1 AND now it came to pass in the *eighty and sixth year, the Nephites did still remain in wickedness, yea, in great wickedness, while the Lamanites did observe strictly to keep the commandments of God, according to the law of Moses. [ Bringing forward the discussion from chapter 11. Nephites were headed away from God while the Lamanites continued to try to become closer to God. ]

2 And it came to pass that in this year there was one Samuel, a Lamanite, [ We don't know much about Samuel, he is one of the few Lamanites that we do know by name. He could even be one of the original anti-nephi-lehites - or maybe one of the original stripling warriors? We just don't know much about him other than he was a Lamanite. ] came into the land of Zarahemla, and began to preach unto the people. And it came to pass that he did preach, many days, repentance unto the people, and they did cast him out, [ Well sure they did. Why? Because no one wants to hear that they need to repent, that they need to change their ways. This will usually bring forth a wanna fight attitude. No different here. ] and he was about to return to his own land.

3 But behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, that he should return again, [ Samuel had enough with these people and so he was ready to move on, and the Lord says to him Samuel wait a minute I need this message delivered to this people. ] and prophesy unto the people whatsoever things should come into his heart. [ So he did not prepare his thoughts before, he just went and the Lord directed his thoughts. ]

4 And it came to pass that they [ The Nephites. ] would not suffer that he should enter into the city; [ Or we don't want to hear your message, it is not what we want or need so just stay out. They were in a way attempting to control the narrative, the message. Don't let anyone in who would stir things up. Is there a message here for our day? People trying to say the prophet and the 12 are just old men who really don't need to be listened too. ] therefore he went and got upon the wall thereof, and stretched forth his hand and cried with a loud voice, and prophesied unto the people whatsoever things the Lord put into his heart.

5 And he said unto them: Behold, I, Samuel, a Lamanite, do speak the words of the Lord which he doth put into my heart; [ Or he was doing exactly what the angel directed him to do in verse 3. ] and behold he [ The angel. the representative of the Lord. ] hath put it into my heart to say unto this people that the sword of justice hangeth over this people; [ The sword is HANGING. Ready to fall and it will have no choice but to fall except you repent(verse 6). So you have a chance to change as a people, but the declaration is that even with this warning I know that you will not repent. 400 years is a long time as well, none of them will be around so why would they want to change their ways for some thing that will not happen for 400 years? ] and four hundred years pass not away save the sword of justice falleth upon this people.

6 Yea, heavy destruction awaiteth this people, and it surely cometh unto this people, [ "Surely" is used twice in this paragraph and they point with absolutness in both directions - one being absolute destruction and the other being saved through repentance - these are your only two choices. If you do not choose Christ and faith in him, with repentance then the destruction will absolutely befall you. ] and nothing can save this people save it be repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ, who surely shall come into the world, and shall suffer many things and shall be slain for his people.

7 And behold, an angel of the Lord [Why do angels visit men? see Moroni 7:30-3 ] hath declared it unto me, and he did bring glad tidings to my soul. And behold, I was sent unto you to declare it unto you also, that ye might have glad tidings; [ The first assignment from the angel to Samuel was to preach glad tidings that could be hd through repentance. ] but behold ye would not receive [ However he had to abandon that message because no one would listen. ]

8 Therefore, thus saith the Lord: Because of the hardness of the hearts of the people of the Nephites, except they repent I will take away my word from them, [ What happens when the gospel is taken away from them even if they are not believers? ] and I will withdraw my Spirit from them, [ What is the result of the spirit of the Lord being withdran from a people? ] and I will suffer them no longer, [ Or he will completely abandon them. see 1 Ne. 2:23-24. ] and I will turn the hearts of their brethren against them . [ Let the greed of the natural man overtake them in war. ]

9 And four hundred years shall not pass away before I will cause that they shall be smitten; [so what is the big deal here - If they will not have the destruction for 400 years none will be around to see if so it is not of any consequence to them right? Or is he threatening them with 400 years of
suffering, of being smitten, of being slain by the sword, of famine, and of disease (v. 8-9). Then, after about 400 years of this, they will be annihilated (v. 10). In other words, the Lord is promising them their entire lives and their children's lives, and their grandchildren's lives will be unmitigated hell unless they repent. Note v. 9-10 establish 400 years equals 4 generations. This follows the pattern of punishment established in the Law. Those among Israel who deliberately pervert the ways of the Lord and teach their children to do so are punished so long as they fail to repent. In the Law this is extended to the third and fourth generation, which is the extreme to which a father could directly influence his offspring, cf. Exod. 20:5. ] yea, I will visit them with the sword and with famine and with pestilence.

