah 27:2 | And it came to pass that king Mosiah sent a proclamation throughout the land round about that there should not any unbeliever persecute any of those who belonged to the church of God. | King Mosiah said that no one should be mean to people who go to God’s church. |
| Mosiah 27:3 | And there was a strict command throughout all the churches that there should be no persecutions among them, that there should be an equality among all men; | The leaders told everyone in the churches not to be mean to others. Everyone should be treated the same. |
| Mosiah 27:4 | That they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb their peace; that every man should esteem his neighbor as himself, laboring with their own hands for their support. | Don’t be proud or mean. Treat others like yourself. Work hard to take care of yourself. |
| Mosiah 27:5 | Yea, and all their priests and teachers should labor with their own hands for their support, in all cases save it were in sickness, or in much want; and doing these things, they did abound in the grace of God. | All the priests and teachers should work with their hands to take care of themselves, unless they are very sick or really need help. When they did this, God blessed them a lot. |
| Mosiah 27:6 | And there began to be much peace again in the land; and the people began to be very numerous, and began to scatter abroad upon the face of the earth, yea, on the north and on the south, on the east and on the west, building large cities and villages in all quarters of the land. | The land was peaceful again. Many people lived there. They moved all over, to the north, south, east, and west. They built big cities and small towns everywhere. |
| Mosiah 27:7 | And the Lord did visit them and prosper them, and they became a large and wealthy people. | God helped them, and they grew big and rich. |
| Mosiah 27:8 | Now the sons of Mosiah were numbered among the unbelievers; and also one of the sons of Alma was numbered among them, he being called Alma, after his father; nevertheless, he became a very wicked and an idolatrous man. And he was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people; therefore he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities. | The sons of Mosiah and one of the sons of Alma, named Alma, did not believe. Alma became very bad and worshipped idols. He talked a lot and made others behave badly too. |
| Mosiah 27:9 | And he became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God; stealing away the hearts of the people; causing much dissension among the people; giving a chance for the enemy of God to exercise his power over them. | He made it hard for the church to do well. He made the people upset and divided. This gave God’s enemy a chance to have power over the people. |
| Mosiah 27:10 | And now it came to pass that while he was going about to destroy the church of God, for he did go about secretly with the sons of Mosiah seeking to destroy the church, and to lead astray the people of the Lord, contrary to the commandments of God, or even the king— | He tried to harm God’s church. He secretly worked with the sons of Mosiah to hurt the church and mislead God’s people. |
| Mosiah 27:11 | And as I said unto you, as they were going about rebelling against God, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto them; and he descended as it were in a cloud; and he spake as it were with a voice of thunder, which caused the earth to shake upon which they stood; | As they were being bad and not listening to God, an angel came down in a cloud and spoke loudly, making the ground shake. |
| Mosiah 27:12 | And so great was their astonishment, that they fell to the earth, and understood not the words which he spake unto them. | They were so surprised that they fell down and could not understand his words. |
| Mosiah 27:13 | Nevertheless he cried again, saying: Alma, arise and stand forth, for why persecutest thou the church of God? For the Lord hath said: This is my church, and I will establish it; and nothing shall overthrow it, save it is the transgression of my people. | Alma, get up and stand. Why are you hurting God’s church? God said: This is my church, and it will not fall unless my people do wrong. |
| Mosiah 27:14 | And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith. | The angel said: The Lord heard the prayers of his people and Alma, your father. Alma prayed with much faith for you. I came to show you God’s power so the prayers can be answered. |
| Mosiah 27:15 | And now behold, can ye dispute the power of God? For behold, doth not my voice shake the earth? And can ye not also behold me before you? And I am sent from God. | Can you question God’s power? My voice is loud and can shake the ground. Can you see me in front of you? I am sent by God. |
| Mosiah 27:16 | Now I say unto thee: Go, and remember the captivity of thy fathers in the land of Helam, and in the land of Nephi; and remember how great things he has done for them; for they were in bondage, and he has delivered them. And now I say unto thee, Alma, go thy way, and seek to destroy the church no more, that their prayers may be answered, and this even if thou wilt of thyself be cast off. | I say to you: Go, and remember how your fathers were in trouble in Helam and Nephi. Remember how God helped them and made them free. Now, Alma, go and stop trying to hurt the church, so their prayers can be answered, even if it means you will be alone. |
