Written by way of commandment, and also by
the spirit of prophecy and of revelation.
“Wherefore, I shall
give commandment unto my seed, that they shall not occupy these plates with
things which are not of worth unto the children of men” (1 Nephi 6:1).
“And now, as I have
spoken concerning these plates, behold they are not the plates upon which I
make a full account of the history of my people; for the plates upon which I
make a full account of my people I have given the name of Nephi; wherefore,
they are called the plates of Nephi, after mine own name; and these plates also
are called the plates of Nephi.
“Nevertheless, I
have received a commandment of the Lord that I should make these plates, for
the special purpose that there should be an account engraven of the ministry of
my people.
“Upon the other
plates should be engraven an account of the reign of the kings, and the wars
and contentions of my people; wherefore these plates are for the more part of
the ministry; and the other plates are for the more part of the reign of the
kings and the wars and contentions of my people” (1 Nephi 9:2-4).
Written and sealed up, and hid up unto the
Lord, that they might not be destroyed.
The Book of Mormon
record was hidden no less than three times.
“And about the time
that Ammaron hid up the records unto the Lord, he came unto me, (I being about
ten years of age, and I began to be learned somewhat after the manner of the
learning of my people) and Ammaron said unto me: I perceive that thou art a
sober child, and art quick to observe;
“Therefore, when ye
are about twenty and four years old I would that ye should remember the things
that ye have observed concerning this people; and when ye are of that age go to
the land Antum, unto a hill which shall be called Shim; and there have I
deposited unto the Lord all the sacred engravings concerning this people”
(Mormon 1:2-3).
“And it came to pass
that when we had gathered in all our people in one to the land of Cumorah,
behold I, Mormon, began to be old; and knowing it to be the last struggle of my
people, and having been commanded of the Lord that I should not suffer the records
which had been handed down by our fathers, which were sacred, to fall into the
hands of the Lamanites, (for the Lamanites would destroy them) therefore I made
this record out of the plates of Nephi, and hid up in the hill Cumorah all the
records which had been entrusted to me by the hand of the Lord, save it were
these few plates which I gave unto my son Moroni” (Mormon 6:6).
“And my father also
was killed by them, and I even remain alone to write the sad tale of the
destruction of my people. But behold, they are gone, and I fulfil the
commandment of my father. And whether they will slay me, I know not.
“Therefore I will
write and hide up the records in the earth; and whither I go it mattereth not”
(Mormon 8:3-4).
“And I [Moroni] am
the same who hideth up this record unto the Lord; the plates thereof are of no
worth, because of the commandment of the Lord. For he truly saith that no one
shall have them to get gain; but the record thereof is of great worth; and
whoso shall bring it to light, him will the Lord bless” (Mormon 8:14).
To come forth by the gift and power of God
unto the interpretation thereof.
Speaking to King
Limhi about the 24 gold plates his people found, Ammon told 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,[1]
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” (Mosiah 8:13).
“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” (Mosiah 28:20).
“And now, I will
speak unto you concerning those twenty-four plates, that ye keep them, that the
mysteries and the works of darkness, and their secret works, or the secret
works of those people who have been destroyed, may be made manifest unto this
people; yea, all their murders, and robbings, and their plunderings, and all
their wickedness and abominations, may be made manifest unto this people; yea,
and that ye preserve these interpreters” (Alma 37:21).
“Wherefore the Lord
hath commanded me to write them; and I have written them. And he commanded me
that I should seal them up; and he also hath commanded that I should seal up
the interpretation thereof; wherefore I have sealed up the interpreters,
according to the commandment of the Lord” (Ether 4:5).
“Also, that there
were two stones in silver bows-and these stones, fastened to a breastplate,
constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim-deposited with the plates; and
the possession and use of these stones were what constituted “seers” in ancient
or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating
the book” (Joseph Smith-History 1:35).
[1]Urim and Thummim – Instruments prepared by
God to assist man in obtaining revelation and in translating languages. In the
Hebrew language the words mean “lights and perfections.” The Urim and Thummim
consist of two stones set in silver bows and sometimes used with a breastplate
(Guide to the Scriptures).
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