Unit 78

of

98 occurrences in 46 verses

Helaman 11:1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35,

Helaman 12:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 16, 18, 20, 21, 23, 25, 26

Helaman 11:1

And now it came to pass

in the seventy and second year of the reign of the judges

that the contentions did increase,

insomuch that there were wars throughout all the land

among all the people of Nephi.

Helaman 11:2

And it was this secret band of robbers

who did carry on this work of destruction and wickedness.

And this war did last all that year;

and in the seventy and third year it did also last.

Helaman 11:4

O Lord, do not suffer that this people shall be destroyed by the sword;

but O Lord, rather let there be a famine in the land,

to stir them up in remembrance of the Lord their God,

and perhaps they will repent and turn unto thee.

Helaman 11:5

And so it was done, according to the words of Nephi.

And there was a great famine upon the land, among all the people of Nephi.

And thus in the seventy and fourth year the famine did continue,

and the work of destruction did cease by the sword

but became sore by famine.

Helaman 11:6

And this work of destruction did also continue in the seventy and fifth year.

For the earth was smitten

that it was dry, and did not yield forth grain in the season of grain;

and the whole earth was smitten,

even among the Lamanites as well as among the Nephites,

so that they were smitten

that they did perish by thousands in the more wicked parts of the land.

Helaman 11:7

And it came to pass that the people saw

that they were about to perish by famine,

and they began to remember the Lord their God;

and they began to remember the words of Nephi.

Helaman 11:8

And the people began to plead with their chief judges and their leaders,

that they would say unto Nephi:

Behold, we know that thou art a man of God,

and therefore cry unto the Lord our God

that he turn away from us this famine,

lest all the words which thou hast spoken concerning our destruction be fulfilled.

Helaman 11:10

O Lord, behold this people repenteth;

and they have swept away the band of Gadianton from amongst them

insomuch that they have become extinct,

and they have concealed their secret plans in the earth.

Helaman 11:11

Now, O Lord, because of this their humility

wilt thou turn away thine anger,

and let thine anger be appeased in the destruction of those wicked men

whom thou hast already destroyed.

Helaman 11:13

O Lord, wilt thou hearken unto me,

and cause that it may be done according to my words,

and send forth rain upon the face of the earth,

that she may bring forth her fruit, and her grain in the season of grain.

Helaman 11:14

O Lord, thou didst hearken unto my words when I said,

Let there be a famine, that the pestilence of the sword might cease;

and I know that thou wilt, even at this time, hearken unto my words,

for thou saidst that: If this people repent I will spare them.

Helaman 11:15

Yea, O Lord, and thou seest that they have repented,

because of the famine and the pestilence and destruction

which has come unto them.

Helaman 11:17

And it came to pass that in the seventy and sixth year

the Lord did turn away his anger from the people,

and caused that rain should fall upon the earth,

insomuch that it did bring forth her fruit in the season of her fruit.

And it came to pass that it did bring forth her grain in the season of her grain.

Helaman 11:18

And behold, the people did rejoice and glorify God,

and the whole face of the land was filled with rejoicing;

and they did no more seek to destroy Nephi,

but they did esteem him as a great prophet, and a man of God,

having great power and authority given unto him from God.

Helaman 11:20

And thus it did come to pass that

the people of Nephi began to prosper again in the land,

and began to build up their waste places,

and began to multiply and spread,

even until they did cover the whole face of the land,

both on the northward and on the southward,

from the sea west to the sea east.

Helaman 11:21

And it came to pass that the seventy and sixth year did end in peace.

And the seventy and seventh year began in peace;

and the church did spread throughout the face of all the land;

and the more part of the people,

both the Nephites and the Lamanites,

did belong to the church; and they did have exceedingly great peace in the land;

and thus ended the seventy and seventh year.

Helaman 11:22

And also they had peace in the seventy and eighth year,

save it were a few contentions concerning the points of doctrine

which had been laid down by the prophets.

Helaman 11:23

And in the seventy and ninth year there began to be much strife.

But it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi, and many of their brethren

who knew concerning the true points of doctrine,

having many revelations daily,

therefore they did preach unto the people,

insomuch that they did put an end to their strife in that same year.

