1 AND now I, Moroni, proceed to give the record of Jared and his brother.

2 For it came to pass after the Lord had prepared the stones which the brother of Jared had carried up into the mount, the brother of Jared came down out of the mount, and he did put forth the stones into the vessels which were prepared, one in each end thereof; and behold, they did give light unto the vessels.

3 And thus the Lord caused [ It was the Lords doing, he was the one who infused the stones to give off light. I wonder if in a way at least that there was put within them some of the light of Christ. Meaning that the light that came from them was more than just light that can be found on the spectrum of light, but that it was more that it also contained some Godly gift of light that would help them stay calm, comforted - etc on this voyage in such a confined space. ] stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women, and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness.

4 And it came to pass that when they had prepared all manner of food, [ Most likely that they would have brought the honey but not the bees as they would not be very much use on the boat and there is no mention of them being taken. See 1 Ne 17:5 ] that thereby they might subsist upon the water, and also food for their flocks and herds, and whatsoever beast or animal or fowl that they should carry with them—and it came to pass that when they had done all these things they got aboard of their vessels or barges, and set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto the Lord their God.

5 And it came to pass that the Lord God [ Hebrew - Yahweh ( or Jehovah which means "to become" or "to exist") translated as Lord; Elohim translated as God ("the Gods") which together the words mean "He will cause Gods to be". ] caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind.

6 And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind.

7 And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish,and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; [ "the Jaredite barges "were tight like unto the ark of Noah." This comparison with the vessel constructed by Noah enables us to draw several parallels between the two vessels, each of which had been constructed according to the Lord's instructions. In order to provide light inside the vessels during the ocean crossing, the brother of Jared prepared sixteen crystalline stones that the Lord touched, making them glow (see Ether 3:1–6; 6:2–3).47 Similar stories are told of the ark of Noah.48 A number of early Jewish sources say that God had Noah suspend precious stones or pearls inside the ark to lighten it. The gems would glow during the night and dim during the day so Noah could tell the time of day and how many days had passed.49 This was the explanation the rabbis gave for the har that the Lord told Noah to construct in the ark. Though called a "window" in the King James version of Genesis 6:16, the sôhar is rendered "light" in some Bible translations."50 In a medieval Arabic text we read that it was the pegs that Noah used to construct the ark that shone.51 The Book of Mormon speaks of "the mountain waves" and the "furious wind" that the Jaredites encountered during their ocean voyage to the New World, stressing that "the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters" (see Ether 6:5–8; see also 2:24–25), reminding us of the experience of Noah during the great flood.52 An Ethiopic Christian text, Conflict of Adam and Eve III, 9:6–7, describes the flood of Noah in terms similar to those used to describe the great storm that blew the Jaredite barges to the New World, including the description of "waves . . . high like mountains," as in Ether 2:24 and 6:6.53 The Book of Mormon indicates that the high waves resulted from intense winds from the Lord. Early Jewish and Christian traditions indicate that God sent strong winds to destroy the Tower of Babel, from which the Jaredites fled (see Ether 1:33). The story is found in the Chronography . . . of Bar Hebraeus 1, Jubilees 10:26, and Sibylline Oracles 3:101–107. Other texts (Conflict of Adam and Eve III, 24:8; Book of the Rolls, folio 120a; Book of the Cave of Treasures, folios 23b.2–24a.1; and Book of the Bee 23) have the wind, sometimes called a "wind-flood," destroying the idols erected by Nimrod, to whom both Jewish and Christian traditions attribute the building of the tower. The existence of details such as the glowing stones and furious winds in both the Book of Mormon story of the Jaredites and other ancient traditions about Noah's flood and the great "wind-storm" suggests more than coincidence." Ancient Texts in Support of the Book of Mormon]]therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters.