10 Yea, I will visit them in my fierce anger, and there shall be those of the fourth generation who shall live, [ The metric used is a generation which is equal to about 100 years, cp. 4 Ne. 1:22. Naturally, this is the long generation, and would refer to the extreme of a contemporary natural life span. Whereas a short generation, or "rising generation", is about 20 years, cp. Mosiah. ] of your enemies, to behold your utter destruction; and this shall surely come except ye repent, saith the Lord; and those of the fourth generation shall visit your destruction.

11 But if ye will repent and return unto the Lord your God I will turn away mine anger, saith the Lord; [ The Lord alway leaves the option open to us, it is us who must repeant; and if we will he will open and provide all of the promised blessings. Thus showing that the design and the purpose of the covenant cursings are to humble men and get them to repent. ] yea, thus saith the Lord, blessed are they who will repent and turn unto me, but wo unto him that repenteth not.

12 Yea, wo unto this great city of Zarahemla; for behold, it is because of those who are righteous that it is saved; [ The warning to Zarahemla is reminiscent of Abraham's instruction from the Lord over Sodom in Gen. 18:23-33. The power that the righteous can have on the people of a nation. We should never underestimate the power of a few, or even one righteous person in a group. Here there are sufficient righteous in Zarahemla to warrant the stay of execution, but if the wicked ever expel or dispose of them then the Lord will burn the city off the face of the earth. We see in 16:1-2 there are a substantial number of righteous who do repent as a result of Samuel's ministry. Interesting side note that in the destruction of 3 Ne. 8:8 it says "the city of Zarahemla did take fire" when here in v. 13 the Lord threatens them with fire. ] yea, wo unto this great city, for I perceive, saith the Lord, that there are many, yea, even the more part of this great city, that will harden their hearts against me, saith the Lord.

13 But blessed are they who will repent, for them will I spare. But behold, if it were not for the righteous who are in this great city, behold, I would cause that fire should come down out of heaven and destroy it.

14 But behold, it is for the righteous’ sake that it is spared. But behold, the time cometh, saith the Lord, that when ye shall cast out the righteous from among you, then shall ye be ripe for destruction; yea, wo be unto this great city, because of the wickedness and abominations which are in her.

15 Yea, and wo be unto the city of Gideon, [ Once a very righteous city, so maybe that is why it is singled out to show contrast. Alma 7:6, Alma 30:21-22 The city of Gideon is not mentioned again by name; not even when all of the cities that were destroyed in 3 Ne.8. ] for the wickedness and abominations which are in her.

16 Yea, and wo be unto all the cities which are in the land round about, which are possessed by the Nephites, because of the wickedness and abominations which are in them.

17 And behold, a curse shall come upon the land, [and what is that curse? The curse is that since weath has become the primary love of the people, the Lord will make sure that their weath disapates either through thieft and even those who take every measure to hide it will loose it. ] saith the Lord of Hosts [ What exactly does “host” mean? The phrase “Lord of Hosts” is the same as the “Lord of Sabaoth.” “The Lord of Sabaoth was a title of Jehovah; the hosts were the armies of Israel (1 Sam. 17:45), but also included the angelic armies of heaven” (Bible Dictionary, “Sabaoth,”. ] , because of the peoples’ sake who are upon the land, yea, because of their wickedness and their abominations.

