Ether — Chapter 8
1 Shule had a son named Omer, who was the next king. Omer had a son named Jared, who also had sons and daughters.
2 Jared rebelled against Omer and went to live in the land of Heth. He said things that people liked to hear, and got half of the kingdom to follow him.
3 And when he had gotten half the kingdom, he fought against his father and took him prisoner.
4 Omer was a prisoner for half of his life. He had sons and daughters. Two of his sons were called Esrom and Coriantumr.
5 They were very angry at their brother Jared for what he had done to their father, so they got together an army and fought against him during the night.
6 After they killed Jared’s army, they were going to kill him, too, but he begged them not to kill him. He promised he would give the kingdom back to Omer, so they let him live.
7 Jared was very sad about losing the kingdom, because he loved riches and power and the glory of the world.
8 But Jared had a very smart daughter who thought of a way he could get back the kingdom.
9 She was very beautiful. She said to her father: “Why are you so sad? Haven’t you read the record our ancestors brought across the great sea? Doesn’t it talk about secret ways to get kingdoms and great glory?
10 “Send for Akish, Kimnor’s son. I am very beautiful, and I will dance for him, which he will like so much that he will want to marry me. If he asks you to let him marry me, tell him he can marry me if he brings you the head of your father Omer.”
11 Akish was one of Omer’s friends. After Jared sent for Akish, his daughter danced for him. He wanted to marry her, and said to Jared: “I want her to be my wife.”
12 Then Jared said to him: “You can have her if you bring me the head of the king.”
13 So Akish brought all his family into Jared’s house, and said to them: “Will you promise to do what I want you to do?”
14 And they all promised by God and heaven, and by the earth, and by their heads, that whoever would not help Akish would have their head cut off, and whoever talked about whatever Akish told them would die.
15 So they promised this to Akish. He had them use the same promises that Cain and all other wicked people who wanted power used to get their people to help them.
16 The devil gave them power to use these promises among the people, and helped them murder, and steal, and lie, and do all kinds of evil things.
17 Jared’s daughter put it into his head to look for these wicked promises, and Jared told Akish about them. Akish made his family promise by telling them they would be rich and powerful if they would do what he said.
18 So they began a secret combination just as wicked people had done in olden times. These secret combinations are the most wicked things of all in God’s eyes.
19 The Lord does not work in secret combinations, and he has said since the beginning of the world that people must not kill each other.
20 Now I, Moroni, am not going to write down the secret promises, because I have learned that all people on earth know about them, including the Lamanites.
21 These secret combinations caused the people I am writing about to be destroyed, and they destroyed my people, the Nephites.
22 God will destroy whatever nation lets secret combinations get so powerful and rich that they take over that nation. The Lord will pay them back for killing his saints.
23 So, O you Gentiles, if God in his wisdom lets you read these things, repent of your sins and do not let these secret combinations get power over you, or the justice of God will destroy you.
24 The Lord has said that when you see these things happening among you, you will wake up and see how awful things have gotten because of the secret combinations among you. And woe to those who have begun these secret combinations and have killed others because of them!
25 Those who make these secret groups want to destroy the freedom of all peoples and nations on earth. The devil is behind it all. He is the father of all lies, and the one who has helped people murder each other since the world began. He has hardened people’s hearts and helped them murder and stone and throw out the prophets.
26 So I, Moroni, have been commanded to write down these things so this evil will end, and so Satan will not have power over people’s hearts anymore. I write this so people will want to do good all the time, and to come to Christ and be saved.
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