8  And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow [ The story of the brother of Jared, as found in the Book of Mormon, is usually told from the perspective of God instructing this man to build some unusual barges for a year long journey across the ocean to the promised land. We often focus on a singular event, wherein the brother of Jared saw as the finger of the Lord touched sixteen stones, causing them to shine in the darkness. And that's a powerful story in and of itself. But the lessons I see in this story have to do with the design of the barges themselves, and how they were meant to keep the Jaredites safe during their voyage. God told them that it was most definitely NOT going to be a pleasure cruise, and that they would, essentially, be shoved across the waters by a powerful storm. What I find fascinating is that the brother of Jared never once asks for God to stop the storm. He never once says "Dear Lord, if it's all the same to you, could we maybe have the winds ease up a little?" I think it's because he knew the storm was non-negotiable. It was going to happen, and the only way the Jaredites were going to survive the storm-fueled voyage is if they prepared themselves exactly according to the Lord's will. The Lord seemed to be teaching this other principle, which is tucked in nice and neat between the lines of the story: the same storm that was going to make the journey difficult was also going to make the journey possible. sometimes, God sends storms into our lives because they are the means to push us forward to where we need to go. He will give us air and light, and He won't let us drown, but He will allow the storm to rage for a time. The storm itself is non negotiable. And that's okay. That's what we signed up for when we came to this life. We knew that sometimes, it was going to rain on everybody (see Matthew 5:45), because that's how life is sometimes. And if we're wise, we'll build our foundation on solid rock instead of sand (see Matthew 7:27; Helaman 5:12). Storms aren't much fun to be in, and they can be disconcerting and discouraging, but if we follow God's plans for us, they can take us where we need to be.” ] towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind.

9 And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord.

10 And thus they were driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale that could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water.

11 And thus they were driven forth, three hundred and forty and four days upon the water.

12 And they did land upon the shore of the promised land. And when they had set their feet upon the shores of the promised land they bowed themselves down upon the face of the land, and did humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed tears of joy before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them.

13 And it came to pass that they went forth upon the face of the land, and began to till the earth.

14 And Jared had four sons; and they were called Jacom, and Gilgah, and Mahah, and Orihah.

15 And the brother of Jared also begat sons and daughters.

16 And the friends of Jared and his brother were in number about twenty and two souls; and they also begat sons and daughters before they came to the promised land; and therefore they began to be many.

17 And they were taught to walk humbly before the Lord; and they were also taught from on high.

18 And it came to pass that they began to spread upon the face of the land, and to multiply and to till the earth; and they did wax strong in the land.

19 And the brother of Jared began to be old, and saw that he must soon go down to the grave; wherefore he said unto Jared: Let us gather together our people that we may number them, that we may know of them what they will desire of us before we go down to our graves.

20 And accordingly the people were gathered together. Now the number of the sons and the daughters of the brother of Jared were twenty and two souls; and the number of sons and daughters of Jared were twelve, he having four sons.

21 And it came to pass that they did number their people; and after that they had numbered them, they did desire of them the things which they would that they should do before they went down to their graves.

22 And it came to pass that the people desired of them that they should anoint one of their sons to be a king over them.

23 And now behold, this was grievous unto them. And the brother of Jared said unto them: Surely this thing leadeth into captivity. [ What do you suppose that he meant? How can a king lead us into capitivity? 1) The can make decisions based on pride and what they want to get power and then loose and the kingdom falls into capitivity 2) The king can be unrighteous and cause the people to sin, as a result the people fall pray to the captivity of the devil. See Mosiah 29:16-18. ]

24 But Jared said unto his brother: Suffer them that they may have a king. And therefore he said unto them: Choose ye out from among our sons a king, even whom ye will.

25 And it came to pass that they chose even the firstborn of the brother of Jared; and his name was Pagag. And it came to pass that he refused and would not be their king. And the people would that his father should constrain him, but his father would not; and he commanded them that they should constrain no man to be their king.

26 And it came to pass that they chose all the brothers of Pagag, and they would not.

27 And it came to pass that neither would the sons of Jared, even all save it were one; and Orihah was anointed to be king over the people.

28 And he began to reign, and the people began to prosper; and they became exceedingly rich.

29 And it came to pass that Jared died, and his brother also.

30 And it came to pass that Orihah did walk humbly before the Lord, and did remember how great things the Lord had done for his father, and also taught his people how great things the Lord had done for their fathers.