1 NephiChapter15

And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been carried away in the spirit, and seen all these things, I returned to the tent of my father.

After I, Nephi, had been carried away in the Spirit and seen all these things, I went back to my father's tent.

And it came to pass that I beheld my brethren, and they were disputing one with another concerning the things my father had spoken unto them.

And I found my brothers arguing with one another about the things my father had told them.

For he truly spake many great things unto them, which were hard to be understood, save a man should inquire of the Lord; and they being hard in their hearts, therefore they did not look unto the Lord as they ought.

He really had told them many great things, things hard to understand unless a person asks the Lord; and since their hearts were hard, they didn't look to the Lord the way they should have.

And now I, Nephi, was grieved because of the hardness of their hearts, and also, because of the things which I had seen, and knew they must unavoidably come to pass because of the great wickedness of the children of men.

Now I, Nephi, was hurting because of the hardness of their hearts, and also because of the things I had seen; I knew they must happen, unavoidably, because of the great wickedness of the people.

And it came to pass that I was overcome because of my afflictions, for I considered that mine afflictions were great above all, because of the destruction of my people, for I had beheld their fall.

And I was overcome by my grief, and it felt greater than any other, because of the destruction of my people; I had seen their fall.

And it came to pass that after I had received strength I spake unto my brethren, desiring to know of them the cause of their disputations.

After I had gotten my strength back, I spoke to my brothers, wanting to know why they were arguing.

And they said: Behold, we cannot understand the words which our father hath spoken concerning the natural branches of the olive-tree, and also concerning the Gentiles.

And they said, "We can't understand the words our father has spoken about the natural branches of the olive tree, and about the Gentiles."

And I said unto them: Have ye inquired of the Lord?

And I said to them, "Have you asked the Lord?"

And they said unto me: We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us.

And they said to me, "We haven't. The Lord doesn't make anything like that known to us."

Behold, I said unto them: How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord? How is it that ye will perish, because of the hardness of your hearts?

I said to them, "How is it that you don't keep the commandments of the Lord? How is it that you are willing to perish because of the hardness of your hearts?

Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you.

Don't you remember the things the Lord has said? 'If you will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that you will receive, and diligently keep my commandments, surely these things will be made known to you.'

Behold, I say unto you, that the house of Israel was compared unto an olive-tree, by the Spirit of the Lord which was in our father; and behold are we not broken off from the house of Israel, and are we not a branch of the house of Israel?

"The house of Israel was compared to an olive tree, by the Spirit of the Lord that was in our father. And aren't we broken off from the house of Israel? Aren't we a branch of the house of Israel?

And now, the thing which our father meaneth concerning the grafting in of the natural branches through the fulness of the Gentiles, is, that in the latter days, when our seed shall have dwindled in unbelief, yea, for the space of many years, and many generations after the Messiah shall be manifested in body unto the children of men, then shall the fulness of the gospel of the Messiah come unto the Gentiles, and from the Gentiles unto the remnant of our seed—

Now, this is what our father means about the grafting in of the natural branches through the fullness of the Gentiles: in the latter days, when our descendants have faded away in unbelief for many years, and for many generations after the Messiah appears in the body to people, then the fullness of the gospel of the Messiah will come to the Gentiles, and from the Gentiles to the remainder of our descendants.

And at that day shall the remnant of our seed know that they are of the house of Israel, and that they are the covenant people of the Lord; and then shall they know and come to the knowledge of their forefathers, and also to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer, which was ministered unto their fathers by him; wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved.

And in that day the remainder of our descendants will know that they are of the house of Israel and that they are the covenant people of the Lord; then they will know and come to the knowledge of their ancestors, and to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer, which he himself ministered to their fathers. So they will come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, so that they may know how to come to him and be saved.

And then at that day will they not rejoice and give praise unto their everlasting God, their rock and their salvation? Yea, at that day, will they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true vine? Yea, will they not come unto the true fold of God?

And in that day, won't they rejoice and give praise to their everlasting God, their rock and their salvation? Won't they receive strength and nourishment from the true vine? Won't they come into the true fold of God?

Behold, I say unto you, Yea; they shall be remembered again among the house of Israel; they shall be grafted in, being a natural branch of the olive-tree, into the true olive-tree.

I tell you, yes. They will be remembered again among the house of Israel; being a natural branch of the olive tree, they will be grafted into the true olive tree.

And this is what our father meaneth; and he meaneth that it will not come to pass until after they are scattered by the Gentiles; and he meaneth that it shall come by way of the Gentiles, that the Lord may show his power unto the Gentiles, for the very cause that he shall be rejected of the Jews, or of the house of Israel.

And this is what our father means. He means that it won't happen until after they are scattered by the Gentiles; and he means that it will come by way of the Gentiles, so that the Lord may show his power to the Gentiles, for the very reason that he will be rejected by the Jews, by the house of Israel.

Wherefore, our father hath not spoken of our seed alone, but also of all the house of Israel, pointing to the covenant which should be fulfilled in the latter days; which covenant the Lord made to our father Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.

