Chapter Two: 1 Nephi 6-10

1And now I, Nephi, do not give the genealogy of my fathers in this part of my record; neither at any time shall I give it after upon these plates which I am writing; for it is given in the record which has been kept by my father; wherefore, I do not write it in this work.

2For it sufficeth me to say that we are descendants of Joseph.

3And it mattereth not to me that I am particular to give a full account of all the things of my father, for they cannot be written upon these plates, for I desire the room that I may write of the things of God.

Elder Boyd K. Packer explained:

After the people of Lehi left Jerusalem, Lehi had a vision of the tree of life. His son Nephi prayed to know its meaning. In answer, he was given a remarkable vision of Christ.

In that vision he saw—

• A virgin bearing a child in her arms,
• One who should prepare the way—John the Baptist,
• The ministry of the Son of God,
• Twelve others following the Messiah,
• The heavens open and angels ministering to them,
• The multitudes blessed and healed,
• The crucifixion of the Christ,
• The wisdom and pride of the world opposing his work. (See 1 Nephi 11:14–36.)

That vision is the central message of the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is in truth another testament of Jesus Christ (Conference Report, Apr. 1986, p. 76; or Ensign, May 1986, p. 61).

Meditating on God’s word brings insight, questions, recalibration of our lives.  American prophet, Nephi, did the same. He pondered and treasured up words of his father and words of the scriptures, as indicated in this Book of Mormon chapter. We invite you to do likewise, and if you don’t have a copy of The Book of Mormon, click on our free offer on our homepage, or click here. To read the entire scriptural passage excerpted below, please click on the respective link to Chapter Four.

Chapter Four: 1 Nephi 11-14

1For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot.

2And the Spirit said unto me: Behold, what desirest thou?

3And I said: I desire to behold the things which my father saw.

4And the Spirit said unto me: Believest thou that thy father saw the tree of which he hath spoken?

God has promised us in the Bible and in The Book of Mormon that as we ask for knowledge, we’ll receive; we can come ‘boldly before the throne of grace,” “ask, seek and knock” at the door, and He will respond.

How has The Book of Mormon or Bible opened the door to revelation to you? Inspired your desires or raised your longing to know God better? Please share with us.

Request a free copy of The Book of Mormon.

I always anticipated that the Savior’s Church would include an open cannon–that He hadn’t stopped speaking to us. Would we stop speaking to our children because time has passed or they’ve grown older, as loving parents? How much less would a perfect divine Heavenly Parent absence Himself from our lives. The notion that God doesn’t speak to us anymore is a great lie to keep us from knowing Him and feeling Him near, now, when we need Him most.

Chapter Two: 1 Nephi 1-5

1I, Nephi, having been of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days.

2Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians.

3And I know that the record which I make is true; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according to my knowledge.

Opening  and studying the pages of The Book of Mormon for the first time, I found intellectually and spiritually, that this book contained His words to His other children, which He referenced in John–His other sheep who would hear His voice.  Read on, and learn from this introduction to The Book of Mormon and the first few chapters.  Names may sound differently to you at first, as they represent those of ancient American prophets and individuals who lived in America earlier–tellers of their account and the Savior’s visit to them.

Continue your study of the Book of Mormon by reading about Knowing God and Knowing Truth.