Actual scriptures
20 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that they did prosper in the land; and I beheld a abook, and it was carried forth among them.
21 And the angel said unto me: Knowest thou the meaning of the book?
22 And I said unto him: I know not.
23 And he said: Behold it proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew. And I, Nephi, beheld it; and he said unto me: The abook that thou beholdest is a brecord of the cJews, which contains the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; and it also containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets; and it is a record like unto the engravings which are upon the dplates of brass, save there are not so many; nevertheless, they contain the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; wherefore, they are of great worth unto the Gentiles.
24 And the angel of the Lord said unto me: Thou hast beheld that the abook proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord, of whom the twelve apostles bear record; and they bear record according to the truth which is in the Lamb of God.
25 Wherefore, these things go forth from the aJews in purity unto the bGentiles, according to the truth which is in God.
26 And after they go forth by the ahand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews bunto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of that cgreat and abominable dchurch, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have etaken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are fplain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away.
27 And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men.
28 Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and aprecious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God.
29 And after these plain and precious things were ataken away it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, thou seest—because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God—because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them.
30 Nevertheless, thou beholdest that the Gentiles who have gone forth out of captivity, and have been lifted up by the power of God above all other nations, upon the face of the land which is choice above all other lands, which is the land that the Lord God hath covenanted with thy father that his seed should have for the aland of their inheritance; wherefore, thou seest that the Lord God will not suffer that the Gentiles will utterly destroy the bmixture of thy cseed, which are among thy brethren.
31 Neither will he suffer that the Gentiles shall adestroy the seed of thy brethren.
32 Neither will the Lord God suffer that the Gentiles shall forever remain in that awful state of blindness, which thou beholdest they are in, because of the plain and most precious parts of the gospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that aabominable church, whose formation thou hast seen.
33 Wherefore saith the Lamb of God: I will be amerciful unto the Gentiles, unto the visiting of the remnant of the house of Israel in great judgment.
34 And it came to pass that the angel of the Lord spake unto me, saying: Behold, saith the Lamb of God, after I have avisited the bremnant of the house of Israel—and this remnant of whom I speak is the seed of thy father—wherefore, after I have visited them in judgment, and smitten them by the hand of the Gentiles, and after the Gentiles do cstumble exceedingly, because of the most plain and precious parts of the dgospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that abominable church, which is the mother of harlots, saith the Lamb—I will be merciful unto the eGentiles in that day, insomuch that I will fbring forth unto them, in mine own power, much of my ggospel, which shall be plain and precious, saith the Lamb.
35 For, behold, saith the Lamb: I will manifest myself unto thy seed, that they shall write many things which I shall minister unto them, which shall be plain and precious; and after thy seed shall be destroyed, and dwindle in unbelief, and also the seed of thy brethren, behold, athese things shall be hid up, to come forth unto the Gentiles, by the gift and power of the Lamb.
37 And ablessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my bZion at that day, for they shall have the cgift and the dpower of the Holy Ghost; and if they eendure unto the end they shall be flifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting gkingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall hpublish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be.
38 And it came to pass that I beheld the remnant of the seed of my brethren, and also the abook of the Lamb of God, which had proceeded forth from the mouth of the Jew, that it came forth from the Gentiles bunto the remnant of the seed of my brethren.
39 And after it had come forth unto them I beheld aother bbooks, which came forth by the power of the Lamb, from the Gentiles unto them, unto the cconvincing of the Gentiles and the remnant of the seed of my brethren, and also the Jews who were scattered upon all the face of the earth, that the records of the prophets and of the twelve apostles of the Lamb are dtrue.
40 And the angel spake unto me, saying: These alast records, which thou hast seen among the Gentiles, shall bestablish the truth of the cfirst, which are of the dtwelve apostles of the Lamb, and shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away from them; and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the eSavior of the world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved.
41 And they must come according to the words which shall be established by the mouth of the Lamb; and the words of the Lamb shall be made known in the records of thy seed, as well as in the arecords of the twelve apostles of the Lamb; wherefore they both shall be established in bone; for there is cone God and one dShepherd over all the earth.