So our father has not spoken about our posterity alone, but also about all the house of Israel, pointing to the covenant that will be fulfilled in the latter days, the covenant the Lord made to our father Abraham: 'In your seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.'"

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, spake much unto them concerning these things; yea, I spake unto them concerning the restoration of the Jews in the latter days.

And I, Nephi, said much more to them about these things; I talked with them about the restoration of the Jews in the latter days.

And I did rehearse unto them the words of Isaiah, who spake concerning the restoration of the Jews, or of the house of Israel; and after they were restored they should no more be confounded, neither should they be scattered again. And it came to pass that I did speak many words unto my brethren, that they were pacified and did humble themselves before the Lord.

And I repeated to them the words of Isaiah, who spoke about the restoration of the Jews, of the house of Israel: after they were restored, they would never again be put to shame, and never be scattered again. And I said so many words to my brothers that they calmed down and humbled themselves before the Lord.

And it came to pass that they did speak unto me again, saying: What meaneth this thing which our father saw in a dream? What meaneth the tree which he saw?

Then they spoke to me again and asked, "What does this thing mean that our father saw in a dream? What does the tree he saw mean?"

And I said unto them: It was a representation of the tree of life.

And I said to them, "It was a representation of the tree of life."

And they said unto me: What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree?

And they said to me, "What is the meaning of the iron rod our father saw, that led to the tree?"

And I said unto them that it was the word of God, and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.

And I told them it was the word of God; and whoever would listen to the word of God and hold fast to it would never perish; nor could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them and blind them, and lead them away to destruction.

Wherefore, I, Nephi, did exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord; yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul, and with all the faculty which I possessed, that they would give heed to the word of God and remember to keep his commandments always in all things.

So I, Nephi, urged them to pay attention to the word of the Lord; with all the energy of my soul, and with every ability I had, I urged them to pay attention to the word of God and to remember always, in all things, to keep his commandments.

And they said unto me: What meaneth the river of water which our father saw?

And they said to me, "What does the river of water mean, that our father saw?"

And I said unto them that the water which my father saw was filthiness; and so much was his mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld not the filthiness of the water.

And I told them that the water my father saw was filthiness, and that his mind was so caught up in other things that he didn't notice the filthiness of the water.

And I said unto them that it was an awful gulf, which separated the wicked from the tree of life, and also from the saints of God.

And I told them it was an awful gulf, which separated the wicked from the tree of life, and also from the saints of God.

And I said unto them that it was a representation of that awful hell, which the angel said unto me was prepared for the wicked.

And I told them it was a representation of that awful hell which, the angel told me, was prepared for the wicked.

And I said unto them that our father also saw that the justice of God did also divide the wicked from the righteous; and the brightness thereof was like unto the brightness of a flaming fire, which ascendeth up unto God forever and ever, and hath no end.

And I told them that our father also saw that the justice of God divided the wicked from the righteous; and its brightness was like the brightness of a flaming fire, which rises up to God forever and ever and has no end.

And they said unto me: Doth this thing mean the torment of the body in the days of probation, or doth it mean the final state of the soul after the death of the temporal body, or doth it speak of the things which are temporal?

And they said to me, "Does this mean the torment of the body in the days of probation, or does it mean the final state of the soul after the death of the temporal body, or is it speaking of things that are temporal?"

And it came to pass that I said unto them that it was a representation of things both temporal and spiritual; for the day should come that they must be judged of their works, yea, even the works which were done by the temporal body in their days of probation.

And I told them that it was a representation of things both temporal and spiritual, because the day would come when they must be judged for their works, the very works done by the temporal body in their days of probation.

Wherefore, if they should die in their wickedness they must be cast off also, as to the things which are spiritual, which are pertaining to righteousness; wherefore, they must be brought to stand before God, to be judged of their works; and if their works have been filthiness they must needs be filthy; and if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God; if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also.

So if they die in their wickedness, they must also be cast off as to the things that are spiritual, the things that pertain to righteousness; so they must be brought to stand before God, to be judged for their works. And if their works have been filthiness, they must be filthy; and if they are filthy, they cannot live in the kingdom of God; if they could, the kingdom of God would be filthy too.

But behold, I say unto you, the kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God; wherefore there must needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is filthy.

But I tell you, the kingdom of God is not filthy; nothing unclean can enter the kingdom of God. So there must be a place of filthiness prepared for what is filthy.

And there is a place prepared, yea, even that awful hell of which I have spoken, and the devil is the preparator of it; wherefore the final state of the souls of men is to dwell in the kingdom of God, or to be cast out because of that justice of which I have spoken.

And there is a place prepared, even that awful hell I have spoken of, and the devil is the one who prepared it. So the final state of the souls of men is to live in the kingdom of God, or to be cast out because of that justice I have spoken of.

Wherefore, the wicked are rejected from the righteous, and also from that tree of life, whose fruit is most precious and most desirable above all other fruits; yea, and it is the greatest of all the gifts of God. And thus I spake unto my brethren. Amen.

So the wicked are cut off from the righteous, and from that tree of life, whose fruit is most precious and most desirable above all other fruits; it is the greatest of all the gifts of God. And that is how I spoke to my brothers. Amen.