Jacob — Chapter 2
1 This is what Nephi’s brother Jacob said to the people after Nephi died.
2 Dear brothers and sisters, it is my job to do my best to do the work God has called me to do. This is why I, Jacob, have come to talk to you in the temple today–so I will not have to pay for your sins, and so you will know what God wants you to know.
3 You know I have always worked very hard to teach you, but today I am more sad and worried about your souls than I have ever been before.
4 Up until now you have done what the Lord has told you, as I have taught you.
5 But listen to me now, my brothers: With God’s help, I can tell what you are thinking, and I know you are beginning to think about committing a great and terrible sin — a sin which is very wicked to me and to God.
6 Yes, it makes me very sad and ashamed before God to have to tell you about the wickedness in your hearts.
7 It makes me sad that I must talk so plainly about your sins in front of your wives and children, many of whom have very righteous and loving feelings which make God happy.
8 I think they came here to hear some of God’s kind truths which would help heal their wounded souls.
9 So it makes me sad that God has commanded me to talk about your sins, which will make their wounded hearts hurt even more, instead of making them feel better. And those whose hearts are not wounded now will have to hear and think about very sad things.
10 But even though it is hard to do, I must do what God tells me to, and talk about your sins and wickedness in front of people with clean hearts and people with wounded hearts, and in front of God.
11 I must tell you the truth plainly, as God has commanded. I asked the Lord, and he said to me: “Jacob, go to the temple tomorrow and tell the people what I will tell you to say to them.
12 Brothers, this is what I have been told to tell you: Many of you have begun to look for gold and silver and other metals the promised land has so much of.
13 God has blessed you all very much, so you have gotten rich. But because some of you are richer than others, you are getting proud, and are wearing fancy clothes, and you are making your brothers and sisters feel bad because you think you are better than they are.
14 Now brothers, do you think God is happy with you for doing this? I tell you, No, he is not. He will punish you quickly if you keep on doing these things.
15 O, I wish he would show you his power–how he could destroy you with just a look!
16 O, I wish he would take away this sin and wickedness from you! O, I wish you would listen to his commandments, and not let your pride destroy your souls!
17 You should think your brothers and sisters are just as good as you are, and you should be friends with everyone, and share your riches so everyone will be rich just like you.
18 But before you look for riches, help build God’s kingdom.
19 After you believe and obey Christ, you can look for riches, if you want them. But you must look for them so you can do good–give clothes to the naked, give food to the hungry, buy freedom for slaves, help the sick, and help those in trouble.
20 Brothers, I have talked to you about being proud. You who have made your neighbors feel bad because you were so proud of all the things God has blessed you with, what can you say about it?
21 Don’t you know this makes him angry? One person is just as important to him as any other. He made us all to keep his commandments and give glory to him forever.
22 Now I will stop talking to you about pride. If I did not have to talk to you about an even bigger sin, my heart would be happy because of you.
23 But your bigger sins make me very sad. This is what the Lord says: “These people are beginning to become wicked. They do not understand the scriptures, and they are trying to say it is all right to commit sexual sins because of what was written about David, and Solomon, David’s son.
24 The Lord says: “David and Solomon both had many wives and other women, which was a terrible sin to me.”
25 The Lord says: “I used my power to lead this people out of Jerusalem so they would be a righteous part of Joseph’s family and have righteous children.
26 “So I, the Lord God, will not let them do what the people in olden times have done.”
27 So, my brothers, listen to me and hear what the Lord says: “No man will have more than one wife, and no man will keep any other women at all,
28 “Because I, the Lord God, am happy when women are pure.” The Lord says: “Sexual sin is great wickedness to me.”
29 The Lord says: “This people will keep my commandments, or the land will be cursed for their own good.”
30 The Lord says: “If I want my people to have many children, then I will tell the men to marry more than one wife. But until I say so, they must not.
31 “I, the Lord, have seen the sadness and heard the crying of the women in Jerusalem and in all the lands where my people are, because of their husbands’ wickedness.”
32 The Lord says: “I will not let the women of this people, whom I have led out of Jerusalem, be so sad and cry because of the men.”
33 The Lord says: “I will curse the men, and they will be destroyed if they make these women slaves because of their feelings. They will not commit sexual sins as people did in olden times.”
34 Brothers, you know these commandments were given to our father Lehi, so you already know about them, and you will be punished for doing things you know you should not do.
35 You have sinned even more than our brothers, the Lamanites. You have broken your wives’ hearts, and made your children not trust you, and God has heard them crying because of your bad examples. Many hearts have been broken to death, because you have not kept one of God’s most important commandments.
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