The Book Of Alma (Chap. 37)

Alma 37:1
And now, my son Helaman, I command you that ye take the
records which have been entrusted with me;

Alma 37:2
And I also command you that ye keep a record of this people,
according as I have done, upon the plates of Nephi, and keep all
these things sacred which I have kept, even as I have kept them;
for it is for a wise purpose that they are kept.

Alma 37:3
And these plates of brass, which contain these engravings,
which have the records of the holy scriptures upon them, which
have the genealogy of our forefathers, even from the beginning—

Alma 37:4
Behold, it has been prophesied by our fathers, that they
should be kept and handed down from one generation to another,
and be kept and preserved by the hand of the Lord until they
should go forth unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people,
that they shall know of the mysteries contained thereon.

Alma 37:5
And now behold, if they are kept they must retain their
brightness; yea, and they will retain their brightness; yea, and
also shall all the plates which do contain that which is holy
writ.

Alma 37:6
Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold
I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things
brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound
the wise.

Alma 37:7
And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great
and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth
confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.

Alma 37:8
And now, it has hitherto been wisdom in God that these things
should be preserved; for behold, they have enlarged the memory of
this people, yea, and convinced many of the error of their ways,
and brought them to the knowledge of their God unto the salvation
of their souls.

Alma 37:9
Yea, I say unto you, were it not for these things that these
records do contain, which are on these plates, Ammon and his
brethren could not have convinced so many thousands of the
Lamanites of the incorrect tradition of their fathers; yea, these
records and their words brought them unto repentance; that is,
they brought them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and to
rejoice in Jesus Christ their Redeemer.

Alma 37:10
And who knoweth but what they will be the means of bringing
many thousands of them, yea, and also many thousands of our
stiffnecked brethren, the Nephites, who are now hardening their
hearts in sin and iniquities, to the knowledge of their Redeemer?

Alma 37:11
Now these mysteries are not yet fully made known unto me;
therefore I shall forbear.

Alma 37:12
And it may suffice if I only say they are preserved for a
wise purpose, which purpose is known unto God; for he doth
counsel in wisdom over all his works, and his paths are straight,
and his course is one eternal round.

Alma 37:13
O remember, remember, my son Helaman, how strict are the
commandments of God. And he said: If ye will keep my
commandments ye shall prosper in the land—but if ye keep not his
commandments ye shall be cut off from his presence.

Alma 37:14
And now remember, my son, that God has entrusted you with
these things, which are sacred, which he has kept sacred, and
also which he will keep and preserve for a wise purpose in him,
that he may show forth his power unto future generations.

Alma 37:15
And now behold, I tell you by the spirit of prophecy, that if
ye transgress the commandments of God, behold, these things which
are sacred shall be taken away from you by the power of God, and
ye shall be delivered up unto Satan, that he may sift you as
chaff before the wind.

Alma 37:16
But if ye keep the commandments of God, and do with these
things which are sacred according to that which the Lord doth
command you, (for you must appeal unto the Lord for all things
whatsoever ye must do with them) behold, no power of earth or
hell can take them from you, for God is powerful to the
fulfilling of all his words.

Alma 37:17
For he will fulfil all his promises which he shall make unto
you, for he has fulfilled his promises which he has made unto our
fathers.

Alma 37:18
For he promised unto them that he would preserve these things
for a wise purpose in him, that he might show forth his power
unto future generations.

Alma 37:19
And now behold, one purpose hath he fulfilled, even to the
restoration of many thousands of the Lamanites to the knowledge
of the truth; and he hath shown forth his power in them, and he
will also still show forth his power in them unto future
generations; therefore they shall be preserved.

Alma 37:20
Therefore I command you, my son Helaman, that ye be diligent
in fulfilling all my words, and that ye be diligent in keeping
the commandments of God as they are written.

Alma 37:21
And now, I will speak unto you concerning those twenty-four
plates, that ye keep them, that the mysteries and the works of
darkness, and their secret works, or the secret works of those
people who have been destroyed, may be made manifest unto this
people; yea, all their murders, and robbings, and their
plunderings, and all their wickedness and abominations, may be
made manifest unto this people; yea, and that ye preserve these
interpreters.