| Mosiah 27:17 | And now it came to pass that these were the last words which the angel spake unto Alma, and he departed. | This is what the angel said to Alma before he left. |
| Mosiah 27:18 | And now Alma and those that were with him fell again to the earth, for great was their astonishment; for with their own eyes they had beheld an angel of the Lord; and his voice was as thunder, which shook the earth; and they knew that there was nothing save the power of God that could shake the earth and cause it to tremble as though it would part asunder. | Alma and his friends fell down again. They saw an angel. The angel’s voice was loud and shook the ground. They knew God’s power made the ground shake. |
| Mosiah 27:19 | And now the astonishment of Alma was so great that he became dumb, that he could not open his mouth; yea, and he became weak, even that he could not move his hands; therefore he was taken by those that were with him, and carried helpless, even until he was laid before his father. | Alma was so surprised that he couldn’t talk or move. His friends had to carry him to his father. |
| Mosiah 27:20 | And they rehearsed unto his father all that had happened unto them; and his father rejoiced, for he knew that it was the power of God. | They told their father everything that happened. Their father was happy because he knew God helped them. |
| Mosiah 27:21 | And he caused that a multitude should be gathered together that they might witness what the Lord had done for his son, and also for those that were with him. | He made a lot of people come together to see what God did for his son and also for the people with him. |
| Mosiah 27:22 | And he caused that the priests should assemble themselves together; and they began to fast, and to pray to the Lord their God that he would open the mouth of Alma, that he might speak, and also that his limbs might receive their strength—that the eyes of the people might be opened to see and know of the goodness and glory of God. | The priests got together. They did not eat and they prayed to God. They asked God to help Alma talk and make his body strong. They wanted people to see and know how good and great God is. |
| Mosiah 27:23 | And it came to pass after they had fasted and prayed for the space of two days and two nights, the limbs of Alma received their strength, and he stood up and began to speak unto them, bidding them to be of good comfort: | After not eating and praying for two days and two nights, Alma’s body got strong again. He stood up and started talking, telling them to feel happy. |
| Mosiah 27:24 | For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit. | He said, “I am sorry for my bad choices. God helped me. Now, I have a new spirit.” |
| Mosiah 27:25 | And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters; | Jesus said to me: Don’t be surprised that everyone, men and women, from all places and languages, needs to be born again; changed from bad to good, saved by God, and becoming His children. |
| Mosiah 27:26 | And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. | They become new people. If they don’t, they can’t go to God’s kingdom. |
| Mosiah 27:27 | I say unto you, unless this be the case, they must be cast off; and this I know, because I was like to be cast off. | I tell you, if this doesn’t happen, they will be sent away. I know this because I was almost sent away. |
| Mosiah 27:28 | Nevertheless, after wading through much tribulations, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God. | Even though I had lots of problems and felt very sorry, God was kind and saved me. Now I am born of God. |
| Mosiah 27:29 | My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more. | I am saved from being very sad and bad. I was in a very dark place. But now I see God’s wonderful light. I was in a lot of pain forever, but now I’m saved and I don’t hurt anymore. |
| Mosiah 27:30 | I rejected my Redeemer, and denied that which had been spoken of by our fathers; but now that they may foresee that he will come, and that he remembereth every creature of his creating, he will make himself manifest unto all. | I said no to my Savior and didn’t believe what our fathers said. But now I know He will come, He remembers everyone, and will show Himself to all. |
| Mosiah 27:31 | Yea, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess before him. Yea, even at the last day, when all men shall stand to be judged of him, then shall they confess that he is God; then shall they confess, who live without God in the world, that the judgment of an everlasting punishment is just upon them; and they shall quake, and tremble, and shrink beneath the glance of his all-searching eye. | Every person will say sorry to God. At the end, everyone will stand before God. People will say that God is real. They will be scared because they know God is in charge. |
