After reading these things, Lehi was filled with the Spirit and began to prophesy about his descendants:
"These brass plates will go forth to all nations and people who are of my descent (of the house of Israel). The brass plates will never be destroyed nor lose their greatness over time."
Lehi prophesied many more things about his descendants, not written here.
Up to this time, my father and I had kept all the Lord's commandments.
As we continued to read the plates, they became of great value to us, for they enabled us to teach the Lord's commandments to our children. We clearly saw the Lord's wisdom in commanding us to obtain these records and take them with us on our journey to the promised land.
Purpose of making plates is explained...
(compare 1 Nephi, chapter 6)
I, Nephi, am not including the genealogy of my forefathers in my record, for it's already engraved on the brass plates, kept by my father.
It is enough to say we are descendants of Joseph. I don't have room on these small plates to write everything my father did. I want to save room to write about the things of God.
I desire to persuade people to surrender their hearts to Christ--the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and thereby be saved.
The things I write are not pleasing to those who are of the world, but they are pleasing to God and to those who are not of the world.
