“Ishmael and His Family,” Book of Mormon Stories (2023)
Ishmael and His Family
Joining the journey to the promised land
Lehi and Sariah’s family lived alone in the wilderness. One day, the Lord told Lehi to send his sons, Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi, to Jerusalem. They were sent to ask Ishmael and his family to join them. Together their families could raise children in the promised land.
Ishmael and his family wanted to follow the Lord. They believed the Lord wanted them to join Lehi and Sariah’s family. They chose to leave Jerusalem and meet Lehi in the wilderness.
On their way, some people no longer wanted to obey. They wanted to go back home. Nephi asked them to have faith in the Lord.
Nephi said the Lord could do anything if they had faith. But Laman and Lemuel were mad. They tied Nephi up and wanted to leave him in the wilderness.
Nephi prayed for help. The ropes became loose, and Nephi stood up. But Laman and Lemuel still wanted to hurt him. One of Ishmael’s daughters defended Nephi. Her mother and one of her brothers also defended him. Laman and Lemuel listened to them and stopped trying to hurt Nephi.
Laman and Lemuel felt sorry about what they had done. They asked Nephi to forgive them. Nephi forgave his brothers. Then Laman and Lemuel prayed and asked the Lord to forgive them.
They all continued their journey and made it to Lehi and Sariah’s tent. Finally, the two families were together. They thanked the Lord and worshipped Him.