| Mosiah 27:32 | And now it came to pass that Alma began from this time forward to teach the people, and those who were with Alma at the time the angel appeared unto them, traveling round about through all the land, publishing to all the people the things which they had heard and seen, and preaching the word of God in much tribulation, being greatly persecuted by those who were unbelievers, being smitten by many of them. | Alma started teaching the people after the angel came. He and his friends traveled everywhere to tell people what they saw and heard. They taught about God even though many people were mean to them. |
| Mosiah 27:33 | But notwithstanding all this, they did impart much consolation to the church, confirming their faith, and exhorting them with long-suffering and much travail to keep the commandments of God. | But even with all this, they gave the church lots of comfort, helped them believe, and reminded them with patience and hard work to follow God’s rules. |
| Mosiah 27:34 | And four of them were the sons of Mosiah; and their names were Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni; these were the names of the sons of Mosiah. | Four of them were sons of Mosiah. Their names were Ammon, Aaron, Omner, and Himni. These were the sons of Mosiah. |
| Mosiah 27:35 | And they traveled throughout all the lands of Zarahemla, and among all the people who were under the reign of king Mosiah, zealously striving to repair all the injuries which they had done to the church, confessing all their sins, and publishing all the things which they had seen, and explaining the prophecies and the scriptures to all who desired to hear them. | They went everywhere in Zarahemla. They talked to all the people under King Mosiah. They tried hard to fix all the wrongs they did to the church. They said sorry for their sins. They told everyone what they saw. They explained the scriptures to all who wanted to listen. |
| Mosiah 27:36 | And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer. | They helped God by teaching many people about their Savior. |
| Mosiah 27:37 | And how blessed are they! For they did publish peace; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth. | They are very happy! They told people good news about peace and that the Lord is in charge. |
Mosiah 28
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 28:1 | Now it came to pass that after the sons of Mosiah had done all these things, they took a small number with them and returned to their father, the king, and desired of him that he would grant unto them that they might, with these whom they had selected, go up to the land of Nephi that they might preach the things which they had heard, and that they might impart the word of God to their brethren, the Lamanites— | The sons of Mosiah did a lot of things. Then they took some people and went back to their dad, the king. They asked their dad if they could go to the land of Nephi. They wanted to teach the Lamanites about God. |
| Mosiah 28:2 | That perhaps they might bring them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and convince them of the iniquity of their fathers; and that perhaps they might cure them of their hatred towards the Nephites, that they might also be brought to rejoice in the Lord their God, that they might become friendly to one another, and that there should be no more contentions in all the land which the Lord their God had given them. | They wanted to teach them about God and help them stop hating. They wanted everyone to be friends and happy together. |
| Mosiah 28:3 | Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble. | They wanted everyone to hear about being saved because they did not want anyone to be lost. They shook and felt scared thinking about anyone being in pain forever. |
| Mosiah 28:4 | And thus did the Spirit of the Lord work upon them, for they were the very vilest of sinners. And the Lord saw fit in his infinite mercy to spare them; nevertheless they suffered much anguish of soul because of their iniquities, suffering much and fearing that they should be cast off forever. | The Spirit of the Lord helped them, even though they were very bad sinners. The Lord, in his great mercy, saved them. But they still felt very sad and scared because of what they did wrong, worrying they might be cast away forever. |
| Mosiah 28:5 | And it came to pass that they did plead with their father many days that they might go up to the land of Nephi. | They kept asking their dad for many days if they could go to the land of Nephi. |
| Mosiah 28:6 | And king Mosiah went and inquired of the Lord if he should let his sons go up among the Lamanites to preach the word. | King Mosiah asked God if his sons should go to the Lamanites to teach about God. |
| Mosiah 28:7 | And the Lord said unto Mosiah: Let them go up, for many shall believe on their words, and they shall have eternal life; and I will deliver thy sons out of the hands of the Lamanites. | God told Mosiah to let them go because many people will listen to them and believe. They will live forever, and I will save your sons from the Lamanites. |
| Mosiah 28:8 | And it came to pass that Mosiah granted that they might go and do according to their request. | So Mosiah said yes, and they could go do what they asked. |
