(3:2-4) God commands Lehi in a dream to send his sons back to Jerusalem
(800+ km roundtrip) to get Lehi's genealogy that is written on brass plates
"Behold, I dreamed a dream in the which the Lord hath
commanded me that thou and thy brethren shall return to Jerusalem. For behold, Laban hath the record of the Jews and also a
genealogy of my forefathers, and they are engraven upon plates of brass ... Go unto
the house of Laban, and seek the records, and bring them down hither into the wilderness."
(3:10-11a) So the four brothers went back to Jerusalem. Now they just needed to
decide how to get the brass plates back from Laban. Luckily, they had all read the Bible so they knew the proper way of deciding
such things. They cast lots.
"And it came to pass that when we had gone up to the land of Jerusalem ... we cast lots -- who of us
should go in unto the house of Laban."
(3:11b-13) The lot fell upon Laman, so he went in to talk to
Laban about the plates. But Laban refused to give him the plates, accused him of trying to rob him, and threatened to kill him.
"And it came to pass that the lot fell upon Laman; and Laman
went in unto the house of Laban ... And behold, it came to pass that Laban was angry, and thrust him out from his presence;
and he would not that he should have the records. Wherefore, he said unto him: Behold thou art a robber, and I will slay thee.."
(3:14) After that, Laman, Lemuel, and Sam wanted to give up on the plates
and return "to the wilderness."
"But Laman fled out of his presence, and told the things
which Laban had done, unto us. And we began to be exceedingly sorrowful, and my brethren
were about to return unto my father in the wilderness."
(3:15-21) But Nephi talked them out of it
in a long, boring speech.
"But behold I said unto them that: As the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down unto our father in the
wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us.
...
And it came to pass that after this manner of language did I persuade my brethren, that they might be faithful in keeping the
commandments of God."
(3:20)
Spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began -- Acts.3:21
(3:22-31)
(3:22-24) So Nephi and his brothers go get their father's gold, silver,
and precious things (that were left behind on their wilderness trip), brought them to Laban, and offered to trade it all for the plates.
"And it came to pass that we ... did gather together our gold, and our silver, and our precious things ... And it came to pass that
we went in unto Laban, and desired him that he would give unto us the records
which were engraven upon the plates of brass, for which we would give unto him our gold, and our silver, and all our precious things."
(3:25) Laban wanted their gold and whatnot but he also wanted to keep
the plates. (He was into genealogy, too.) So he decided to kill them and take their stuff.
"And it came to pass that when Laban saw our property, and that it was exceedingly great, he did lust after it, insomuch that he
thrust us out, and sent his servants to slay us, that he might obtain our property."
(3:26-27) Nephi and his brothers escaped to the wilderness and hid in "the
cavity of a rock."
"And it came to pass that we did flee and ... were obliged to leave behind our property, and it fell
into the hands of Laban. And it came to pass that we fled into the wilderness, and the servants of Laban did not overtake us,
and we hid ourselves in the cavity of a rock."
(3:28) Laman and Lemuel had had enough. They started to beat Sam and Nephi
with a rod.
"Laman and Lemuel did speak many hard
words unto us, their younger brothers, and they did smite us even with a rod."
(3:29) Then an angel showed up and told them to stop beating Nephi.
"Behold, an angel of the Lord came and stood before them, and he spake unto them,
saying: Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod?"
(3:31) But Laman and Lemuel weren't convinced by the angel.
"And after the angel had departed, Laman and Lemuel again began to murmur, saying: How is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban
into our hands? Behold, he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea, even he can slay fifty; then why not us?"
3:1And it came to pass that I,
Nephi, returned from speaking with the Lord, to the tent of my father.
3:2And it came to pass that he spake
unto me, saying: Behold I have dreamed a dream,
in the which the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brethren shall return to Jerusalem.
3:3For behold, Laban hath the record of the Jews and also a
genealogy of my forefathers, and they are engraven upon plates of brass.
