1 And the child Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;4 That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.5 And he ran to Eli, and said, Here am I; for you called me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.6 And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for you did call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed to him.8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for you did call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call you, that you shall say, Speak, LORD; for your servant hears. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.10 And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for your servant hears.11 And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that hears it shall tingle.12 In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knows; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.14 And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli' house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.15 And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision.16 Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I.17 And he said, What is the thing that the LORD has said to you? I pray you hide it not from me: God do so to you, and more also, if you hide any thing from me of all the things that he said to you.18 And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the LORD: let him do what seems him good.19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.21 And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.
1 AND it came to pass that the Nephites who were not slain by the weapons of war, after having buried those who had been slain-now the number of the slain were not numbered, because of the greatness of their number-after they had finished burying their dead they all returned to their lands, and to their houses, and their wives, and their children.2 Now many women and children had been slain with the sword, and also many of their flocks and their herds; and also many of their fields of grain were destroyed, for they were trodden down by the hosts of men.3 And now as many of the Lamanites and the Amlicites who had been slain upon the bank of the river Sidon were cast into the waters of Sidon; and behold their bones are in the depths of the sea, and they are many.4 And the Amlicites were distinguished from the Nephites, for they had marked themselves with red in their foreheads after the manner of the Lamanites; nevertheless they had not shorn their heads like unto the Lamanites.5 Now the heads of the Lamanites were shorn; and they were naked, save it were skin which was girded about their loins, and also their armor, which was girded about them, and their bows, and their arrows, and their stones, and their slings, and so forth.6 And the skins of the Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them because of their transgression and their rebellion against their brethren, who consisted of Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph, and Sam, who were just and holy men.7 And their brethren sought to destroy them, therefore they were cursed; and the Lord God set a mark upon them, yea, upon Laman and Lemuel, and also the sons of Ishmael, and Ishmaelitish women.8 And this was done that their seed might be distinguished from the seed of their brethren, that thereby the Lord God might preserve his people, that they might not mix and believe in incorrect traditions which would prove their destruction.9 And it came to pass that whosoever did mingle his seed with that of the Lamanites did bring the same curse upon his seed.10 Therefore, whosoever suffered himself to be led away by the Lamanites was called under that head, and there was a mark set upon him.11 And it came to pass that whosoever would not believe in the tradition of the Lamanites, but believed those records which were brought out of the land of Jerusalem, and also in the tradition of their fathers, which were correct, who believed in the commandments of God and kept them, were called the Nephites, or the people of Nephi, from that time forth-12 And it is they who have kept the records which are true of their people, and also of the people of the Lamanites.13 Now we will return again to the Amlicites, for they also had a mark set upon them; yea, they set the mark upon themselves, yea, even a mark of red upon their foreheads.14 Thus the word of God is fulfilled, for these are the words which he said to Nephi: Behold, the Lamanites have I cursed, and I will set a mark on them that they and their seed may be separated from thee and thy seed, from this time henceforth and forever, except they repent of their wickedness and turn to me that I may have mercy upon them.15 And again: I will set a mark upon him that mingleth his seed with thy brethren, that they may be cursed also.16 And again: I will set a mark upon him that fighteth against thee and thy seed.17 And again, I say he that departeth from thee shall no more be called thy seed; and I will bless thee, and whomsoever shall be called thy seed, henceforth and forever; and these were the promises of the Lord unto Nephi and to his seed.18 Now the Amlicites knew not that they were fulfilling the words of God when they began to mark themselves in their foreheads; nevertheless they had come out in open rebellion against God; therefore it was expedient that the curse should fall upon them.19 Now I would that ye should see that they brought upon themselves the curse; and even so doth every man that is cursed bring upon himself his own condemnation.20 Now it came to pass that not many days after the battle which was fought in the land of Zarahemla, by the Lamanites and the Amlicites, that there was another army of the Lamanites came in upon the people of Nephi, in the same place where the first army met the Amlicites.21 And it came to pass that there was an army sent to drive them out of their land.22 Now Alma himself being afflicted with a wound did not go up to battle at this time against the Lamanites;23 But he sent up a numerous army against them; and they went up and slew many of the Lamanites, and drove the remainder of them out of the borders of their land.24 And then they returned again and began to establish peace in the land, being troubled no more for a time with their enemies.25 Now all these things were done, yea, all these wars and contentions were commenced and ended in the *fifth year of the reign of the judges.26 And in one year were thousands and tens of thousands of souls sent to the eternal world, that they might reap their rewards according to their works, whether they were good or whether they were bad, to reap eternal happiness or eternal misery, according to the spirit which they listed to obey, whether it be a good spirit or a bad one.27 For every man receiveth wages of him whom he listeth to obey, and this according to the words of the spirit of prophecy; therefore let it be according to the truth. And thus endeth the fifth year of the reign of the judges.