18 And it shall come to pass, saith the Lord of Hosts, yea, our great and true God, that whoso shall hide up treasures in the earth shall find them again no more, [ Those that try to hide their weath in the ground so that it is not stolen will loose it anyway, as the Lord will see to that. ] because of the great curse of the land, save he be a righteous man and shall hide it up unto the Lord. [ The Lord will protect the treasures of the righteous who hold their weath to build his kingdom. The Lord is perfectly willing to bless the righteous with material wealth and physical comforts, so long as they enjoy it and use it in righteousness and acknowledge the source, cf. v. 21-22. The problem is most people can't seem to deal with wealth. ]

19 For I will, saith the Lord, that they shall hide up their treasures unto me; and cursed be they who hide not up their treasures unto me; for none hideth up their treasures unto me save it be the righteous; and he that hideth not up his treasures unto me, cursed is he, and also the treasure, and none shall redeem it because of the curse of the land.

20 And the day shall come that they shall hide up their treasures, because they have set their hearts upon riches; and because they have set their hearts upon their riches, and will hide up their treasures when they shall flee before their enemies; because they will not hide them up unto me, cursed be they and also their treasures; and in that day shall they be smitten, saith the Lord.

21 Behold ye, the people of this great city, and hearken [ Hebrew "Shema" is translated here as hearken which means to "listen" and "obey". ] unto my words; yea, hearken unto the words which the Lord saith; for behold, he saith that ye are cursed because of your riches, [ We have to make sure that we read this the correct way. They are not cursed because they have money, but it is the money that is causing the curse, because of their love for the money - that is where they have set their hearts, that is what they really love. ] and also are your riches cursed because ye have set your hearts upon them , [ How does th wealth itself get cursed? Because it is not fulfilling the measure of its creation, used to bless others. See Matt. 6:24. Isa. 2:7-8, Isa. 3:16-23, 1 Tim. 6:10. ] and have not hearkened unto the words of him who gave them unto you.

22 Ye do not remember the Lord your God in the things with which he hath blessed you, but ye do always remember your riches, not to thank the Lord your God for them; yea, your hearts are not drawn out unto the Lord, but they do swell with great pride, [ Because you have money you think that you are better than another. ] unto boasting, and unto great swelling, envyings, strifes, malice, persecutions, and murders, and all manner of iniquities.

23 For this cause hath the Lord God [ µyhla hwhy Yehovah Elohim, which we translate 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 a curse should come upon the land, and also upon your riches, and this because of your iniquities.

24 Yea, wo unto this people, because of this time which has arrived, that ye do cast out the prophets, and do mock them, and cast stones at them, and do slay them, and do all manner of iniquity unto them, even as they did of old time.

25 And now when ye talk, ye say: If our days had been in the days of our fathers of old, we would not have slain the prophets; we would not have stoned them, and cast them out. [ Why is it so hard for us to see our own faults or why do we think we are spiritually better off than we are? It appears that our hindsight can be 20/20 we can see how we would not have behaved a certain way because we can also see the cause effect of the words of the prophets, and how they were fulfilled, but when we are living in the moment we cannot see - thus is the reason to have a prophet who see's beyond the horizon. ]

26 Behold ye are worse than they; for as the Lord liveth, if a prophet come among you and declareth unto you the word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry with him, and cast him out and seek all manner of ways to destroy him; yea, you will say that he is a false prophet, and that he is a sinner, and of the devil, because he testifieth that your deeds are evil.

27 But behold, if a man shall come among you and shall say: Do this, and there is no iniquity; [ Or tell you what you want to hear. Do what you want. ] do that and ye shall not suffer; [ Or don't worry about what you do, do what you want to do as there is really no accountability. ] yea, he will say: Walk after the pride of your own hearts; yea, walk after the pride of your eyes, and do whatsoever your heart desireth—and if a man shall come among you and say this, ye will receive him, and say that he is a prophet. [ Micah 2:11 You only want to listen to those who will tell you what you want to hear. ]

28 Yea, ye will lift him up, and ye will give unto him of your substance; ye will give unto him of your gold, and of your silver, and ye will clothe him with costly apparel; and because he speaketh flattering words unto you, [ Tels you what you want to hear. What is the best way to increase paying customers? To pay them what they want to hear. ] [ A prophets job it to lead you back to God, we know that this requires repentance, change of character. A prophet it is not there just to build you up and tell you what you want to hear, he is there to get you to change and adopt the ways of God. But it is that we want to hear that we are okay, we do not need to change, and those who will say what you want to hear, those who will just go with the woke ideas of the populas are the ones that most people will follow. ] and he saith that all is well, then ye will not find fault with him.

