The Book Of Helaman (Chap. 13)

Helaman 13:1
And now it came to pass in the eighty and sixth year, the
Nephites did still remain in wickedness, yea in great wickedness,
while the Lamanites did observe strictly to keep the commandments
of God, according to the law of Moses.

Helaman 13:2
And it came to pass that in this year there was one Samuel, a
Lamanite, came into the land of Zarahemla, and began to preach
unto the people. And it came to pass that he did preach, many
days, repentance unto the people, and they did cast him out, and
he was about to return to his own land.

Helaman 13:3
But behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, that he
should return again, and prophesy unto the people whatsoever
things should come into his heart.

Helaman 13:4
And it came to pass that they would not suffer that he should
enter into the city; therefore he went and got upon the wall
thereof, and stretched forth his hand and cried with a loud
voice, and prophesied unto the people whatsoever things the Lord
put into his heart.

Helaman 13:5
And he said unto them: Behold, I, Samuel, a Lamanite, do speak
the words of the Lord which he doth put into my heart; and behold
he hath put it into my heart to say unto this people that the
sword of justice hangeth over this people; and four hundred years
pass not away save the sword of justice falleth upon this people.

Helaman 13:6
Yea, heavy destruction awaiteth this people, and it surely
cometh unto this people, and nothing can save this people save it
be repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ, who surely
shall come into the world, and shall suffer many things and shall
be slain for his people.

Helaman 13:7
And behold, an angel of the Lord hath declared it unto me, and
he did bring glad tidings to my soul. And behold, I was sent
unto you to declare it unto you also, that ye might have glad
tidings; but behold ye would not receive me.

Helaman 13:8
Therefore, thus saith the Lord: Because of the hardness of the
hearts of the people of the Nephites, except they repent I will
take away my word from them, and I will withdraw my Spirit from
them, and I will suffer them no longer, and I will turn the
hearts of their brethren against them.

Helaman 13:9
And four hundred years shall not pass away before I will cause
that they shall be smitten; yea, I will visit them with the sword
and with famine and with pestilence.

Helaman 13:10
Yea, I will visit them in my fierce anger, and there shall be
those of the fourth generation who shall live, of your enemies,
to behold your utter destruction; and this shall surely come
except ye repent, saith the Lord; and those of the fourth
generation shall visit your destruction.

Helaman 13:11
But if ye will repent and return unto the Lord your God I
will turn away mine anger, saith the Lord; yea, thus saith the
Lord, blessed are they who will repent and turn unto me, but wo
unto him that repenteth not.

Helaman 13:12
Yea, wo unto this great city of Zarahemla; for behold, it is
because of those who are righteous that it is saved; yea, wo unto
this great city, for I perceive, saith the Lord, that there are
many, yea, even the more part of this great city, that will
harden their hearts against me, saith the Lord.

Helaman 13:13
But blessed are they who will repent, for them will I spare.
But behold, if it were not for the righteous who are in this
great city, behold, I would cause that fire should come down out
of heaven and destroy it.

Helaman 13:14
But behold, it is for the righteous' sake that it is spared.
But behold, the time cometh, saith the Lord, that when ye shall
cast out the righteous from among you, then shall ye be ripe for
destruction; yea, wo be unto this great city, because of the
wickedness and abominations which are in her.

Helaman 13:15
Yea, and wo be unto the city of Gideon, for the wickedness
and abominations which are in her.

Helaman 13:16
Yea, and wo be unto all the cities which are in the land
round about, which are possessed by the Nephites, because of the
wickedness and abominations which are in them.

Helaman 13:17
And behold, a curse shall come upon the land, saith the Lord
of Hosts, because of the people's sake who are upon the land,
yea, because of their wickedness and their abominations.

Helaman 13:18
And it shall come to pass, saith the Lord of Hosts, yea, our
great and true God, that whoso shall hide up treasures in the
earth shall find them again no more, because of the great curse
of the land, save he be a righteous man and shall hide it up unto
the Lord.

Helaman 13:19
For I will, saith the Lord, that they shall hide up their
treasures unto me; and cursed be they who hide not up their
treasures unto me; for none hideth up their treasures unto me
save it be the righteous; and he that hideth not up his treasures
unto me, cursed is he, and also the treasure, and none shall
redeem it because of the curse of the land.

Helaman 13:20
And the day shall come that they shall hide up their
treasures, because they have set their hearts upon riches; and
because they have set their hearts upon their riches, and will
hide up their treasures when they shall flee before their
enemies; because they will not hide them up unto me, cursed be
they and also their treasures; and in that day shall they be
smitten, saith the Lord.

