Book of Mormon (Plain English Version)/Mormon
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Mormon's early years...(compare Mormon, chapter 1) And now I, Mormon, make a record of what I have both seen and heard, and I call it the book of Mormon. (Mormon chapters 1-7)
Note: Mormon wrote chapters 1-7 before he was killed, and his son Moroni wrote chapters 8 and 9.
When I was about 10 years old, I had already begun to learn the ways of my people. At that time, Ammaron came to me and said,
"I've noticed that you're a serious-minded child, quick to observe and learn. So remember what you now observe among this people.
When you're about 24 years old, go to Shim Hill in the land of Antum. In that hill, I have deposited all the Nephite records unto the Lord. Only take Nephi's plates and leave the rest alone. Then engrave everything you have observed about this people onto those plates."
I remembered what Ammaron told me to do. I, Mormon, am a descendant of Nephi. My father's name was also Mormon. When I was 11 years old, my father took me south to Zarahemla. The whole land had become covered with buildings, and the people were almost as numerous as the sands of the sea.
A war broke out between the Nephites (which included Jacobites, Josephites and Zoramites) and the Lamanites (which included Lemuelites and Ishmaelites). The war was fought near the Sidon waters in the land of Zarahemla.
The Nephite army, with more than 30,000 men, beat the Lamanites in many battles that year, killing many of them.
After the Lamanites retreated, there was peace for about four years.
So much wickedness prevailed throughout the whole land that the Lord took away His beloved disciples, along with their healing and miracles. From then on, there were no gifts from the Lord, for the Holy Ghost did not come upon anyone because of wickedness and unbelief.
When I was 15, because I was a serious young man, the Lord visited me, and I tasted and knew of Jesus' goodness. But when I attempted to preach to my people, my mouth was shut. I was forbidden to preach because my people had willfully rebelled against their God. I stayed among them but said nothing about God because their hearts were so hard.
The land was also cursed because of the hardened hearts. The Gadianton robbers among the Lamanites infested the land so much that the Nephites buried their treasure to keep it from being stolen. Yet their treasure became elusive, for the Lord's curse was upon the land, and the Nephites could not find their buried treasures.
Note: 316 years before it happened, Samuel had prophesied: "And it shall come to pass, saith the Lord of Hosts, yea, our great and true God, that whoso shall hide up treasures in the earth shall find them again no more, because of the great curse of the land, save he be a righteous man and shall hide it up unto the Lord." -- Helaman 13:18.
There was also sorcery, witchcraft and magic, for the power of the evil one was over the entire land. This condition fulfilled all of Abinadi's and Samuel's words.
At age 16, Mormon leads army... (compare Mormon, chapter 2)
Another war broke out between the Nephites and the Lamanites in 325 AD.
Though young, I was strong, so the Nephites appointed me to lead their armies. In the year 326 AD, at age 16, I led the Nephite army against the Lamanites.
In 327 AD the Lamanites came upon us with such great power that they frightened my army, and we retreated to the north. We came to the city of Angola, took possession of it, and prepared to defend ourselves against the Lamanites. We fortified the city with all our strength, but the Lamanites still drove us out.
They also drove us out of the land of David, and we marched to the land of Joshua, near the western seashore. We gathered our people as quickly as possible into one body. But the land was filled with robbers and Lamanites. In spite of the great destruction that hung over my people, they would not repent of their evil doings.
Blood and carnage spread through all the land, among the Nephites and Lamanites. All people were in a constant cycle of warfare.
The Lamanite king, Aaron, came against us with an army of 44,000. I withstood him with my army of 42,000, and their army ran before us. This three-year war ended in 330 AD.
At this time the Nephites began to repent and cry out, as Samuel prophesied they would. No one could keep his own property because of the thieves, robbers, murderers, magic arts and witchcraft in the land. This caused great mourning and lamentation all over the land, especially among the Nephites.
When I, Mormon, saw their sorrow before the Lord, my heart began to rejoice, for I knew of the Lord's mercy and long-suffering. I thought He would be merciful to them, that they would again become a righteous people.
But my joy was vain, for their sorrowing did not bring them to repentance. Theirs was the sorrowing of the damned, for the Lord no longer allowed them to take pleasure in sin.
They did not come to Jesus with broken hearts, for they were not truly sorry for their sins. They cursed God and wished to die, yet they fought with the sword for their lives.
My sorrow returned as I realized their day of grace had passed, both temporally and spiritually, for I saw thousands of them cut down in open rebellion against their God and heaped up like manure over the land. I had witnessed all this by the end of 344 AD.
In 345 AD the Nephites were chased by the Lamanites to the land of Jashon, near Antum--the land where Ammaron had deposited the records unto the Lord.
About 11 years earlier (at age 24), I had gone to Shim Hill, taken out Nephi's plates, and engraved on them according to Ammaron's instructions. On Nephi's plates, I made a complete account of all the Nephites' wickedness and sins that I had seen in my youth.
But on these, my own plates, I haven't made a full record of their wickedness, for I've seen nothing but wickedness ever since I've been old enough to understand the ways of men.
My life has been cursed, and my heart has been filled with sorrow because of their wickedness. Yet I know I will be resurrected at the last day.
During 345 AD we, the Nephites, were again hunted and driven north to the land of Shem. We fortified the city of Shem and gathered as many people as possible, hoping to save ourselves from destruction.
In 346 AD the Lamanites came upon us again. Using great energy, I urged my people to stand boldly before them and fight for their wives, children and homes. My words aroused them enough to keep them from running away from the Lamanites, and they stood boldly against them.
Our army of 30,000 fought the Lamanite army of 50,000 so firmly that they ran from us. We chased them, met them again, and beat them. But the Lord's strength was not with us, for His Spirit was not in us, and we had become weak like our brethren, the Lamanites.
My heart sorrowed because of my people's great calamity, but we went against the Lamanites and Gadianton robbers again and again, until by 349 AD we had retaken our lands of inheritance.
In 350 AD we made a treaty with the Lamanites and Gadianton robbers to divide our lands of inheritance. The Lamanites gave us the northern land, all the way to the narrow passage that led into the southern land, and we gave them all the southern land.