Nephi and Lehi were not burned; and they were as standing in the midst of fire and were not burned. Helaman 5:23 5:23
Trivia: Who said the Nephites would be dog food if they don't repent?
15:1-17
1 And now, my beloved brethren, behold, I declare unto you that except ye shall repent your houses shall be left unto you desolate.
2 Yea, except ye repent, your women shall have great cause to mourn in the day that they shall give suck; for ye shall attempt to flee and there shall be no place for refuge; yea, and wo unto them which are with child, for they shall be heavy and cannot flee; therefore, they shall be trodden down and shall be left to perish.
Samuel continues his sermon on the wall, saying:
Unless you repent your houses will be desolate and your women will mourn when they give suck.
God will make things especially bad for pregnant women; they'll be trodden down and left to perish.
3 Yea, wo unto this people who are called the people of Nephi except they shall repent, when they shall see all these signs and wonders which shall be showed unto them; for behold, they have been a chosen people of the Lord; yea, the people of Nephi hath he loved, and also hath he chastened them; yea, in the days of their iniquities hath he chastened them because he loveth them.
God loved the Nephites,
4But behold my brethren, the Lamanites hath he hated because their deeds have been evil continually, and this because of the iniquity of the tradition of their fathers. But behold, salvation hath come unto them through the preaching of the Nephites; and for this intent hath the Lord prolonged their days.
but hated the Lamanites
because of the traditions of their faithers.
5 And I would that ye should behold that the more part of them are in the path of their duty, and they do walk circumspectly before God, and they do observe to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments according to the law of Moses.
6 Yea, I say unto you, that the more part of them are doing this, and they are striving with unwearied diligence that they may bring the remainder of their brethren to the knowledge of the truth; therefore there are many who do add to their numbers daily.
But now "the more part" of the Lamanites keep the commandments [1]
7 And behold, ye do know of yourselves, for ye have witnessed it, that as many of them as are brought to the knowledge of the truth, and to know of the wicked and abominable traditions of their fathers, and are led to believe the holy scriptures, yea, the prophecies of the holy prophets, which are written, which leadeth them to faith on the Lord, and unto repentance, which faith and repentance bringeth a change of heart unto them --
reject the wicked and abominable traditions of their fathers, believe the scriptures and prophecies,
8 Therefore, as many as have come to this, ye know of yourselves are firm and steadfast in the faith, and in the thing wherewith they have been made free.
are steadfast in the faith,
9 And ye know also that they have buried their weapons of war, and they fear to take them up lest by any means they should sin; yea, ye can see that they fear to sin -- for behold they will suffer themselves that they be trodden down and slain by their enemies, and will not lift their swords against them, and this because of their faith in Christ.
10 And now, because of their steadfastness when they do believe in that thing which they do believe, for because of their firmness when they are once enlightened, behold, the Lord shall bless them and prolong their days, notwithstanding their iniquity --
and have buried their weapons.
11 Yea, even if they should dwindle in unbelief the Lord shall prolong their days, until the time shall come which hath been spoken of by our fathers, and also by the prophet Zenos, and many other prophets, concerning the restoration of our brethren, the Lamanites, again to the knowledge of the truth --
So now even if the Lamanites start to dwindle in unbelief, the Lord will prolong their days until they are again restored into the knowledge of the truth.
12 Yea, I say unto you, that in the latter times the promises of the Lord have been extended to our brethren, Lamanites; and notwithstanding the many afflictions which they shall have, and notwithstanding they shall be driven to and fro upon the face of the earth, and be hunted, and shall be smitten and scattered abroad, having no place for refuge, the Lord shall be merciful unto them.
And in the latter times the Lamanites will be hunted and scattered, having no place of refuge. [2]
13 And this is according to the prophecy, that they shall again be brought to the true knowledge, which is knowledge of their Redeemer, and their great and true shepherd, and be numbered among his sheep.
But they'll be brought to the true knowledge of their redeemer.
So if you don't repent, things will be better for the Lamanites than for you.
15 For behold, had the mighty works been shown unto them which have been shown unto you, yea, unto them who have dwindled in unbelief because of the traditions of their fathers, ye can see of yourselves that they never would again have dwindled in unbelief.
16 Therefore, saith the Lord: I will not utterly destroy them, but I will cause that in the day of my wisdom they shall return again unto me, saith the Lord.
Because if the Lamanites had seen all the mighty works that you've seen, they wouldn't have dwindled in unbelief.
17 And now behold, saith the Lord, concerning the people of the Nephites: If they will not repent, and observe to do my will, I will utterly destroy them, saith the Lord, because of their unbelief notwithstanding the many mighty works which I have done among them; and as surely as the Lord liveth shall these things be, saith the Lord.
But if you Nephites don't repent, I'll destroy you for your unbelief.
Notes
Favorite Phrases:
Behold: 15:1, 3, 4(2), 5, 7, 9, 10, 15, 17
Yea: 15:2(2), 3(3), 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 15
Dwindling in unbelief 15:11, 15(2)
(15:1) Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. -- Matthew 23:38
(15:2) Woe unto them that are with child -- Matthew 24:19, Mark 13:17, Luke 21:23
(15:5) See then that ye walk circumspectly -- Ephesians 5:15
