CHAPTER 8
Nephi's writings are true, unless he made a mistake--The people look for Samuel's prophecy--Terrible storms break
out--Many cities burn, sink into the sea, or are buried under mountains--The inhabitants are killed--Rocks break
and the entire earth is deformed--There is no light anywhere on earth for three days--The people mourn those
that God killed. (32-34 CE)
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When Jesus died, God went on a rampage
1 And now it came to pass that according to our record, and
we know our record to be true, for behold, it was a just man who did keep the record -- for he truly did many miracles in
the name of Jesus; and there was not any man who could do a miracle in the name of Jesus save he were cleansed
every whit from his iniquity --
We know that Nephi's record is true, because Nephi was a just man [1] who did many miracles.
2 And now it came to pass,
if there was no mistake made by this man in the
reckoning of our time, the thirty and third year had passed away;
So unless Nephi made a mistake [2], it was the year 33 CE.
3 And the people began to look with great earnestness for
the sign which had been given by the
prophet Samuel, the Lamanite, yea, for the time that there should be darkness for the space of three days over
the face of the land.
So the people began to look for Samuel's sign -- three
days of complete darkness -- which Samuel said would happen in 33 CE. [3]
4 And there began to be great doubtings and disputations among the people, notwithstanding so many
signs had been given.
But some of the people began to doubt that it would happen.
5 It came to pass in the thirty and fourth year,
in the first month, on the fourth day of the month, there arose a great storm, such an one as never had been known
in all the land.
Then, on a certain day (the fourth day of the first month) in the next year (34 CE), a great storm came up,
6 And there was also a great and terrible tempest; and
there was terrible thunder, insomuch that
it did shake the whole earth as if it was about to divide asunder.
7 And there were exceedingly sharp lightnings, such as never had been known
in all the land.
with terrible thunder and lightning,
that shook the earth so much it seemed like it would fall apart.
8 And the city of Zarahemla did take fire.
The city of Zarahemla began to burn.
9 And the city of Moroni did sink into the depths of the sea, and the
inhabitants thereof were drowned.
The city of Moroni sank to the bottom of the sea.
10 And the earth was carried up upon the city of Moronihah that in the place of the city there
became a great mountain.
A mountain fell on and buried the city of Moronihah.
11 And there was a great and terrible destruction in the land southward.
There was great destruction in land to the south.
12 But behold, there was a more great and terrible destruction in the land northward; for
behold, the whole face of the land was changed, because of the tempest and the whirlwinds and the thunderings
and the lightnings, and the exceedingly great quaking of the whole earth;
And even more destruction in the land to the north.
The face of the entire earth was changed.
13 And the highways were broken up, and the level roads were spoiled, and many smooth places
became rough.
14 And many great and notable cities were sunk, and many were burned,
and many were shaken till the buildings thereof had fallen to the earth, and the inhabitants thereof were slain, and the places
were left desolate.
Highways were broken up and smooth places became rough.
Many great cities sunk into the ocean, others were burned or destroyed by earthquakes.
All of the inhabitants of these cities died.
15 And there were some cities which remained; but the damage thereof
was exceedingly great, and there were many of them who were slain.
16 And there were some who were
carried away in the whirlwind; and whither they went no man knoweth, save they know that they were carried away.
The cities that weren't completely destroyed were badly damaged, and many of inhabitants died.
Some people were carried away in whirlwinds.
17 And thus the face of the whole earth became deformed, because of the tempests, and the thunderings, and the
lightnings, and the quaking of the earth.
18 And behold, the rocks were rent in twain; they were broken
up upon the face of the whole earth, insomuch that they were found in broken fragments, and in seams and in cracks, upon
all the face of the land.
The entire earth was deformed.
There were, of course, the usual tempests, thunderings, and lightnings.
But rocks were also broken across the face of the earth.
19 It came to pass that when the thunderings, and the lightnings, and
the storm, and the tempest, and the quakings of the earth did cease -- for behold, they did last for about
the space of three hours; and it was said by some that the time was greater; nevertheless, all these great and
terrible things were done in about the space of three hours -- and then behold, there was darkness upon the face
of the land.
All of this geological destruction occurred in about the space of three hours.
20 It came to pass that there was thick darkness upon all the face of
the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness;
21 And there could be no light, because of the darkness, neither candles, neither torches;
neither could there be fire kindled with their fine and exceedingly dry wood, so that
there could not be any light at all;
22 And there was not any light seen, neither fire, nor glimmer, neither the sun, nor the moon,
nor the stars, for so great were the mists of darkness which were upon the face of the land.
23 It came to pass that it did last for the space of three days that there
was no light seen; and there was great mourning and howling and weeping among all the people continually; yea,
great were the groanings of the people, because of the darkness and the great destruction which had come upon
them.
For three days there was absolutely no light -- not from the sun, moon, or stars, or from
candles, or campfires. [4]
24 And in one place they were heard to cry, saying: O that we had repented before this great
and terrible day, and then would our brethren have been spared, and
they would not have been burned in that
great city Zarahemla.
After the whole thing was over, people cried out saying,
Darn, we should have repented.
25 And in another place they were heard to cry and mourn, saying: O that we had repented
before this great and terrible day, and had not killed and stoned the prophets, and cast them out; then
would our mothers and our fair daughters, and our children have been spared, and not have been buried up
in that great city Moronihah. And thus were the howlings of the people great and terrible.
Then God wouldn't have had to smash, bury, drown, and burn to death so many of us.