Words of Mormon

the words of Mormon 1and now I Mormon being about to deliver up the record which I have been making into the hands of my son Moroni behold I have witnessed almost all the destruction of my people the Nephites 2and it is many hundred years after the coming of Christ that I deliver these records into the hands of my son and it supposeth me that he will witness the entire destruction of my people but may God grant that he may survive them that he may write somewhat concerning them and somewhat concerning Christ that perhaps some day it may profit them 3and now I speak concerning that which I have written for after that I had made an abridgment from the plates of Nephi down to the reign of this king Benjamin of which Amaleki spake I searched among the records which had been delivered into my hands and I found these plates which contained this small account of the prophets from Jacob down to the reign of this king Benjamin and also many of the words of Nephi 4and the things which are upon these plates pleasing me because of the prophecies of the coming of Christ and my fathers knowing that many of them have been fulfilled yea and I also know that as many things as have been prophesied concerning us down to this day as been fulfilled and as many as go beyond this day must surely come to pass 5wherefore I choose these things to finish my record upon them which remainder of my record I shall take from the plates of Nephi and I cannot write a hundredth part of the things of my people 6but behold I shall take these plates which contain these prophesyings and revelations and put them with the remainder of my record for they are choice unto me and I know they will be choice unto my brethren 7and I do this for a wise purpose for thus it whispereth me according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me and now I do not know all things but the Lord knoweth all things which is to come wherefore he worketh in me to do according to his will 8and my prayer to God is concerning my brethren that they may once again come to the knowledge of God yea the redemption of Christ that they may once again be a delightsome people 9and now I Mormon proceed to finish out my record which I take from the plates of Nephi and I make it according to the knowledge and the understanding which God hath given me 10wherefore it came to pass that after Amaleki had delivered up these plates into the hands of king Benjamin he took them and put them with the other plates which contained records which had been handed down by the kings from generation to generation until the days of king Benjamin 11and they were handed down from king Benjamin from generation to generation until they have fallen into my hands and I Mormon pray to God that they may be preserved from this time henceforth and I know that they will be preserved for there are great things written upon them out of which my people and their brethren shall be judged at the great and last day according to the word of God which is written 12and now concerning this king Benjamin he had somewhat contentions among his own people 13and it came to pass also that the armies of the Lamanites came down out of the land of Nephi to battle against his people but behold king Benjamin gathered together his armies and he did stand against them and he did fight with the strength of his own arm with the sword of Laban 14and in the strength of the Lord they did contend agains their enemies until they had slain many thousands of the Lamanites and it came to pass that they did contend against the Lamanites until they had driven them out of all the lands of their inheritance 15and it came to pass that after there had been false Christs and their mouths had been shut and they punished according to their crimes 16and after there had been false prophets and false preachers and teachers among the people and all these having been punished according to their crimes and after there having been much contentions and many dissensions away unto the Lamanites behold it came to pass that king Benjamin with the assistance of the holy prophets which were among his people 17 for behold king Benjamin was a holy man and he did reign over his people in righteousness and there were many holy men in the land and they did speak the word of God with power and with authority and they did use much sharpness because of the stiffneckedness of the people 18wherefore with the help of these king Benjamin by laboring with all the might of his body and the faculty of his whole soul and also the prophets wherefore they did once more establish peace in the land