42 And the time cometh that he shall manifest himself unto all nations, both unto the aJews and also unto the Gentiles; and after he has manifested himself unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles, then he shall manifest himself unto the Gentiles and also unto the Jews, and the blast shall be first, and the cfirst shall be last.
Come Follow Me Manual
Latter-day scripture restores “plain and precious things.”
Nephi saw in vision that the Bible—which he described as “a record of the Jews”—would have “many plain and precious things taken away from [it]” (1 Nephi 13:23, 28). However, he also saw that God would restore these things through “other books”—the Book of Mormon and other latter-day scripture (see 1 Nephi 13:39–40). What are some of the precious truths that the Book of Mormon helps us better understand? How is your life different because these plain and precious things have been restored?
The Book of Mormon restores gospel truths lost during the Apostasy.
See also “Plain and Precious Truths,” Ensign, Mar. 2008, 68–73; Russell M. Nelson, “The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 60–63.
For Further Study:
Seminary Manual
Nephi sees future Gentiles with the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and other latter-day scriptures
To combat the effects of the great and abominable church, the Lord prepared the way for the Restoration of His gospel. In 1 Nephi 13, Nephi foresaw such events as Columbus and the pilgrims coming to the land of promise because “the Spirit of God … wrought [rested or worked] upon [them]” (see 1 Nephi 13:12–13). He also foresaw the American War of Independence—when “the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity” fought against “their mother Gentiles [who] were gathered together … against them,” but they were “delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations” (see 1 Nephi 13:16–19).
Read 1 Nephi 13:20–23, and identify the book that Nephi saw early gentile colonizers in the land of promise would carry among them.
Write “the Bible” in your scriptures by 1 Nephi 13:20. Nephi explained that the Bible would be “of great worth” to us (1 Nephi 13:23) and that when it was originally written “it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord” (1 Nephi 13:24). Use 1 Nephi 13:26–27, 29 to fill in the blanks to the following summary:
The great and abominable church removed “many parts which are and most ; and also many of the Lord have they taken away” from the Bible (1 Nephi 13:26). They removed these things to “ the right ways of the Lord, that they might the eyes and the hearts of the children of men” (1 Nephi 13:27). Because these things are missing, “an exceedingly great many do ” (1 Nephi 13:29).
Reread the above summary after you have filled in the blanks.
One of the purposes of the great and abominable church is to “pervert the right ways of the Lord” (1 Nephi 13:27) by taking away many of the plain and precious truths. To “pervert” is to cause to turn aside or away from something that is right. Think about the negative consequences of turning aside or turning away from the “right ways of the Lord.”
Use your scriptures to answer the following questions:
- According to 1 Nephi 13:34, what will the Lord bring forth because of his mercy? (It may be helpful to know that the title “the Lamb” refers to the Savior, Jesus Christ.)
- In 1 Nephi 13:35–36, what did the Savior say would be hid up to come forth to the Gentiles?
- In 1 Nephi 13:36, what did the angel say was written in the record that was hidden—the Book of Mormon?
- In addition to the Book of Mormon, what “other books” might 1 Nephi 13:39 refer to?
Read 1 Nephi 13:40–41, and underline what the Book of Mormon and these “other books” will make known unto all people. It is important to notice that we must come to the Savior “according to the words which shall be established by the mouth of the Lamb” (1 Nephi 13:41)—the scriptures.
Through this portion of Nephi’s vision, we learn that the Book of Mormon and latter-day scriptures restore plain and precious truths that help us know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and help us know how to come unto Him.
- Write the answer to the following questions in your scripture study journal:
- How have the plain and precious truths in the Book of Mormon and other latter-day scriptures influenced your testimony of Jesus Christ?
- How have they helped you understand and live His gospel?
Take a moment to evaluate how well your scripture study is helping you come closer to the Savior.
Institute Manual
1 Nephi 13:20–29. Plain and Precious Truths Removed from the Bible
- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained the meaning of “plain and precious”: “Elements … missing from the Bible were both ‘plain and most precious.’ They were plain in their simplicity and clarity, being easy to ‘the understanding of … men’; they were precious in their purity and profound worth, their saving significance and eternal importance to the children of God” (Christ and the New Covenant [1997], 5).
