Helaman — Chapter 3
1 There were no quarrels among the Nephites during the forty-third year of the judges. A few people left the church because of pride, but these things were made right by the end of the forty-third year.
2 There were no quarrels during the forty-fourth year, and only a few quarrels during the forty-fifth year.
3 But there were many quarrels during the forty-sixth year, and a great number of people left Zarahemla to live in the north lands.
4 They traveled a long way until they came to a place with many large lakes and rivers.
5 They scattered and lived in whatever parts of the land still had trees. (Some parts had no trees because of the many people who had lived in the land before).
6 All the land had life, even though there were places with no trees. They called the place Desolation because of the great destruction of the people who had lived in the land before.
7 Since there were only a few trees in the land, the people who went there became very good at building with cement. So they built houses of cement to live in.
8 There began to be more and more people. They lived in the land from the south to the north, from the north sea to the south sea, and from the east sea to the west sea.
9 The people in the north land lived in tents and in cement houses. They left alone any trees that grew, so that later there would be trees for them to build their houses and cities and temples and churches with.
10 Since there was almost no wood in the north land, they brought lots of wood there in ships.
11 This was how the people in the north lands were able to build many cities out of both wood and cement.
12 Many of Ammon’s people (who had been born Lamanites) went to this land.
13 These people kept many records about all the many things they did.
14 But this book can talk about only a very small part of what this people did — about the Lamanites and Nephites, their wars and quarrels and rebellions, their teachings and prophecies, their ships and their building of ships and temples and churches; their righteousness and wickedness, their robbing and destroying, and their many sexual sins and other kinds of sins.
15 But there are many books and records of every kind, and it is mostly the Nephites who have kept them.
16 The Nephites handed them down from generation to generation, until they sinned and fell, and were murdered and robbed and hunted and chased and scattered all over the land, and so mixed in with the Lamanites that they were not called Nephites anymore. They were wild and terrible and wicked, just like Lamanites.
17 Now I will go back to my record. What I had talked about happened after many big fights and troubles and wars and rebellions among the Nephites.
18 The forty-sixth year of the judges ended.
19 There was still lots of fighting in the land, even during the forty-seventh and forty-eighth years.
20 Even so, Helaman judged with justice and fairness. He kept God’s laws and judgments and commandments, and he did what was right before God all the time. He was just like his father, so he prospered in the land.
21 He had two sons. He named the oldest Nephi, and the youngest, Lehi; and they grew up in righteousness.
22 Some of the Nephites’ wars and fights began to stop during the last part of the forty-eighth year of the judges.
23 There was peace in the land all during the forty-ninth year of the judges, except for what the Gadianton robbers did. They lived in the parts of the land with the most people. The rulers did not know about these robbers, or they would have destroyed them from out of the land.
24 During that same year the church prospered very much. Thousands joined the church and repented and were baptized.
25 The church prospered so much, and the people were blessed so much that even the high priests and teachers were completely amazed.
26 The Lord’s work prospered so much that tens of thousands of people were baptized into God’s church.
27 So we see that the Lord has mercy on all who will pray to him with sincere hearts.
28 Yes, we see that the gate of heaven is open to all who believe in the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
29 Yes, we see that whoever studies God’s word (which is quick and powerful in destroying the tricks and traps of the devil), and whoever follows Christ will be led on a narrow path across that pit of misery into which the wicked will fall.
30 The souls who follow Christ will be led to God’s right hand in heaven, and they will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all our holy ancestors, and they will never have to leave.
31 All during this year the people in the land of Zarahemla and in all the lands belonging to the Nephites were very happy.
32 There was peace and happiness for the rest of the forty-ninth year, and all during the fiftieth year of the judges.
33 There was peace in the fifty-first year of the judges, too, except for the pride that began to get into the church (not into God’s church, but into the people who said they belonged to God’s church).
34 They became so proud that they began to persecute their brothers and sisters. This was a great evil, and the humble people suffered and had many troubles because of it.
35 Even so, they fasted and prayed often, and became more and more humble and stronger and stronger in their faith in Christ, so their souls were comforted and filled with joy, and their hearts were pure and holy because they gave them to God.
36 The fifty-second year ended in peace, too, except for the great pride that had gotten into the people’s hearts. They were proud because of their riches and their land, and they got prouder and prouder every day.
37 Helaman died during the fifty-third year of the judges, and his oldest son Nephi became chief judge. He judged with justice and fairness. He kept God’s commandments and was just like his father.
easyreadbkmormon.com 