| Mosiah 28:9 | And they took their journey into the wilderness to go up to preach the word among the Lamanites; and I shall give an account of their proceedings hereafter. | They went into the wild to tell the Lamanites about God. I will tell you more about what they did later. |
| Mosiah 28:10 | Now king Mosiah had no one to confer the kingdom upon, for there was not any of his sons who would accept of the kingdom. | King Mosiah had no one to be the new king because none of his sons wanted to be king. |
| Mosiah 28:11 | Therefore he took the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, and also the plates of Nephi, and all the things which he had kept and preserved according to the commandments of God, after having translated and caused to be written the records which were on the plates of gold which had been found by the people of Limhi, which were delivered to him by the hand of Limhi; | He took the brass plates with writing, and the plates of Nephi, and everything he kept safe as God wanted. He translated the gold plates found by the people of Limhi, who gave them to him. |
| Mosiah 28:12 | And this he did because of the great anxiety of his people; for they were desirous beyond measure to know concerning those people who had been destroyed. | He did this because his people were very worried; they really wanted to know about the people who had been destroyed. |
| Mosiah 28:13 | And now he translated them by the means of those two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow. | He used two special stones on a bow to read the words. |
| Mosiah 28:14 | Now these things were prepared from the beginning, and were handed down from generation to generation, for the purpose of interpreting languages; | These things were ready from the start and given to each new group of people to help understand languages. |
| Mosiah 28:15 | And they have been kept and preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he should discover to every creature who should possess the land the iniquities and abominations of his people; | God kept and took care of them so everyone would know the bad things his people did. |
| Mosiah 28:16 | And whosoever has these things is called seer, after the manner of old times. | Whoever has these things is called a seer, like in old times. |
| Mosiah 28:17 | Now after Mosiah had finished translating these records, behold, it gave an account of the people who were destroyed, from the time that they were destroyed back to the building of the great tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people and they were scattered abroad upon the face of all the earth, yea, and even from that time back until the creation of Adam. | After Mosiah finished reading the records, he learned about people who were destroyed. The story goes from when they were destroyed back to the building of a big tower, when God mixed up their language and they went to live all over the earth. It even goes back to when Adam was created. |
| Mosiah 28:18 | Now this account did cause the people of Mosiah to mourn exceedingly, yea, they were filled with sorrow; nevertheless it gave them much knowledge, in the which they did rejoice. | The people of Mosiah were very sad when they heard this story. But they also learned a lot and were happy about that. |
| Mosiah 28:19 | And this account shall be written hereafter; for behold, it is expedient that all people should know the things which are written in this account. | This story will be written later. It is important for everyone to know what is in this story. |
| Mosiah 28:20 | And now, as I said unto you, that after king Mosiah had done these things, he took the plates of brass, and all the things which he had kept, and conferred them upon Alma, who was the son of Alma; yea, all the records, and also the interpreters, and conferred them upon him, and commanded him that he should keep and preserve them, and also keep a record of the people, handing them down from one generation to another, even as they had been handed down from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem. | After King Mosiah finished what he was doing, he gave the brass plates and other important things to Alma. Alma was the son of another Alma. King Mosiah told Alma to keep these things safe and write down what happens to the people, just like it had been done since Lehi left Jerusalem. |
Mosiah 29
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mosiah 29:1 | Now when Mosiah had done this he sent out throughout all the land, among all the people, desiring to know their will concerning who should be their king. | When Mosiah finished, he asked everyone in the land who they wanted to be king. |
| Mosiah 29:2 | And it came to pass that the voice of the people came, saying: We are desirous that Aaron thy son should be our king and our ruler. | The people said: We want Aaron, your son, to be our king and leader. |
| Mosiah 29:3 | Now Aaron had gone up to the land of Nephi, therefore the king could not confer the kingdom upon him; neither would Aaron take upon him the kingdom; neither were any of the sons of Mosiah willing to take upon them the kingdom. | Aaron went to a place called Nephi. The king could not make Aaron the new king. Aaron did not want to be king. None of the king’s sons wanted to be king. |