Alma 37:22
For behold, the Lord saw that his people began to work in
darkness, yea, work secret murders and abominations; therefore
the Lord said, if they did not repent they should be destroyed
from off the face of the earth.

Alma 37:23
And the Lord said: I will prepare unto my servant Gazelem, a
stone, which shall shine forth in darkness unto light, that I may
discover unto my people who serve me, that I may discover unto
them the works of their brethren, yea, their secret works, their
works of darkness, and their wickedness and abominations.

Alma 37:24
And now, my son, these interpreters were prepared that the
word of God might be fulfilled, which he spake, saying:

Alma 37:25
I will bring forth out of darkness unto light all their
secret works and their abominations; and except they repent I
will destroy them from off the face of the earth; and I will
bring to light all their secrets and abominations, unto every
nation that shall hereafter possess the land.

Alma 37:26
And now, my son, we see that they did not repent; therefore
they have been destroyed, and thus far the word of God has been
fulfilled; yea, their secret abominations have been brought out
of darkness and made known unto us.

Alma 37:27
And now, my son, I command you that ye retain all their
oaths, and their covenants, and their agreements in their secret
abominations; yea, and all their signs and their wonders ye shall
keep from this people, that they know them not, lest peradventure
they should fall into darkness also and be destroyed.

Alma 37:28
For behold, there is a curse upon all this land, that
destruction shall come upon all those workers of darkness,
according to the power of God, when they are fully ripe;
therefore I desire that this people might not be destroyed.

Alma 37:29
Therefore ye shall keep these secret plans of their oaths and
their covenants from this people, and only their wickedness and
their murders and their abominations shall ye make known unto
them; and ye shall teach them to abhor such wickedness and
abominations and murders; and ye shall also teach them that these
people were destroyed on account of their wickedness and
abominations and their murders.

Alma 37:30
For behold, they murdered all the prophets of the Lord who
came among them to declare unto them concerning their iniquities;
and the blood of those whom they murdered did cry unto the Lord
their God for vengeance upon those who were their murderers; and
thus the judgments of God did come upon these workers of darkness
and secret combinations.

Alma 37:31
Yea, and cursed be the land forever and ever unto those
workers of darkness and secret combinations, even unto
destruction, except they repent before they are fully ripe.

Alma 37:32
And now, my son, remember the words which I have spoken unto
you; trust not those secret plans unto this people, but teach
them an everlasting hatred against sin and iniquity.

Alma 37:33
Preach unto them repentance, and faith on the Lord Jesus
Christ; teach them to humble themselves and to be meek and lowly
in heart; teach them to withstand every temptation of the devil,
with their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Alma 37:34
Teach them to never be weary of good works, but to be meek
and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to their souls.

Alma 37:35
O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea,
learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God.

Alma 37:36
Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy
doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be
in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord;
yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord
forever.

Alma 37:37
Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct
thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto
the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou
risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God;
and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

Alma 37:38
And now, my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the thing
which our fathers call a ball, or director—or our fathers called
it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass; and the Lord
prepared it.

Alma 37:39
And behold, there cannot any man work after the manner of so
curious a workmanship. And behold, it was prepared to show unto
our fathers the course which they should travel in the
wilderness.

Alma 37:40
And it did work for them according to their faith in God;
therefore, if they had faith to believe that God could cause that
those spindles should point the way they should go, behold, it
was done; therefore they had this miracle, and also many other
miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day.

Alma 37:41
Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small
means it did show unto them marvelous works. They were slothful,
and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those
marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their
journey;

Alma 37:42
Therefore, they tarried in the wilderness, or did not travel
a direct course, and were afflicted with hunger and thirst,
because of their transgressions.

Alma 37:43
And now, my son, I would that ye should understand that these
things are not without a shadow; for as our fathers were slothful
to give heed to this compass (now these things were temporal)
they did not prosper; even so it is with things which are
spiritual.

Alma 37:44
For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ,
which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it
was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would
point unto them a straight course to the promised land.

Alma 37:45
And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just
as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following
its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if
we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into
a far better land of promise.

Alma 37:46
O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness
of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it
prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even
so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we
may live forever.

Alma 37:47
And now, my son, see that ye take care of these sacred
things, yea, see that ye look to God and live. Go unto this
people and declare the word, and be sober. My son, farewell.