Helaman 13:21
Behold ye, the people of this great city, and hearken unto my
words; yea, hearken unto the words which the Lord saith; for
behold, he saith that ye are cursed because of your riches, and
also are your riches cursed because ye have set your hearts upon
them, and have not hearkened unto the words of him who gave them
unto you.

Helaman 13:22
Ye do not remember the Lord your God in the things with which
he hath blessed you, but ye do always remember your riches, not
to thank the Lord your God for them; yea, your hearts are not
drawn out unto the Lord, but they do swell with great pride, unto
boasting, and unto great swelling, envyings, strifes, malice,
persecutions and murders, and all manner of iniquities.

Helaman 13:23
For this cause hath the Lord God caused that a curse should
come upon the land, and also upon your riches, and this because
of your iniquities.

Helaman 13:24
Yea, wo unto this people, because of this time which has
arrived, that ye do cast out the prophets, and do mock them, and
cast stones at them, and do slay them, and do all manner of
iniquity unto them, even as they did of old time.

Helaman 13:25
And now when ye talk, ye say: If our days had been in the
days of our fathers of old, we would not have slain the prophets;
we would not have stoned them, and cast them out.

Helaman 13:26
Behold ye are worse than they; for as the Lord liveth, if a
prophet come among you and declareth unto you the word of the
Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry
with him, and cast him out and seek all manner of ways to destroy
him; yea, you will say that he is a false prophet, and that he is
a sinner, and of the devil, because he testifieth that your deeds
are evil.

Helaman 13:27
But behold, if a man shall come among you and shall say: Do
this, and there is no iniquity; do that and ye shall not suffer;
yea, he will say: Walk after the pride of your own hearts; yea,
walk after the pride of your eyes, and do whatsoever your heart
desireth—and if a man shall come among you and say this, ye will
receive him, and say that he is a prophet.

Helaman 13:28
Yea, ye will lift him up, and ye will give unto him of your
substance; ye will give unto him of your gold, and of your
silver, and ye will clothe him with costly apparel; and because
he speaketh flattering words unto you, and he saith that all is
well, then ye will not find fault with him.

Helaman 13:29
O ye wicked and ye perverse generation; ye hardened and ye
stiffnecked people, how long will ye suppose that the Lord will
suffer you? Yea, how long will ye suffer yourselves to be led by
foolish and blind guides? Yea, how long will ye choose darkness
rather than light?

Helaman 13:30
Yea, behold, the anger of the Lord is already kindled against
you; behold, he hath cursed the land because of your iniquity.

Helaman 13:31
And behold, the time cometh that he curseth your riches, that
they become slippery, that ye cannot hold them; and in the days
of your poverty ye cannot retain them.

Helaman 13:32
And in the days of your poverty ye shall cry unto the Lord;
and in vain shall ye cry, for your desolation is already come
upon you, and your destruction is made sure; and then shall ye
weep and howl in that day, saith the Lord of Hosts. And then
shall ye lament, and say:

Helaman 13:33
O that I had repented, and had not killed the prophets, and
stoned them, and cast them out. Yea, in that day ye shall say: O
that we had remembered the Lord our God in the day that he gave
us our riches, and then they would not have become slippery that
we should lose them; for behold, our riches are gone from us.

Helaman 13:34
Behold, we lay a tool here and on the morrow it is gone; and
behold, our swords are taken from us in the day we have sought
them for battle.

Helaman 13:35
Yea, we have hid up our treasures and they have slipped away
from us, because of the curse of the land.

Helaman 13:36
O that we had repented in the day that the word of the Lord
came unto us; for behold the land is cursed, and all things are
become slippery, and we cannot hold them.

Helaman 13:37
Behold, we are surrounded by demons, yea, we are encircled
about by the angels of him who hath sought to destroy our souls.
Behold, our iniquities are great. O Lord, canst thou not turn
away thine anger from us? And this shall be your language in
those days.

Helaman 13:38
But behold, your days of probation are past; ye have
procrastinated the day of your salvation until it is
everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure; yea,
for ye have sought all the days of your lives for that which ye
could not obtain; and ye have sought for happiness in doing
iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that
righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head.

Helaman 13:39
O ye people of the land, that ye would hear my words! And I
pray that the anger of the Lord be turned away from you, and that
ye would repent and be saved.