29 O ye wicked and ye perverse generation; ye hardened and ye stiffnecked people, how long will ye suppose that the Lord will suffer you? Yea, how long will ye suffer yourselves to be led by foolish and blind guides? Yea, how long will ye choose darkness rather than light?

30 Yea, behold, the anger of the Lord is already kindled against you; behold, he hath cursed the land because of your iniquity.

31 And behold, the time cometh that he curseth your riches, that they become slippery, that ye cannot hold them; and in the days of your poverty ye cannot retain them. [ How are their riches slippery? The Gadianton robbers are taking what they want. The ultimate fulfillment of the riches being slippery is found in Mormon 1:18; 2:10.]

32 And in the days of your poverty ye shall cry unto the Lord; [ At this point their poverty is not only from material wealth but also spiritual poverty having turned from the Lord and lost those blessings as well. ] and in vain shall ye cry, for your desolation is already come upon you, and your destruction is made sure; and then shall ye weep and howl in that day, saith the Lord of Hosts. And then shall ye lament, and say:

33 O that I had repented, and had not killed the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out. Yea, in that day ye shall say: O that we had remembered the Lord our God in the day that he gave us our riches, [ This ia a quote from the Book of Enoch which Samuel would have had access to in the plates of brass. Enoch tolds his people. “Ye have not remembered the Lord in the days he gave you your riches; ye have gone astray that your riches shall not remain, because you have done evil in everything. Cursed are you and cursed are your riches.” (Book Of Enoch Chapter 2 Wisdom of Enoch verse 35) ] and then they would not have become slippery that we should lose them; for behold, our riches are gone from us.[ Compare this verse with 3 Ne. 8:24-25. ]

34 Behold, we lay a tool here and on the morrow it is gone; and behold, our swords are taken from us in the day we have sought them for battle.

35 Yea, we have hid up our treasures and they have slipped away from us, because of the curse of the land.

36 O that we had repented in the day that the word of the Lord came unto us; for behold the land is cursed, and all things are become slippery, and we cannot hold them.

37 Behold, we are surrounded by demons, yea, we are encircled about by the angels of him who hath sought to destroy our souls. Behold, our iniquities are great. O Lord, canst thou not turn away thine anger from us? And this shall be your language in those days.

38 But behold, your days of probation are past; ye have procrastinated the day of your salvation until it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure; yea, for ye have sought all the days of your lives for that which ye could not obtain; and ye have sought for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head. [“Have you noticed how Satan works to capture the mind and emotions with flashing images, blaring music, and the stimulation of every physical sense to excess? He diligently strives to fill life with action, entertainment, and stimulation so that one cannot ponder the consequences of his tempting invitations. Think of it. some are tempted to violate the most basic commandments of God because of seductive actions portrayed as acceptable. They are made to seem attractive, even desirable. There seems to be no serious consequence, but rather apparent lasting joy and happiness. But recognize that those performances are controlled by scripts and actors. The outcome of decisions made is likewise manipulated to be whatever the producer wants. “Life is not that way. Yes, moral agency allows you to choose what you will, but you cannot control the outcome of those choices. Unlike the false creations of man, our Father in Heaven determines the consequences of your choices. Obedience will yield happiness, while violation of His commandments will not” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2004, 105; or Ensign, May 2004, 102). In what ways does Alma 41:10–11 relate to Helaman 13:38? Why is it impossible to find happiness in sin? ]

39 O ye people of the land, that ye would hear my words! And I pray that the anger of the Lord be turned away from you, and that ye would repent and be saved.