| Mosiah 29:4 | Therefore king Mosiah sent again among the people; yea, even a written word sent he among the people. And these were the words that were written, saying: | So King Mosiah sent a message to the people. He even sent them a written note. These were the words written on the note. |
| Mosiah 29:5 | Behold, O ye my people, or my brethren, for I esteem you as such, I desire that ye should consider the cause which ye are called to consider—for ye are desirous to have a king. | Look, my people, or my brothers, because I see you as brothers, I want you to think about why you want a king. |
| Mosiah 29:6 | Now I declare unto you that he to whom the kingdom doth rightly belong has declined, and will not take upon him the kingdom. | Now I tell you that the person who should be king said no and will not be the king. |
| Mosiah 29:7 | And now if there should be another appointed in his stead, behold I fear there would rise contentions among you. And who knoweth but what my son, to whom the kingdom doth belong, should turn to be angry and draw away a part of this people after him, which would cause wars and contentions among you, which would be the cause of shedding much blood and perverting the way of the Lord, yea, and destroy the souls of many people. | If somebody else becomes king, I think there will be fighting. My son might get mad, take some people with him, and start wars. This would hurt many people and make them do bad things. |
| Mosiah 29:8 | Now I say unto you let us be wise and consider these things, for we have no right to destroy my son, neither should we have any right to destroy another if he should be appointed in his stead. | Let’s think carefully and be smart. We should not hurt my son. We should also not hurt anyone else if they take his place. |
| Mosiah 29:9 | And if my son should turn again to his pride and vain things he would recall the things which he had said, and claim his right to the kingdom, which would cause him and also this people to commit much sin. | If my son becomes proud again, he will want to be king. This will make him and the people do bad things. |
| Mosiah 29:10 | And now let us be wise and look forward to these things, and do that which will make for the peace of this people. | Let’s be smart and think about these things, and do what will help everyone be happy. |
| Mosiah 29:11 | Therefore I will be your king the remainder of my days; nevertheless, let us appoint judges, to judge this people according to our law; and we will newly arrange the affairs of this people, for we will appoint wise men to be judges, that will judge this people according to the commandments of God. | I will be your king for the rest of my life. But let’s pick judges to help follow our laws. We will pick smart men to be judges and help us follow God’s rules. |
| Mosiah 29:12 | Now it is better that a man should be judged of God than of man, for the judgments of God are always just, but the judgments of man are not always just. | It is better if God judges a man than if a man judges him. God’s judgments are always fair. Man’s judgments are not always fair. |
| Mosiah 29:13 | Therefore, if it were possible that you could have just men to be your kings, who would establish the laws of God, and judge this people according to his commandments, yea, if ye could have men for your kings who would do even as my father Benjamin did for this people—I say unto you, if this could always be the case then it would be expedient that ye should always have kings to rule over you. | So, if you could have good men be your kings, who follow God’s rules and help the people like my father Benjamin did, then it would be good to always have kings to lead you. |
| Mosiah 29:14 | And even I myself have labored with all the power and faculties which I have possessed, to teach you the commandments of God, and to establish peace throughout the land, that there should be no wars nor contentions, no stealing, nor plundering, nor murdering, nor any manner of iniquity; | I have worked very hard to teach you God’s rules and to make peace so there are no fights, no stealing, no hurting, and no bad things. |
| Mosiah 29:15 | And whosoever has committed iniquity, him have I punished according to the crime which he has committed, according to the law which has been given to us by our fathers. | If someone did something bad, I punished them according to the rules given by our fathers. |
| Mosiah 29:16 | Now I say unto you, that because all men are not just it is not expedient that ye should have a king or kings to rule over you. | Here’s what I say: Because some people are not fair, it is not a good idea to have a king or kings to rule over you. |
| Mosiah 29:17 | For behold, how much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed, yea, and what great destruction! | See how much bad things one bad king can make happen, and how much he destroys! |
