1 Nephi 1:4

For it came to pass in the commencement of the first year

of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah,

(my father, Lehi, having dwelt at Jerusalem in all his days);

and in that same year there came many prophets, prophesying unto the people

that they must repent, or the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed.

1 Nephi 1:5

Wherefore it came to pass that

my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord,

yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people.

1 Nephi 1:6

And it came to pass as he prayed unto the Lord,

there came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him;

and he saw and heard much;

and because of the things which he saw and heard

he did quake and tremble exceedingly.

1 Nephi 1:7

And it came to pass that he returned to his own house at Jerusalem;

and he cast himself upon his bed,

being overcome with the Spirit and the things which he had seen.

1 Nephi 1:8

And being thus overcome with the Spirit,

he was carried away in a vision,

even that he saw the heavens open,

and he thought he saw God sitting upon his throne,

surrounded with numberless concourses of angels

in the attitude of singing and praising their God.

1 Nephi 1:9

And it came to pass that he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven,

and he beheld that his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day.

1 Nephi 1:10

And he also saw twelve others following him,

and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament.

1 Nephi 1:11

And they came down and went forth upon the face of the earth;

and the first came and stood before my father,

and gave unto him a book, and bade him that he should read.

1 Nephi 1:12

And it came to pass that as he read,

he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord.

1 Nephi 1:13

And he read, saying: Wo, wo, unto Jerusalem,

for I have seen thine abominations!

Yea, and many things did my father read concerning Jerusalem —

that it should be destroyed, and the inhabitants thereof;

many should perish by the sword,

and many should be carried away captive into Babylon.

1 Nephi 1:14

And it came to pass that when my father had read

and seen many great and marvelous things,

he did exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as:

Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty!

Thy throne is high in the heavens,

and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth;

and, because thou art merciful,

thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!

1 Nephi 1:15

And after this manner was the language of my father in the praising of his God;

for his soul did rejoice, and his whole heart was filled,

because of the things which he had seen,

yea, which the Lord had shown unto him.

1 Nephi 1:16

And now I, Nephi, do not make a full account of the things

which my father hath written,

for he hath written many things which he saw in visions and in dreams;

and he also hath written many things

which he prophesied and spake unto his children,

of which I shall not make a full account.

1 Nephi 1:17

But I shall make an account of my proceedings in my days.

Behold, I make an abridgment of the record of my father,

upon plates which I have made with mine own hands;

wherefore, after I have abridged the record of my father

then will I make an account of mine own life.