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1 Behold my beloved brethren, seeing that I have been permitted to come unto you, therefore I attempt to address you in my language; yea, by my own mouth, seeing that it is the first time that I have spoken unto you by the words of my mouth, I having been wholly confined to the judgment-seat, having had much business that I could not come unto you. | 1 |
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3 And behold, I have come having great hopes and much desire that I should find that ye had humbled yourselves before God, and that ye had continued in the supplicating of his grace, that I should find that ye were blameless before him, that I should find that ye were not in the awful dilemma that our brethren were in at Zarahemla. | 3 |
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5 And I trust, according to the Spirit of God which is in me, that I shall also have joy over you; nevertheless I do not desire that my joy over you should come by the cause of so much afflictions and sorrow which I have had for the brethren at Zarahemla, for behold, my joy cometh over them after wading through much affliction and sorrow. | 5 |
6 But behold, I trust that ye are not in a state of so much unbelief as were your brethren; I trust that ye are not lifted up in the pride of your hearts; yea, I trust that ye have not set your hearts upon riches and the vain things of the world; yea, I trust that you do not worship idols, but that ye do worship the true and the living God, and that ye look forward for the remission of your sins, with an everlasting faith, which is to come. | 6 |
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8 Behold, I do not say that he will come among us at the time of his dwelling in his mortal tabernacle; for behold, the Spirit hath not said unto me that this should be the case. Now as to this thing I do not know; but this much I do know, that the Lord God hath power to do all things which are according to his word. | 8 |
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10 1 Apparently many critics argue the claim that Jesus was to be born at Jerusalem is a flaw because Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a town about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from Jerusalem. The defenders argue that if the Book of Mormon had said Jesus was to be born “in” Jerusalem, it would be a problem, but because it uses “at” instead of “in” there is no problem. I think both sides of this issue are quibbling. The critics over a non-issue, and the defenders of the faith over semantics. Think about it. I was born in Framingham. Most people don’t know where that is. It’s not uncommon for me to say I was born in Boston, the city to which Framingham is a suburb. Besides, this issue hinges on the trustworthiness of an incidental claim of the Bible, a book known to have plenty of factual errors. | |
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12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. | 12 |
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14 Now I say unto you that ye must repent, and be born again; for the Spirit saith if ye are not born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness. | Anachronism 141 This verse contains rare / unique phrases that are found in several KJV New Testament verses, all commonly attributed to John the apostle. Compare this verse with "I say unto you that ye must repent, and be born again"and "if ye are not born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven" to John 3:3 with "I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God". Next compare this verse with "faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world" to John 1:29 "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world". Lastly compare this verse with "and to cleanse from all unrighteousness" to 1 John 1:9 with "and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". 1 Elder Holland explained the significance of the term “Lamb of God.” During general conference, he explained that when John the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God, “He used the figure of a sacrificial lamb offered in atonement for the sins and sorrows of a fallen world and all the fallen people in it” ([this paragraph](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/04/28holland?lang=eng#p3)).
_If_ this could be _any_ lamb, and _if_ the Gideonites lived in the Rocky Mountains or the Sierra Nevadas (where there would have been wild [bighorn sheep](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bighorn%5Fsheep) and [dall sheep](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dall%5Fsheep)), then maybe the Gideonites could understand this title for Jesus because maybe they would have sacrificed the lambs of wild bighorn sheep or dall sheep. But, would such a sacrifice even be acceptable with a wild animal? Elder Holland answered this in general conference last year too. “They were to regularly offer for a sacrifice unto God a pure, unblemished lamb, the first male born **of their flock**” ([this paragraph](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/04/28holland?lang=eng#p5), emphasis added, see also Moses 5:5, Exodus 12:3-10, and Leviticus 1:10).
There were no domesticated sheep in pre-Columbian Americas, so this title for Jesus would have fallen flat for a Nephite audience. |
15 Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism. | 15 |
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17 And now my beloved brethren, do you believe these things? Behold, I say unto you, yea, I know that ye believe them; and the way that I know that ye believe them is by the manifestation of the Spirit which is in me. And now because your faith is strong concerning that, yea, concerning the things which I have spoken, great is my joy. | 17 |
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20 I perceive that it has been made known unto you, by the testimony of his word, that he cannot walk in crooked paths; neither doth he vary from that which he hath said; neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left, or from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one eternal round. | 20 |
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23 And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive. | 23 1 This verse contains phrases that are highly similar to several unique phrases found in the KJV New Testament. Compare this verse with "be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering" to James 3:17 with "peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits". Also compare this verse with "being temperate in all things" to 1 Corinthians 9:25 with "is temperate in all things". |
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25 And may the Lord bless you, and keep your garments spotless, that ye may at last be brought to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the holy prophets who have been ever since the world began, having your garments spotless even as their garments are spotless, in the kingdom of heaven to go no more out. | 25 |
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