NEPHI MAKING PLATES.
When Moroni finished writing the history of the Nephites he placed the plates containing the records in a stone box and buried them in a hill. With the plates he also placed in the box the sword of Laban which Nephi took to slay Laban with and a gold breastplate such as the people used to protect themselves in war; also the urim and thummim, or interpreters.
This stone box and its contents remained in the ground where it was buried fourteen hundred years. On the 22nd day of September, 1827, this same man Moroni, who had died and was resurrected, or raised to life again, showed Joseph Smith the Prophet where this stone box was buried, and gave him permission to take the plates and other things out.
With the urim and thummim or interpreters, Joseph Smith translated or changed the writings on some of the plates into the English language. In this way the Book of Mormon was given to the people who live in our time. The urim and thummim was two precious stones fastened into a silver rim. They had been prepared by the Lord for the purpose of translating. By looking on these stones the Prophet Joseph Smith could see the English words to be written for the words which were engraved on the plates.
When Nephi became old and knew that he would soon die he anointed a man to be king to rule over the people. He had already appointed his brothers Jacob and Joseph as priests to instruct them in their duties to the Lord. He himself had taught them many things about religion and other matters, and now he was prepared to die. He lived a good life, having been faithful in doing everything the Lord commanded him.
Points to be remembered in this story: Nephi kept a record of his people so they might remember what the Lord had done for them—If they did not have the Lord's commandments written they would easily forget them—Nephi makes plates of metal on which to write the history of his people—These plates were given by one man to another to keep for many hundreds of years—Moroni the next to last man who wrote on the plates copied a short history of the people from them which is called the Book of Mormon—Moroni, Mormon's son finished the records and hid them in a stone box—Fourteen hundred years afterwards Moroni showed Joseph Smith where the plates were hidden, and gave him permission to take them out of the ground—With the urim and thummim Joseph Smith translated the writings on some of the plates—Before he died Nephi anointed a man to be king over the people.
Transcriber's Note:
A few extraneous punctuation marks were corrected as seemed reasonable.