- One educator suggested the following explanation for changes in the scriptures:“Apparently the original manuscripts of the Bible disappeared very early. This seems particularly true of the New Testament. Sir Frederic Kenyon, one of the greatest textual scholars of the early twentieth century, commented thus: ‘The originals of the several books have long ago disappeared. They must have perished in the very infancy of the Church; for no allusion is ever made to them by any Christian writer.’ Kenyon’s statement is particularly important to us because it means that for centuries there has not been an original Bible manuscript to guide the reader. Even in the early decades of the original Christian church, the original texts seem to have been absent. …“The angel [in 1 Nephi 13:21–29] makes it clear that he is not talking about subtle accidents of hand and eye, resulting in a few misplaced letters or words—the unplanned errors of copyists. He pointedly ascribes these changes to the planned editorial work of designing men [see 1 Nephi 13:27–28]. …“As we read the words of the angel, we discover that the world never has had a complete Bible, for it was massively—even cataclysmically—corrupted before it was distributed. Of course, in addition to the major willful corruption of the Bible in the early Christian era, the manuscripts have also continued to suffer the gradual and relatively mild changes, due to errors of hand and eye, that the scholars talk about. Thus there have been two processes at work: (1) a major, sudden, and deliberate editorial corruption of the text and (2) a gradual promulgation of variants that has occurred as a natural consequence of copying and translation” (Robert J. Matthews, A Bible! A Bible! [1990], 74–75).Joseph Smith taught that “many important points touching the salvation of man, had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled” (History of the Church, 1:245). He also said that the Bible was correct as “it came from the pen of the original writers,” but that “ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors” (History of the Church, 6:57.)
1 Nephi 13:32–40. Plain and Precious Things Restored
- President James E. Faust (1920–2007) of the First Presidency spoke of how the standard works of the Church have been the principal means of restoring lost truths:“The Apostle John saw in vision the time when an angel would come to the earth as part of the Restoration of the gospel. That angel was Moroni, who appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith. He directed Joseph to the place where golden plates containing ancient writings were deposited. Joseph Smith then translated these plates by the gift and power of God, and the Book of Mormon was published. This is a record of two groups of people who lived centuries ago on the American continent. Little was known about them before the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. But more importantly, the Book of Mormon is another testament of Christ. It restored precious truths concerning the Fall, the Atonement, the Resurrection, and life after death.“Prior to the Restoration, the heavens had been closed for centuries. But with prophets and apostles upon the earth once more, the heavens were opened once again with visions and revelations. Many of the revelations that came to the Prophet Joseph Smith were written down in a book that came to be known as the Doctrine and Covenants. This contains further insights about principles and ordinances and is a valuable source concerning the structure of the priesthood. In addition, we have another canon of scripture called the Pearl of Great Price. It contains the book of Moses, which came by revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, and the book of Abraham, which he translated from a purchased Egyptian scroll. From these we learn not only a great deal more about Moses, Abraham, Enoch, and other prophets but also many more details about the Creation. We learn that the gospel of Jesus Christ was taught to all of the prophets from the beginning—even from the time of Adam” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2006, 68; or Ensign, May 2006, 67–68).
- The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible also helps restore many plain and precious truths. The Joseph Smith Translation is “a revision or translation of the King James Version of the Bible in English, which the Prophet Joseph Smith began in June 1830. He was commanded by God to make the translation and regarded it as part of his calling as a prophet. …“The Joseph Smith Translation has restored some of the plain and precious things that have been lost from the Bible (1 Nephi 13). Although it is not the official Bible of the Church, this translation does offer many interesting insights and is very valuable in understanding the Bible. It is also a witness for the divine calling and ministry of the Prophet Joseph Smith” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Joseph Smith Translation”; see also 2 Nephi 3:11; History of the Church, 1:238).With continuing revelation in the Lord’s Church, the process of bringing the plain and precious doctrines and principles of the gospel to people throughout the world is an ongoing process. The conference reports and other inspired writings from the Lord’s apostles and prophets are vital for gospel understanding of the plain and precious truths.
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