Second Nephi — Narrative Events
29 narrative events.
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after I, Nephi, had made an end of teaching my brethren, our father, Lehi, also spake many things unto them, and rehearsed unto them, how great things the Lord had done for them in bringing them out of the land of Jerusalem.
The narrative shifts from Nephi’s teaching to Lehi’s speech, which reviews the Lord’s works with them, framing the exodus from Jerusalem as a salvific divine act.
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And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the garden of Eden, to till the earth… And the days of the children of men were prolonged… that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation
The text describes the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden, then explains the prolongation of human life as an opportunity for repentance, indicating that earthly life has become a time of testing.
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after my father, Lehi, had spoken unto all his household, according to the feelings of his heart and the Spirit of the Lord which was in him, he waxed old. And it came to pass that he died, and was buried.
The text concludes Lehi’s life after he blessed his entire household, then records his old age, death, and burial as the end of a narrative phase.
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not many days after his death, Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael were angry with me because of the admonitions of the Lord.
For I, Nephi, was constrained to speak unto them, according to his word; for I had spoken many things unto them, and also my father, before his death; many of which sayings are written upon mine other plates
After Lehi’s death, Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael’s anger erupts against Nephi due to divine admonitions, while Nephi justifies his continued speech as being constrained by the word of the Lord and recorded on his other plates.
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Behold, it came to pass that I, Nephi, did cry much unto the Lord my God, because of the anger of my brethren. … they did seek to take away my life.
Nephi describes the escalation of hostility from his brothers to the point where they threaten his life, placing himself in a position of pleading to God amid direct familial danger.
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I, Nephi, did take the sword of Laban, and after the manner of it did make many swords… And I did teach my people to build buildings, and to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver
Nephi transforms a weapon into a model for sword-making, then expands this to teaching construction and metalworking skills, establishing a defensive and economic capacity for the community.
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I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon
Nephi builds a new temple modeled after Solomon’s temple, borrowing an ancient sacred prototype to provide his community with a center for worship and religious legitimacy.
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Wherefore, when I came, there was no man; when I called, yea, there was none to answer.
The speaker describes an arrival met with emptiness and silence, highlighting a collective refusal to respond to God’s call.
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Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury—thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling wrung out— And none to guide her among all the sons she hath brought forth; neither that taketh her by the hand, of all the sons she hath brought up.
The text depicts Jerusalem as a devastated city that has drunk the cup of divine wrath and has lost those who would lead or support her.
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The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient; The captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counselor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.
The layers of leadership, expertise, and skill are narrated as being removed from society, resulting in the loss of the political, religious, and cultural pillars for the people.
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And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor; … I will not be a healer; for in my house there is neither bread nor clothing; make me not a ruler of the people.
The text describes a society that is eroding from within, where people become burdens to one another, and those asked to govern flee from the responsibility because they possess nothing to remedy the devastation.
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And in that day, seven women shall take hold of one man, saying: We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel; only let us be called by thy name to take away our reproach.
The text portrays a state of social disorder where many women seek to attach themselves to one man, not for sustenance but to remove social shame.
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My well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill. And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a wine-press therein; and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
The text illustrates the complete care taken for the vineyard: surrounding, clearing, planting, and building, then highlights the disappointment of the outcome when it yields wild grapes instead of the expected fruit.
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In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
The text connects the vision to a specific historical event, then depicts the Lord sitting on a high throne within the temple, which grants the scene both majesty and authority.
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Above it stood the seraphim; each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
The text describes celestial beings surrounding the divine scene, specifying the form of their wings and their functional and symbolic roles.
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And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
The very place reacts to the divine voice, as the entrance shakes and smoke fills the house, emphasizing the awe of the scene.
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Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said: Here am I; send me.
The narrator hears a divine call for sending, responding willingly and offering himself for the mission.
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And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.
The political scene is presented as a failed siege on Jerusalem, where the names of kings and lineages intersect with a direct military threat to the city of Judah.
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And it was told the house of David, saying: Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.
The news of the alliance reaches the house of David, stirring collective fear, and the text depicts internal turmoil as the wind moves the trees.
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In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet; and it shall also consume the beard. And it shall come to pass in that day, a man shall nourish a young cow and two sheep; And it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk they shall give he shall eat butter; for butter and honey shall every one…
The text uses the imagery of shaving and simple sustenance to describe political ruin followed by a limited survival of the people in a ravaged but not entirely barren land.
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And it shall come to pass in that day, every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, which shall be for briers and thorns. With arrows and with bows shall men come thither, because all the land shall become briers and thorns. And all hills that shall be digged with the mattock, there shall not come thither the fear of briers and thorns; but it shall be for the …
The text describes the transformation of cultivated land into thorny ground, then hints at some hills remaining suitable for grazing rather than farming, depicting economic and agricultural devastation.
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And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived and bare a son. Then said the Lord to me: Call his name, Maher-shalal-hash-baz.
The text describes the birth of a new son by divine command to name him, linking the name to the familial event and its prophetic significance.
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The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones; the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars. Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together; The Syrians before and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth.
The text presents the pride of a group believing they will compensate for their losses, then turns this into a divine threat of gathering enemies against them.
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Therefore shall all hands be faint, every man’s heart shall melt; And they shall be afraid; pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them;
The text describes the effect of divine judgment on the people: physical exhaustion, internal collapse, and collective fear overwhelming everyone.
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The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet; they break forth into singing. Yea, the fir-trees rejoice at thee, and also the cedars of Lebanon, saying: Since thou art laid down no feller is come up against us.
The text paints a cosmic picture of the end of threat: the whole earth is at peace, and the trees are personified as rejoicing at the removal of the aggressor who once cut them down.
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They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and shall consider thee, and shall say: Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms? And made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof, and opened not the house of his prisoners?
The text transforms the tyrant into a subject of astonishment and contemplation after his fall, as they ask how this is the same one who once terrified the earth, devastated cities, and closed the doors of prisoners.
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Take these words which are not sealed and deliver them to another, that he may show them unto the learned… I cannot bring the book, for it is sealed… the learned shall not read them, for they have rejected them
The text depicts a scene where the learned stumble before the sealed book, while the unlearned are tasked with conveying the unsealed words, as academic knowledge alone does not grant access to revelation.
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they shall carry them forth unto the remnant of our seed. And then shall the remnant of our seed know concerning us, how that we came out from Jerusalem
The book transitions to the remnant of the seed, becoming a means to connect them to their origins and the exodus of their ancestors from Jerusalem.
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And now, behold, my beloved brethren, I suppose that ye ponder somewhat in your hearts concerning that which ye should do after ye have entered in by the way.
Nephi opens with a direct address to his brethren, noting that they are still contemplating the next step after entering the way, placing the question of practical guidance at the center of the passage.