Helaman 11:24

And it came to pass that in the eightieth year

of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi,

there were a certain number of the dissenters from the people of Nephi,

who had some years before gone over unto the Lamanites,

and taken upon themselves the name of Lamanites,

and also a certain number who were real descendants of the Lamanites,

being stirred up to anger by them, or by those dissenters,

therefore they commenced a war with their brethren.

Helaman 11:26

And thus in time, yea, even in the space of not many years,

they became an exceedingly great band of robbers;

and they did search out all the secret plans of Gadianton;

and thus they became robbers of Gadianton.

Helaman 11:27

Now behold, these robbers did make great havoc,

yea, even great destruction among the people of Nephi,

and also among the people of the Lamanites.

Helaman 11:28

And it came to pass that it was expedient

that there should be a stop put to this work of destruction;

therefore they sent an army of strong men

into the wilderness and upon the mountains

to search out this band of robbers, and to destroy them.

Helaman 11:29

But behold, it came to pass that in that same year

they were driven back even into their own lands.

And thus ended the eightieth year

of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.

Helaman 11:30

And it came to pass in the commencement of the eighty and first year

they did go forth again against this band of robbers, and did destroy many;

and they were also visited with much destruction.

Helaman 11:31

And they were again obliged to return

out of the wilderness and out of the mountains unto their own lands,

because of the exceeding greatness of the numbers of those robbers

who infested the mountains and the wilderness.

Helaman 11:32

And it came to pass that thus ended this year.

And the robbers did still increase and wax strong,

insomuch that they did defy the whole armies of the Nephites,

and also of the Lamanites;

and they did cause great fear to come unto the people

upon all the face of the land.

Helaman 11:33

Yea, for they did visit many parts of the land,

and did do great destruction unto them;

yea, did kill many, and did carry away others captive into the wilderness,

yea, and more especially their women and their children.

Helaman 11:34

Now this great evil, which came unto the people because of their iniquity,

did stir them up again in remembrance of the Lord their God.

Helaman 11:35

And thus ended the eighty and first year of the reign of the judges.

Helaman 12:1

And thus we can behold how false,

and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men;

yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness

doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him.

Helaman 12:2

Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people,

yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds,

and in gold, and in silver,

and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art;

sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies;

softening the hearts of their enemies

that they should not declare wars against them;

yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people;

yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts,

and do forget the Lord their God,

and do trample under their feet the Holy One —

yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.

Helaman 12:3

And thus we see that

except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions,

yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror,

and with famine and with all manner of pestilence,

they will not remember him.

Helaman 12:4

O how foolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish,

and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good,

are the children of men;

yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one,

and to set their hearts upon the vain things of the world!

Helaman 12:5

Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride;

yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity;

and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God,

and to give ear unto his counsels,

yea, how slow to walk in wisdom's paths!

Helaman 12:7

O how great is the nothingness of the children of men;

yea, even they are less than the dust of the earth.

Helaman 12:8

For behold, the dust of the earth moveth hither and thither,

to the dividing asunder, at the command of our great and everlasting God.

Helaman 12:10

And by the power of his voice they are broken up, and become smooth,

yea, even like unto a valley.

Helaman 12:11

Yea, by the power of his voice doth the whole earth shake;

Helaman 12:12

Yea, by the power of his voice, do the foundations rock,

even to the very center.

Helaman 12:16

And behold, also, if he say unto the waters of the great deep

— Be thou dried up —

it is done.

Helaman 12:18

And behold, if a man hide up a treasure in the earth, and the Lord shall say

— Let it be accursed, because of the iniquity of him who hath hid it up —

behold, it shall be accursed.

Helaman 12:20

And behold, if the Lord shall say unto a man

— Because of thine iniquities, thou shalt be accursed forever —

it shall be done.

Helaman 12:21

And if the Lord shall say

— Because of thine iniquities thou shalt be cut off from my presence —

he will cause that it shall be so.

Helaman 12:23

Therefore, blessed are they who will repent

and hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God;

for these are they that shall be saved.

Helaman 12:25

And I would that all men might be saved.

But we read that in the great and last day

there are some who shall be cast out,

yea, who shall be cast off from the presence of the Lord;

Helaman 12:26

Yea, who shall be consigned to a state of endless misery,

fulfilling the words which say:

They that have done good shall have everlasting life;

and they that have done evil shall have everlasting damnation.

And thus it is.

Amen.