The Book of Ether
The record of the
Jaredites, taken from the twenty-four plates found by the people of Limhi in
the days of King Mosiah.
Chapter 1
Moroni abridges the
writings of Ether—Ether’s genealogy is set forth—The language of the Jaredites
is not confounded at the Tower of Babel—The Lord promises to lead them to a
choice land and make them a great nation.
When Moroni finished his father’s abridgement, his words
made it clear he believed nothing more would be written. To the plates, he adds
his abridgement of the 24 plates found by the people of Limhi.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“And behold, also, they have brought breastplates, which are
large, and they are of brass and of copper, and are perfectly sound.
“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” (Mosiah 8:5-11).
We know King Mosiah2 translated the plates.
“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.
“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.
“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” (Mosiah 28:17-19).
Moroni advises us the Jaredites were destroyed by the hand
of the Lord. “Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God? Know ye not that he
hath all power, and at his great command the earth shall be rolled together as
a scroll” (Mormon 5:23).
“Having detailed the destruction of the Nephite people,
Moroni begins the book of Ether by saying it deals with ‘those ancient
inhabitants who were destroyed by the hand of the Lord’ (Ether 1:1). The first
chapter (our chapters 1–4) implicitly compares the experience of the Jaredites
with that of the Nephites, shows in the account of the brother of Jared the
kind of faith that brings the Jaredites to the land of promise where its
inhabitants are promised freedom if they ‘will but serve the God of the land,
who is Jesus Christ,’ and warns modern-day Gentiles to repent ‘that ye may not
bring down the fulness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the
land have hitherto done’ (Ether 2:12, 11).”[1]
[1] “At the
Judgment-Seat of Christ” – Larger Perspectives, Maxwell Institute website.
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