Book of Omni

Time

Around 279–130 BCE. This single chapter spans five writers across about 150 years.

Main Content

Five men — Omni, Amaron, Chemish, Abinadom, and Amaleki — briefly pass the plates from hand to hand. The record traces the Nephite decline: “the Lord did visit them in great judgment … nevertheless, he did spare the righteous.” The most significant event is recorded by Amaleki: Mosiah (not King Benjamin’s son but an earlier Mosiah) is warned to flee the land of Nephi and leads the righteous Nephites to Zarahemla, where they discover the people of Zarahemla — descendants of Mulek, another group that fled Jerusalem at its fall. The two peoples merge, and Mosiah becomes their king. The small plates end here, closing with Amaleki’s exhortation to “believe in Christ.”

Key Events

• The Decline: the Nephites become wicked and are “visited with great judgment”
• Mosiah’s Flight: the righteous are led to Zarahemla
• Discovery of the People of Zarahemla: the Mulekite colony, also from Jerusalem
• The Close of the Small Plates: Amaleki ends the record, noting the large plates contain the fuller history

Further Reading

• Mosiah (book) — the narrative continues on the large plates
• Words of Mormon — Mormon’s editorial bridge