Mosiah — Chapter 12
1 After two years Abinadi came back to them in disguise, so they did not know who he was. Then he began to prophesy to them, saying: “This is what the Lord has told me: ‘Abinadi, go prophesy to my people, because they have hardened their hearts against my words. They have not repented of their evil doings, so I will punish them in my anger. Yes, I am very angry, so I will punish them for their sins and wickedness.’
2 “Yes, woe to this generation. The Lord said to me: ‘Prophesy that this generation will be made into slaves. They will be hit on their cheeks and treated like animals, because of their sins. They will be killed, and wild birds, and dogs, and wild animals will eat their dead bodies.
3 “‘King Noah’s life will be worth as much as a piece of clothing in a hot furnace. Then he will learn that I am the Lord.
4 “‘I will punish my people with terrible troubles and with famine and disease. They will weep and howl all day long.
5 “‘I will make them carry heavy things tied on their backs, and they will be treated like donkeys.
6 “‘I will send hail on them, and it will hurt them. The east wind will come and hurt them. Insects will come and hurt their land and eat their grain.
7 “‘They will be punished with terrible sickness–and I will do all this because of their sins and wickedness.
8 “‘If they do not repent, I will completely destroy them. But they will leave a record behind them which I will save for other people who come to this land. I will do this so those other people will know about this people’s wickedness.’” And Abinadi prophesied many other things against the people.
9 Then the people were angry with him, and tied him up and took him to the king, and said to the king: “We have brought this man to you who has prophesied evil things about your people, saying God will destroy them.
10 “He has also prophesied evil things about your life, saying that it will be worth as much as a piece of clothing in a furnace of fire.
11 “He also says you will be like a piece of dry grass in the field that animals step all over.
12 “He also says you will be like the seeds of a weed which are scattered all over the land when the winds blow. He pretends that the Lord has said it. He says that all these things will happen to you unless you repent of your sins.
13 “Now, O king, what great evil have you done, or what great sins have your people done, that God would punish us or that this man would judge us?
14 “O king, we are not guilty, and you, O king, have not sinned, so this man has lied about you, and his prophecies are not true.
15 “We are strong, and our enemies will not make us slaves. Yes, you have prospered in the land and you will keep on prospering.
16 “This is the man. We give him to you, and you can do what you want with him.”
17 Then King Noah threw Abinadi into prison, and had his priests come together so he could plan what to do with him.
18 Then they said to the king: “Bring him here so we can ask him some questions.” So the king commanded that Abinadi be brought to them.
19 They began to ask him questions, hoping to trick him so they would be able to punish him. But he surprised them by answering all their questions without fear.
20 Then one of them said to him: “What do these words mean which have been written, and which our ancestors have taught, saying:
21 “‘How beautiful are the feet of him who brings good news, who preaches peace; who speaks of wonderful things, and brings salvation; who says to Zion: Your God rules!
22 “‘Your guards will shout and sing together, because they will see and understand together when the Lord brings Zion again.
23 “‘Shout with joy! Sing together, you desert places of Jerusalem, because the Lord has made his people happy again, and he has saved Jerusalem.
24 “‘The Lord has shown his strength to all the nations of the earth. All the earth will see our God’s salvation’?”
25 Then Abinadi said to them: “Are you priests, and pretend to teach this people, and pretend to understand the spirit of prophecy, but you want me to tell you what these things mean?
26 “I tell you, Woe to you for changing the Lord’s ways! Because if you understand these things, you have not taught them, so you have changed the Lord’s laws.
27 “You have not tried to understand with your hearts, so you have not been wise. Just what do you teach this people?”
28 And they said: “We teach the Law of Moses.”
29 Then he said to them: “If you teach the Law of Moses, why don’t you keep it? Why do you want riches more than any other thing? Why do you commit sexual sins? Why do you have sex with women who are not your wives, and make this people sin so much that the Lord has sent me to prophesy very bad things against them?
30 “Don’t you know I am telling the truth? Yes, you know I am telling the truth, and you should shake in fear before God.
31 “You will be punished for your sins, because you said you teach the Law of Moses. What do you know about the Law of Moses? Can people be saved by the Law of Moses? What do you say?”
32 They said that the Law of Moses could save people.
33 Then Abinadi said to them: “I know if you keep God’s commandments, you will be saved. Yes, you will be saved if you keep the commandments which God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying:
34 “‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and out of slavery.
35 “‘Do not have any other God except me.
36 “‘Do not make any idols or statues of things in heaven or in earth to worship.’”
37 Then Abinadi said to them: “Have you done all this? I tell you, No, you have not. Have you taught the people to do all these things? I tell you, No, you have not.”
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