Reading The Book of Mormon This Year!

This week's reading assignment: 1 Nephi 1-7

Today: 1 Nephi 1

Where and When Did Nephi Live?

Nephi lived near Jerusalem, in the Southern Kingdom of Judah, about 600 years before the birth of Christ. The powerful nations of Babylon and Egypt were competing for control of that part of the world, and that small kingdom of the Jews was caught in the middle.

Because of wickedness, the Northern Kingdom of Israel had been conquered and its people carried away captive by the Assyrians more than 100 years before. At the time of Nephi, wickedness was widespread, and the Jews were subject first to one foreign power and then another. Prophets such as Jeremiah and Nephi’s father, Lehi, prophesied that the kingdom of Judah would also be destroyed if the people did not repent. The prophets Ezekiel and Daniel also lived about this same time.

The Prophet Lehi Is Called to Warn the Jews

The events in 1 Nephi begin 600 years before the birth of Christ. At that time, the Jews, because of their wickedness, had fallen under the control of the powerful Babylonian empire. The prophet Jeremiah warned the Jews to submit to Babylon or be destroyed (see Jeremiah 27:12–13). The prophet Lehi was also called to warn them to repent (see 1 Nephi 1:18–19). The Jews, however, chose to listen to the counsel of false prophets who prophesied that Babylon, not Judah, would be destroyed (see Jeremiah 28:1–4). They rebelled against Babylon and about 586 B.C. the kingdom of Judah and its capital, Jerusalem, were destroyed and many Jews were taken captive into Babylon.

Jeremiah 27
12 ¶I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of ^aBabylon, and serve him and his people, and live.

13 Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the Lord hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?

Jeremiah 28

1 And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,

2 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.

3 Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon:

4 And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the Lord: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.

Matthew Chapter 2 Part 1

The wise men are directed by a star to Jesus—Joseph takes the child to Egypt—Herod slays the children in Bethlehem—Jesus is taken to Nazareth to dwell.

 1Now when Jesus was ^aborn in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a ^asign; ^bBehold, a ^cvirgin shall conceive, and bear a ^dson, and shall call his name ^eImmanuel.

Isa 9:6 For unto us a ^achild is ^bborn, unto us a ^cson is given: and the ^dgovernment shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, ^eCounsellor, The ^fmighty ^gGod, The ^heverlasting Father, The Prince of ⁱPeace.

Micah 5:2 But thou, ^aBeth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of ^bJudah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ^cruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from ^deverlasting.

 2Saying, ^aWhere is he that is born ^bKing of the Jews? for we have seen his ^cstar in the east, and are come to ^dworship him.

 3When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

 4And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he ^ademanded of them ^bwhere Christ should be born.

 5And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judæa: for thus it is written by the prophet,

 6And thou ^aBethlehem, in the land of ^bJuda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a ^cGovernor, that shall ^drule my people Israel.

JST 4  And when he had gathered all the chief priests, and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them, saying, Where is the place that is written of by the prophets, in which Christ should be born? For he greatly feared, yet he believed not the prophets.
5  And they said unto him, It is written by the prophets, that he should be born in Bethlehem of Judea, for thus have they said,
6  The word of the Lord came unto us, saying, And thou, Bethlehem, which lieth in the land of Judea, in thee shall be born a prince, which art not the least among the princes of Judea; for out of thee shall come the Messiah, who shall save my people Israel.

 7Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

 8And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

 9When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

 10When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

 11¶And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and ^afrankincense, and myrrh.

Lev 2:1 And when any will offer a meat offering unto the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:

 12And being warned of God in a ^adream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

 13And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

 14When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:

 15And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of ^aEgypt have I called my son.

 16¶Then Herod, when he saw that he was ^amocked of the wise men, ^bwas exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and ^cslew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the ^dcoasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.

The wise men, familiar with the prophecies that foretold the birth of Christ, and recognizing the signs that had been given, came into Jerusalem saying: “Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” ( Matthew 2:1, 2 .) Herod, thinking that the promised Messiah would be a threat to his kingdom, sent soldiers to destroy every child two years old and under in Bethlehem. But an angel had warned Joseph and he had taken Mary and the child Jesus to Egypt.

The wise men arrived in Jerusalem when Jesus was a young child. They were directed by Herod’s court to Bethlehem. “And when they were come into the house [Jesus was no longer in a stable], they saw the young child [no longer a babe] . . . and fell down, and worshipped him.” ( Matthew 2:11 .) Then the wise men, because an angel warned them not to return to Herod, departed into their own country by another way. When Herod saw that the wise men did not return, he sent his soldiers to kill every child “two years old and under.” ( Matthew 2:7, 16 .)

