Behold, who can glory too much in yhwh?

Yes, who can say too much of his great power,

and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering

towards the children of men?

Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part

which I feel.

Who could have supposed that our Elohim
would have been so merciful

as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful,

and polluted state?

Behold, we went forth even in wrath
with mighty threatenings to destroy his assembly.

Oh then, why did he not consign us to an awful destruction?
Yes, why did he not let the sword of his justice fall upon us
and doom us to eternal despair?

Oh my soul almost, as it were, flees at the thought.

Behold, he did not exercise his justice upon us,

but in his great mercy has brought us

over that everlasting gulf of death,

and misery even to the salvation of our souls.
And now behold, my brothers, what natural man is there

that knows these things?

I say unto you, there is none that knows these things

except it be the penitent.

Yes, he that repents, and exercises faith,
and brings forth good works, and prays continually

without ceasing,

unto such it is given to know the mysteries of Elohim;

yes, unto such it shall be given
to reveal things which never have been revealed.
Yes, and it shall be given unto such
to bring thousands of souls to repentance,
even as it has been given unto us
to bring these our brothers to repentance.

Now do you remember, my brothers,

that we said unto our brothers in the land of Zerach’mla,

We go up to the land of Nefi to preach unto our brothers

the Lamanites,

and they laughed us to scorn?

For they said unto us, Do you suppose

that you can bring the Lamanites

to the knowledge of the truth?

Do you suppose that you can convince the Lamanites

of the incorrectness of the traditions of their fathers,

as stiffnecked a people as they are,
whose hearts delight in the shedding of blood,
whose days have been spent in the most shameful iniquity,
whose ways have been the ways of a transgressor

from the beginning?

Now, my brothers, you remember that this was their language.
And moreover, they did say,
Let us take up arms against them, that we destroy them
and their iniquity out of the land,
for fear that they overrun us and destroy us.

But behold, my beloved brothers, we came into the wilderness,
not with the intent to destroy our brothers,
but with the intent that perhaps

we might save some few of their souls.

Now when our hearts were depressed

and we were about to turn back,

behold, yhwh comforted us and said,
Go among your brothers the Lamanites,

and bear with patience your afflictions,

and I will give unto you success.

And now behold, we have come and been forth among them,
and we have been patient in our sufferings,
and we have suffered every privation;
yes, we have traveled from house to house,
relying upon the mercies of the world —
not upon the mercies of the world alone,
but upon the mercies of Elohim.

And we have entered into their houses and taught them,
and we have taught them in their streets;
yes, and we have taught them upon their hills;
and we have also entered into their Temples

and their synagogues and taught them.

And we have been cast out, and mocked,
and spit upon, and struck upon our cheeks,
and we have been stoned,
and taken, and bound with strong cords,
and cast into prison;

and through the power and wisdom of Elohim,

we have been delivered again.

And we have suffered all manner of afflictions,
and all this that perhaps we might be the means

of saving some soul,

and we supposed that our joy would be full
if perhaps we could be the means of saving some.

Now behold, we can look forth and see the fruits of our labors,

and are they few?

I say unto you, no, they are many.
Yes, and we can witness of their sincerity
because of their love towards their brothers,

and also towards us.

For behold, they had rather sacrifice their lives
than even to take the life of their enemy;
and they have buried their weapons of war deep in the earth
because of their love towards their brothers.

And now behold, I say unto you, has there been so great love

in all the land?

Behold, I say unto you, no, there has not,

even among the Nefites.

For behold, they would take up arms against their brothers;
they would not allow themselves to be slain.
But behold how many of these have laid down their lives;
and we know that they have gone to their
Elohim because of their love, and of their hatred to sin.

Now, have we not reason to rejoice?
Yes, I say unto you,
there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we,

since the world began.

Yes, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting

in my Elohim,

for he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding;
he comprehends all things, and he is a merciful being,
even unto salvation to those who will repent

and believe on his name.

Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast;
for this is my life and my light, my joy, and my salvation,
and my redemption from everlasting woe.

Yes, blessed is the name of my Elohim,
who has been mindful¹³² of this people,

who are a branch of the tree of Isra’el,

and have been lost from its body in a strange land.
Yes, I say, blessed be the name of my Elohim,
who has been mindful of us wanderers in a strange land.

Now, my brothers, we see that Elohim is mindful

of every people,

whatsoever land they may be in;¹³³
yes, he numbers his people,
and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth.

Now this is my joy and my great thanksgiving;
yes, and I will give thanks unto my Elohim for ever.
Amen.