Mosiah
35 verses
Overview
Abinadi is protected by God as he rebukes King Noah’s priests, recites the Ten Commandments, and teaches that salvation comes through the redemption of God, not just the law of Moses.
When the king heard these words, he said to his priests, "Take this man away and kill him, for what do we have to do with him? He is insane."
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.
They stepped forward and tried to grab him, but he resisted them and said to them:
And they stood forth and attempted to lay their hands on him; but he withstood them, and said unto them:
Do not touch me, for God will strike you if you lay your hands on me. I have not yet delivered the message the Lord sent me to give, nor have I told you what you asked me to say. So God will not allow me to be destroyed at this time.
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.
But I have to fulfill the commandments God has given me; and because I have told you the truth, you are angry with me. And also, because I have spoken the word of God, you have judged me to be insane.
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.
After Abinadi spoke these words, the people of King Noah didn't dare touch him, because the Spirit of the Lord was with him; and his face shone with a great brightness, just like Moses' did when he was on Mount Sinai speaking with the Lord.
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.
He spoke with power and authority from God and continued his words, saying:
And he spake with power and authority from God; and he continued his words, saying:
You see that you don't have the power to kill me, so I will finish my message. I can also tell that what I say about your sins deeply troubles you because it's the truth.
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.
My words fill you with wonder and amazement, and with anger.
Yea, and my words fill you with wonder and amazement, and with anger.
I will finish my message, and after that it doesn't matter where I go, as long as I am saved.
But I finish my message; and then it matters not whither I go, if it so be that I am saved.
But I tell you this: whatever you do to me after this will be a symbol and a foreshadowing of things that are going to happen.
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.
Now I will read the rest of God's commandments to you, because I see that they are not written in your hearts; I see that you have studied and taught wickedness for most of your lives.
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, remember that I told you: You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of things that are in heaven above, or on the earth below, or in the water under the earth.
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.
You must not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, bringing the consequences of the fathers' sins upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me.
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;
And showing mercy to thousands who love me and keep my commandments.
And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, because the Lord will not consider anyone guiltless who takes His name in vain.
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.
Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
You shall work for six days and do all your tasks.
Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work;
But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. You must not do any work—neither you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, your cattle, nor any stranger who is within your gates.
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;
In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them; so the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
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.
Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land the Lord your God gives you.
Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
You shall not kill.
Thou shalt not kill.
You must not commit adultery. You must not steal.
Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Do not covet your neighbor's house; do not covet your neighbor's wife, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
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.
After Abinadi finished speaking, he asked them, "Have you taught this people that they should do all these things to keep these commandments?"
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?
I tell you, no; because if you had, the Lord would not have sent me to come and prophesy bad things about this people.
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.
You have said that salvation comes by the law of Moses. I tell you that it is necessary for you to keep the law of Moses for now; but I also tell you that the time will come when it will no longer be necessary to keep the law of Moses.
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.
I also tell you that salvation does not come by the law alone; and if it were not for the atonement that God himself will make for the sins and wrongdoings of his people, they would inevitably be destroyed, even with the law of Moses.
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.
Now I tell you that it was necessary for a law to be given to the children of Israel, even a very strict law, because they were a stubborn people, quick to do wrong and slow to remember the Lord their God.
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;
So a law was given to them—a law of performances and ordinances—a law they were supposed to observe strictly every day, to help them remember God and their duty to Him.
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.
All these things were symbols of things to come.
But behold, I say unto you, that all these things were types of things to come.
Did they understand the law? I tell you, no, not all of them understood it. This was because their hearts were hard; they did not understand that no one can be saved except through the redemption of God.
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.
Didn't Moses prophesy to them about the coming of the Messiah and that God would redeem his people? And haven't all the prophets who have prophesied since the world began spoken, in one way or another, about these things?
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?
Didn't they say that God himself would come down among the children of men, take on the form of a man, and go forward in great power on the earth?
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?
And haven't they also said that he would bring about the resurrection of the dead, and that he himself would be oppressed and afflicted?
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?