Helaman 7:25-29; 8:1-3

²⁵ Yea, wo be unto you because of that great abomination which has come among you; and ye have united yourselves unto it, yea, to that secret band which was established by Gadianton! ²⁶ Yea, wo shall come unto you because of that pride which ye have suffered to enter your hearts, which has lifted you up beyond that which is good because of your exceedingly great riches! ²⁷ Yea, wo be unto you because of your wickedness and abominations!

²⁸ And except ye repent ye shall perish; yea, even your lands shall be taken from you, and ye shall be destroyed from off the face of the earth. ²⁹ Behold now, I do not say that these things shall be, of myself, because it is not of myself that I know these things; but behold, I know that these things are true because the Lord God has made them known unto me, therefore I testify that they shall be.

Helaman 7:25 – 29 (Emphasis mine)

Nephi₂ warns them “great abominations” has come among them.  Why?  They have united with the Gadianton Robbers!

The Nephite sin – pride – afflicts them.  Their riches have “lifted [them] beyond that which is good” (v. 26). 

All of this will happen because of their “wickedness and abominations” (v. 27).

Hugh Nibley asks, “How often does this have to be repeated? Why do you think such great pains and sufferings have been experienced to get the message of the Book of Mormon to us? Nephi goes on, ‘Yea, wo shall come unto you because of that pride which ye have suffered to enter your hearts, which has lifted you up beyond that which is good because of your exceedingly great riches’ (Helaman 7:26).”[1]

Chapter 8

Corrupt judges seek to incite the people against Nephi—Abraham, Moses, Zenos, Zenock, Ezias, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lehi, and Nephi all testified of Christ—By inspiration Nephi announces the murder of the chief judge. About 23–21 B.C.

¹ AND now it came to pass that when Nephi had said these words, behold, there were men who were judges, who also belonged to the secret band of Gadianton, and they were angry, and they cried out against him, saying unto the people: Why do ye not seize upon this man and bring him forth, that he may be condemned according to the crime which he has done? ² Why seest thou this man, and hearest him revile against this people and against our law? ³ For behold, Nephi had spoken unto them concerning the corruptness of their law; yea, many things did Nephi speak which cannot be written; and nothing did he speak which was contrary to the commandments of God.

Helaman 8:1 – 3 (Emphasis mine)

In the crowd were some of the judges.  These men were card-carrying members of the Gadianton Robbers and they were not pleased.  They asked the people why they hadn’t “seize[d] upon this man and [brought] him forth, that he may be condemned according to the crime which he has done” (v. 1). 

What crime did he commit?  He “revile[d] against this people and against our law” (v. 2).  Nephi₂ did speak against their law, calling it corrupt. Mormon informs us that “many things did Nephi speak which cannot be written; and nothing did he speak which was contrary to the commandments of God” (v. 3). 

Wicked judges and lawyers were always attempting to thwart the work of the Lord.  When Alma₂ and Amulek were preaching in the land of Ammonihah, Amulek was confronted by lawyers.  Mormon recorded:

[T]here were some among them who thought to question them, that by their cunning devices they might catch them in their words, that they might find witness against them, that they might deliver them to their judges that they might be judged according to the law, and that they might be slain or cast into prison, according to the crime which they could make appear or witness against them.

Now it was those men who sought to destroy them, who were lawyers, who were hired or appointed by the people to administer the law at their times of trials, or at the trials of the crimes of the people before the judges.

Now these lawyers were learned in all the arts and cunning of the people; and this was to enable them that they might be skillful in their profession.

Alma 10:12 - 15

They would eventually fail in their efforts because “they knew not that Amulek could know of their designs.  But it came to pass as they began to question him, he perceived their thoughts, and he said unto them: O ye wicked and perverse generation, ye lawyers and hypocrites, for ye are laying the foundations of the devil; for ye are laying traps and snares to catch the holy ones of God” (Alma 10:17).

It appears that, under Nephite law, judges had no authority to bring charges.  John Welch explains:

“[I]n Zarahemla, Nephi's political opponents ask the people, ‘why do ye not seize upon this man and bring him forth, that he may be condemned according to the crime which he has done?’ (Helaman 8:1), suggesting that even these Gadianton affiliates recognized that not only prudence but also long-standing legal tradition required them to wait until the people took action before they could initiate legal charges against Nephi.”[2]

Hugh Nibley looks at the situation.

“Nephi's little sermon received more than a cool reception. Some judges who happened to be card-holding members of the Protective Association were in the crowd and they immediately demanded that Nephi be brought into court and charged with the crime of ‘revil[ing] against this people and against our law’ (Helaman 8:2). And indeed if contempt of institutions was a crime, Nephi was guilty, for he "had spoken unto them concerning the corruptness of their law" (Helaman 8:3).”[3]

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[1] Scriptural Perspectives on How to Survive the Calamities of the Last Days, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed July 19, 2012

[2] The Trial of Jeremiah: A Legal Legacy from Lehi's Jerusalem, John W. Welch, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed July 19, 2012.

[3] The Way of the Wicked, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed July 19, 2012.