HOW NEPHI GOT THE GOOD BOOK.
One night as Lehi lay asleep on his bed in the tent, he heard a voice speak to him. It was the voice of the Lord out of heaven. The Lord said, "Lehi, I want you to get Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Nephi to go back to the place where they used to live and to bring back with them a wonderful book which a man has locked up in his home there."
"What is the name of the man who has the book?" Lehi asked.
"His name is Laban," said the Lord, "and I do not want him to have the book, for he does not do what the good book tells him to do."
"What is in the book?" Lehi asked.
"It is a very precious history," said the Lord. "It tells of God and of many wonderful things which He has done. I want you to get the book and to take it with you to the promised land, so that your children may be taught the commandments of God."
The next morning Lehi told Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Nephi all that the Lord had told him about the wonderful book. How happy Nephi and Sam felt as they listened to what their father said. Then said Nephi, "Yes, father, we will go and get the book; and when we come back you will read to us some of the wonderful things recorded in it."
"I will, my son," said the father. "But what is the matter with Laman and Lemuel?" asked Lehi, as he turned to his two elder sons.
O, how cross they looked as they said to their father, "We don't want to go for the book. We don't believe we could get it. We feel sure Laban would not let us have it, and perhaps he would whip us for coming for it."
"We are not afraid of Laban," said Nephi and Sam. "The Lord has told us to do this, and we know He will take care of us. He would not want us to go if He did not know that we could get the book."
"That is right," said the father. "If you will do what the Lord wants you to do, all will be well."
After a while Laman and Lemuel agreed to go with their brothers. But they did not believe they would get the book. It was a long journey to Laban's home, and the boys were glad when they came in sight of it.
"Now, who is to go and try to get the book?" asked Laman, the eldest son.
"I will tell you what we will do," said Nephi. "We will cast lots, and the one on whom the lot falls will go to Laban and ask him for the book."
They all agreed to that. The lot fell upon Laman, so he set out for Laban's home. For a long time his brothers watched for him to come back. At last they saw him. He came running away from Laban's house.
"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Nephi, "Laman has not got the book!"
They sat in silence till their brother came up to them. His face was very pale and he was trembling with excitement. He was also very angry.
Going over to Nephi, he said, with a loud voice, "I told you before we started that we would not get the book, but you would not believe me. Do you believe me now?"
"We are sorry," said Nephi, "that your visit to Laban was in vain. Will you please tell us why you failed to get the book?"
"When I told Laban what I wanted," said Laman, "he became very angry. He called me a thief and a robber, and said if I did not leave his house at once he would kill me. He reached for his sword, and I had to run as fast as I could to save my life. Come, let us go back to our father."
"No," said Nephi, "I am not going to give up with one trial. I still believe we will get the book."
"O, you do," said Laman, and he turned up his nose in a sneering way. "Pray, how do you hope to get the book when I could not get it?"
"I believe the Lord will help us to get it," said Nephi. "I have just thought of a plan, and if you boys will help me carry it out, it may be the means of getting us the book."
"Well, let us hear your plan," said Laman.
"It is this," said Nephi: "that we go down to the place where we used to live, get all the money our father left there, and come back and offer it to Laban for the book."
"That is a good idea," said Sam. "I am ready to go."
"I like the plan, too," said Lemuel. "Come, Laman, let us go and try it."
So the boys started for the home in which they used to live. Tomorrow evening I will tell you the rest of the story.
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