3:4 Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brothers should go unto the house of Laban, and
seek the records, and bring them down hither into the wilderness.
3:5 And now, behold thy brothers murmur, saying it is a hard thing which I have required of them; but
behold I have not required it of them, but it is a commandment of the Lord.
3:6 Therefore go, my son, and thou shalt be favored of the Lord, because thou hast not murmured.
3:7And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the
things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save
he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
3:8And it came to pass that when my father had heard these words he was exceedingly
glad, for he knew that I had been blessed of the Lord.
3:9 And I, Nephi, and my brethren took our journey in the wilderness, with our tents, to go up to the land
of Jerusalem.
3:10And it came to pass that when we had gone up to the land of Jerusalem, I and my
brethren did consult one with another.
3:11And we cast lots -- who of us should go in unto the house of Laban. And it came to pass that the lot fell upon Laman; and Laman went in unto the house of Laban,
and he talked with him as he sat in his house.
3:12 And he desired of Laban the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, which contained the
genealogy of my father.
3:13And behold, it came to pass that Laban was angry, and thrust him out from his
presence; and he would not that he should have the records. Wherefore, he said unto him: Behold thou art a robber, and
I will slay thee.
3:14But Laman fled out of his presence, and told the things which Laban had done, unto us. And we began to
be exceedingly sorrowful, and my brethren were about to return unto my father in the wilderness.
3:15But behold I said unto them that: As the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down unto our
father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us.
3:16 Wherefore, let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; therefore let us go down to the
land of our father's inheritance, for behold he left gold and silver, and all manner of riches. And all this he hath
done because of the commandments of the Lord.
3:17 For he knew that Jerusalem must be destroyed, because of the wickedness of the people.
3:18 For behold, they have rejected the words of the prophets. Wherefore, if my father should dwell in the
land after he hath been commanded to flee out of the land, behold, he would also perish. Wherefore, it must needs be
that he flee out of the land.
3:19 And behold, it is wisdom in God that we should obtain these records, that we may preserve unto our
children the language of our fathers;
3:20 And also that we may preserve unto them the words
which have been spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets, which
have been delivered unto them by the Spirit and power of God, since the
world began, even down unto this present time.
3:21And it came to pass that after this manner of language did I persuade my
brethren, that they might be faithful in keeping the commandments of God.
3:22And it came to pass that we went down to the land of our inheritance, and we
did gather together our gold, and our silver, and our precious things.
3:23 And after we had gathered these things together, we went up
again unto the house of Laban.
3:24And it came to pass that we went in unto Laban, and desired him that he would
give unto us the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, for which we would give unto him our gold, and
our silver, and all our precious things.
3:25And it came to pass that when Laban saw our property, and that it was
exceedingly great, he did lust after it, insomuch that he thrust us out, and sent his servants to slay us, that he might
obtain our property.
3:26And it came to pass that we did flee before the servants of Laban,
and we were obliged to leave behind our property, and it fell into the hands of Laban.
3:27And it came to pass that we fled into the wilderness, and the servants of Laban
did not overtake us, and we hid ourselves in the cavity of a rock.
3:28 And it came to pass that Laman was angry with me, and also with my father; and
also was Lemuel, for he hearkened unto the words of Laman. Wherefore Laman and Lemuel did speak many hard words unto
us, their younger brothers, and they did smite us even with a rod.
3:29And it came to pass as they smote us with a rod, behold,
an angel of the Lord came and stood before them, and he spake unto them, saying: Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod? Know ye
not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities? Behold ye shall go up
to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands.
3:30 And after the angel had spoken unto us, he departed.
3:31And after the angel had departed, Laman and Lemuel again began to murmur, saying: How is it possible
that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands? Behold, he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea, even he
can slay fifty; then why not us?
Absurdities
Plagiarism
Injustice
Intolerance
Prophecy 
Cruelty and Violence
Science and History
Language
Changes in the BoM
Women
Sex
Contradictions
Family Values
Good Stuff
Boring Stuff
Get the SAB