John the Baptist was a small child, just six months older than Jesus, who also lived with his parents in the vicinity of Bethlehem when Herod gave out the order to murder the babies. John escaped murder by the selfless courage of his father, Zacharias. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught:

“When Herod’s edict went forth to destroy the young children, John was about six months older than Jesus, and came under this hellish edict, and Zacharias caused his mother to take him into the mountains, where he was raised on locusts and wild honey. When his father refused to disclose his hiding place, and being the officiating high priest at the Temple that year, was slain by Herod’s order, between the porch and the altar, as Jesus said.” ( Teachings, p. 261. Compare Matthew 23:35 .)

Zacharias died, then, to save his son; he died a noble martyr, perhaps the first of the Christian era.

Matthew Chapter 1 Part 2

 18¶^aNow the ^bbirth of Jesus Christ was ^con this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
 19Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick ^aexample, was ^bminded to ^cput her away privily.

Deuteronomy 24:1 When a man hath taken a ^awife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some ^buncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of ^cdivorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.

 20But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a ^adream, saying, Joseph, thou son of ^bDavid, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the ^cHoly Ghost.

 21And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his ^aname ^bJesus: for he shall ^csave his people from their sins.

 22Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

 23^aBehold, a ^bvirgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his ^cname ^dEmmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

 24Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his ^awife:

 25And knew her not till she had brought forth her ^afirstborn son: and he called his name Jesus.

The Great Jehovah Comes to Earth

Mary was espoused to Joseph. They were not married but were promised to each other under the strictest terms. Mary was virtually regarded as the wife of Joseph, and unfaithfulness on her part during the espousal period was punishable by death ( Deuteronomy 22:23, 24 ). During the espousal period, the bride-elect lived with her family or friends, and all communication between herself and her promised husband was carried on through a friend. When Joseph learned of Mary’s prospective maternity and knew he was not the father, he had two alternatives: (1) he could demand that Mary submit to a public trial and judgment, which even at that late point in Jewish history may have resulted in Mary’s death; or (2) he could privately sever the espousal contract before witnesses. Joseph obviously chose the most merciful of the two alternatives. He could have reacted selfishly and with bitterness when he learned that Mary was expecting, and it is a profound witness to Joseph’s character that he chose to annul the espousal privately. Of this, Elder James E. Talmage has written:

“Joseph was a just man, a strict observer of the law, yet no harsh extremist; moreover he loved Mary and would save her all unnecessary humiliation, whatever might be his own sorrow and suffering. For Mary’s sake he dreaded the thought of publicity; and therefore determined to have the espousal annulled with such privacy as the law allowed.” ( Jesus the Christ, p. 84.) It may be that the Lord designed such an experience to test Joseph, and if that be the case, Joseph proved faithful. After Joseph had made his decision, then the angel visited him and directed that he should proceed and take Mary as his wife. Mary’s high station was known before she was born ( Mosiah 3:8 ; Alma 7:10 ; 1 Nephi 11:15, 18–21 ; Isaiah 7:14 ), and Joseph no doubt was foreordained to the honored station that he held, for the Prophet Joseph Smith taught that “every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was.” ( Teachings, p. 365. Italics added.) Surely Joseph was a noble soul in premortality to be blessed with the signal honor of coming to earth and acting as the legal guardian of the Son of the Eternal Father in the flesh.

Matthew Chapter 1 Part 1

1The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of ^aDavid, the son of Abraham.

Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

 2^aAbraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat ^bJudas and his brethren;

Gen 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from ^aJudah, nor a ^blawgiver from between his feet, until ^cShiloh come; and unto him shall the ^dgathering of the people be.

 3And Judas begat ^aPhares and ^bZara of Thamar; and Phares begat ^cEsrom; and Esrom begat Aram;

 4And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and ^aNaasson begat Salmon;

 5And Salmon begat ^aBooz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;

 6And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat ^aSolomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;

1 Sam 17:12 Now ^aDavid was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul.

2 Sam 12:24 And David ^acomforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name ^bSolomon: and the Lord loved him.

 7And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;

 8And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;

 9And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias;

 10And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;

 11And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to ^aBabylon:

 12And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat ^aZorobabel;

 13And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor;

 14And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud;

 15And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob;

 16And Jacob begat ^aJoseph the husband of ^bMary, of whom was born ^cJesus, ^dwho is called ^eChrist.

 17So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen ^agenerations.

 There are two genealogies in the four Gospels. Matthew’s account lists the legal successors to David’s throne. It is not necessarily a genealogical list in a strict father-to-son sense, for, as is true in many kingly histories, the eldest surviving heir may be a grandson, a great-grandson, or even a nephew or other relative of the reigning monarch. Luke’s record, however, is a father-to-son listing linking Joseph to King David. Of course, Jesus was not Joseph’s son, but Joseph’s genealogy is essentially Mary’s genealogy, for they were cousins; Jesus inherited from his mother, Mary, the blood of David and therefore the right to David’s throne. Jesus was born in the royal line, and as Elder James E. Talmage has explained, “Had Judah been a free and independent nation, ruled by her rightful sovereign, Joseph the carpenter would have been her crowned king; and his lawful successor to the throne would have been Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”