Book of Mormon (Plain English Version)/Ether/Chapter 3

by Timothy B. Wilson

The faith of Jared's brother...
(compare Ether, chapter 3)

Jared's brother went and climbed a high mountain named Shelem and smelted sixteen small white stones from a rock (two stones for each of the eight barges), which were transparent, like glass.

Then he carried the stones to the top of the mountain, and prayed,

"Oh Lord, Thou said we would be surrounded by water. Now, oh Lord, do not be angry with me because of my weakness before Thee. We know Thou art holy and live in the heavens. We are unworthy before Thee because of our fallen natures, and we do evil continually.

But Thou, oh Lord, has given us a commandment to call upon Thee, saying we would receive from Thee according to our desires.

Oh Lord, Thou has stricken us because of our iniquity and driven us in this wilderness for several years. But Thou has been merciful to us.

Oh Lord, look upon me in pity, and turn away thy anger from this, thy people, and do not allow them to cross this raging deep in darkness. Look at these stones I smelted out of the rock.

I know, oh Lord, that Thou has all power, and can do whatever Thou will for the benefit of man. So touch these stones, oh Lord, with thy finger, and make them shine in the barges as we cross the sea.

Oh Lord, Thou can do this. We know Thou can show great power by things that look small according to our understanding."

After Jared's brother said this, the Lord revealed His hand and touched the stones one by one with His finger.

The veil was taken from the eyes of Jared's brother, and he saw the Lord's finger. It was like a man's finger.

Struck with fear, Jared's brother fell down before the Lord.

The Lord asked him, "Why have you fallen? Arise."

Jared's brother answered, "I saw the finger of the Lord and feared that He would smite me, for I didn't know the Lord had flesh and blood.”

The Lord said to him, "Because of your faith, you have seen that I will take upon me flesh and blood. Never has man come before me with such great faith as you, for without such faith, you could not have seen my finger.

Did you see more than my finger?”

"No," answered Jared's brother, "Show Thyself to me."

Then the Lord asked, "Will you believe my words?"

Jared's brother responded, "Yes, Lord, I know Thou speaks the truth, for Thou art a God of truth and cannot lie."

Then the Lord showed Himself and said,

"Because you know these things, you are redeemed from the fall, are brought back into my presence, and I show myself to you.

I am the one prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. I am Jesus Christ, the Father and the Son.

Through me, all who will believe in my name will have eternal life, and become my sons and daughters.

I have never before shown myself to man, whom I have created, for no man has believed in me as much as you.

Now you know you were created after my own image. In the beginning, all men were created after my own image.

This body you now see is my body in the image of my spirit. I have created man in the image of my spirit, and as I now appear to you in the spirit, I will appear to my people in the flesh."

As I, Moroni, said earlier, I cannot make a complete account of the things written on these 24 plates.

It is enough to say that Jesus showed Himself in the spirit and ministered to Jared's brother in the same manner that He showed Himself in the flesh to the Nephites. He did this and other great works so Jared's brother would know that He was God.

After Jared's brother had seen Jesus' finger, he no longer had faith, but a perfect knowledge of the Lord. With this perfect knowledge of God, he could not be kept from within the veil, and he saw Jesus, who spoke directly to him, face to face.

The Lord said to Jared's brother,

"You will not allow what you have seen and heard to go to the world until the time comes when I will glorify my name in the flesh. When you come to me, you will make a record of what you have seen and heard and seal it up so that no one can interpret it, for you will engrave your record in an unknown language.

I will give you these two stones to seal up with your plates. The language that you will engrave has been confused, and in my own due time these stones will allow your engravings to be translated.”

After saying this, the Lord showed Jared's brother all the inhabitants of the earth who had lived, and who would yet live.

The Lord did not hold back anything that would happen from his sight. The Lord did this because He had said to Jared's brother, "If you believe in me, I can show you all things."

Jared's brother knew the Lord could show him all things, and so the Lord could not withhold anything from him.

The Lord said to Jared's brother, "Engrave these things on plates, then seal the plates along with the two stones, and do not show them to anyone. In my own due time, I will show them to all people."