| Mosiah 29:18 | Yea, remember king Noah, his wickedness and his abominations, and also the wickedness and abominations of his people. Behold what great destruction did come upon them; and also because of their iniquities they were brought into bondage. | Remember King Noah. He did bad things. His people did bad things too. They had a lot of trouble because of this. They were made slaves. |
| Mosiah 29:19 | And were it not for the interposition of their all-wise Creator, and this because of their sincere repentance, they must unavoidably remain in bondage until now. | But because God helped them and they said sorry, they are not stuck anymore. |
| Mosiah 29:20 | But behold, he did deliver them because they did humble themselves before him; and because they cried mightily unto him he did deliver them out of bondage; and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases among the children of men, extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him. | But see, he saved them because they were humble and asked for help. So, he freed them. This is how the Lord helps people who trust him. |
| Mosiah 29:21 | And behold, now I say unto you, ye cannot dethrone an iniquitous king save it be through much contention, and the shedding of much blood. | You can’t stop a bad king without a lot of fighting and many people getting hurt. |
| Mosiah 29:22 | For behold, he has his friends in iniquity, and he keepeth his guards about him; and he teareth up the laws of those who have reigned in righteousness before him; and he trampleth under his feet the commandments of God; | He has bad friends, and guards around him. He breaks the good laws from before, and does not follow God’s rules. |
| Mosiah 29:23 | And he enacteth laws, and sendeth them forth among his people, yea, laws after the manner of his own wickedness; and whosoever doth not obey his laws he causeth to be destroyed; and whosoever doth rebel against him he will send his armies against them to war, and if he can he will destroy them; and thus an unrighteous king doth pervert the ways of all righteousness. | And he makes bad rules and tells his people to follow them. If they do not follow his rules, he destroys them. If anyone fights against him, he sends his armies to fight them. This bad king makes everything wrong. |
| Mosiah 29:24 | And now behold I say unto you, it is not expedient that such abominations should come upon you. | Listen, I say to you, it is not good for bad things to happen to you. |
| Mosiah 29:25 | Therefore, choose you by the voice of this people, judges, that ye may be judged according to the laws which have been given you by our fathers, which are correct, and which were given them by the hand of the Lord. | So, let the people pick judges. These judges will follow the good rules given by our fathers from the Lord. |
| Mosiah 29:26 | Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people. | Usually, people want to do what is right. But sometimes, some people want to do what is wrong. So listen to what most people want and follow that. |
| Mosiah 29:27 | And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land. | If the people choose to do bad things, then God will punish them. He will bring big problems to you, just like he did before. |
| Mosiah 29:28 | And now if ye have judges, and they do not judge you according to the law which has been given, ye can cause that they may be judged of a higher judge. | If your judges do not judge you by the law, you can tell a higher judge to judge them. |
| Mosiah 29:29 | If your higher judges do not judge righteous judgments, ye shall cause that a small number of your lower judges should be gathered together, and they shall judge your higher judges, according to the voice of the people. | If the top judges don’t make fair choices, a few lower judges will come together and decide if the top judges did the right thing, based on what the people want. |
| Mosiah 29:30 | And I command you to do these things in the fear of the Lord; and I command you to do these things, and that ye have no king; that if these people commit sins and iniquities they shall be answered upon their own heads. | I tell you to do these things because you respect God. I tell you to do these things. Do not have a king. If people do bad things, they will be responsible for their own actions. |
| Mosiah 29:31 | For behold I say unto you, the sins of many people have been caused by the iniquities of their kings; therefore their iniquities are answered upon the heads of their kings. | Listen, many people have done bad things because their kings did bad things. So, the kings are responsible for those bad things. |
| Mosiah 29:32 | And now I desire that this inequality should be no more in this land, especially among this my people; but I desire that this land be a land of liberty, and every man may enjoy his rights and privileges alike, so long as the Lord sees fit that we may live and inherit the land, yea, even as long as any of our posterity remains upon the face of the land. | I want everyone in this land to be equal. I want this to be a free land. Everyone should enjoy the same rights. I hope this stays true as long as we live here and our children live here too. |
| Mosiah 29:33 | And many more things did king Mosiah write unto them, unfolding unto them all the trials and troubles of a righteous king, yea, all the travails of soul for their people, and also all the murmurings of the people to their king; and he explained it all unto them. | King Mosiah wrote many things to the people. He told them about the hard times and problems a good king has. He shared how the king feels for his people and how the people sometimes complain. He told them everything. |
| Mosiah 29:34 | And he told them that these things ought not to be; but that the burden should come upon all the people, that every man might bear his part. | He said this was not fair. Everyone should help and carry the load together. |
| Mosiah 29:35 | And he also unfolded unto them all the disadvantages they labored under, by having an unrighteous king to rule over them; | He also told them all the bad things about having a mean king. |
| Mosiah 29:36 | Yea, all his iniquities and abominations, and all the wars, and contentions, and bloodshed, and the stealing, and the plundering, and the committing of whoredoms, and all manner of iniquities which cannot be enumerated—telling them that these things ought not to be, that they were expressly repugnant to the commandments of God. | All his bad actions, wars, fights, stealing, and other things he did were very wrong. These things should not happen because they go against God’s rules. |
| Mosiah 29:37 | And now it came to pass, after king Mosiah had sent these things forth among the people they were convinced of the truth of his words. | King Mosiah sent messages to the people. They believed him. |
| Mosiah 29:38 | Therefore they relinquished their desires for a king, and became exceedingly anxious that every man should have an equal chance throughout all the land; yea, and every man expressed a willingness to answer for his own sins. | So they decided not to have a king anymore, and wanted everyone to be treated the same everywhere. Yes, and everyone said they would take care of their own mistakes. |
| Mosiah 29:39 | Therefore, it came to pass that they assembled themselves together in bodies throughout the land, to cast in their voices concerning who should be their judges, to judge them according to the law which had been given them; and they were exceedingly rejoiced because of the liberty which had been granted unto them. | So, the people came together to choose their judges. They were very happy because they were free to choose. |
| Mosiah 29:40 | And they did wax strong in love towards Mosiah; yea, they did esteem him more than any other man; for they did not look upon him as a tyrant who was seeking for gain, yea, for that lucre which doth corrupt the soul; for he had not exacted riches of them, neither had he delighted in the shedding of blood; but he had established peace in the land, and he had granted unto his people that they should be delivered from all manner of bondage; therefore they did esteem him, yea, exceedingly, beyond measure. | The people loved Mosiah very much. They thought he was the best man. They did not think he was mean or greedy. He did not want money or hurt anyone. He made peace in the land. He set the people free. They loved him a lot. |
| Mosiah 29:41 | And it came to pass that they did appoint judges to rule over them, or to judge them according to the law; and this they did throughout all the land. | They chose judges to be in charge and make decisions based on the law. They did this everywhere in the land. |
| Mosiah 29:42 | And it came to pass that Alma was appointed to be the first chief judge, he being also the high priest, his father having conferred the office upon him, and having given him the charge concerning all the affairs of the church. | Alma became the first chief judge. He was also the high priest. His father gave him the job and told him to take care of the church. |
| Mosiah 29:43 | And now it came to pass that Alma did walk in the ways of the Lord, and he did keep his commandments, and he did judge righteous judgments; and there was continual peace through the land. | Alma followed God’s rules. He made good choices. Everyone in the land lived peacefully. |
| Mosiah 29:44 | And thus commenced the reign of the judges throughout all the land of Zarahemla, among all the people who were called the Nephites; and Alma was the first and chief judge. | This started the time when judges ruled over the land of Zarahemla and the Nephites. Alma was the first and main judge. |
| Mosiah 29:45 | And now it came to pass that his father died, being eighty and two years old, having lived to fulfil the commandments of God. | His father died at age 82 after following God’s rules. |
| Mosiah 29:46 | And it came to pass that Mosiah died also, in the thirty and third year of his reign, being sixty and three years old; making in the whole, five hundred and nine years from the time Lehi left Jerusalem. | Mosiah died too. He was 63 years old. He had been king for 33 years. It was 509 years since Lehi left Jerusalem. |
| Mosiah 29:47 | And thus ended the reign of the kings over the people of Nephi; and thus ended the days of Alma, who was the founder of their church. | The kings stopped ruling over Nephi’s people. Alma, who started their church, also died. |
Book of Mormon Simplified 