“The Brothers Nephi and Lehi,” Book of Mormon Stories (2023)
The Brothers Nephi and Lehi
Hearing a voice from heaven
Nephi and Lehi were brothers who wanted everyone to know about the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Nephites and Lamanites were at war, but the brothers still taught people from both groups. One day as they traveled to teach people, an army of the Lamanites put them in prison.
Helaman 3:20–21, 37; 4:4–5, 14; 5:4–21
Many days later, the army came to the prison to put Nephi and Lehi to death.
Before anyone could hurt Nephi and Lehi, a circle of fire appeared around them. The fire did not burn them. Instead, God kept them safe. Then the ground shook. It felt like the prison walls were going to fall down. Soon, a dark cloud covered everyone else in the prison. The people were very scared.
A voice came from above the dark cloud. It was quiet, like a whisper, but the people felt it in their hearts. It was God’s voice. God told them to repent.
The ground and the prison shook more. The voice came again and told the people to repent. The people could not move because of the cloud and their fear.
One man in the crowd was named Aminadab. He once belonged to the Church of God. He saw that Nephi’s and Lehi’s faces began to shine brightly. They looked like angels. It seemed that they were talking to someone in heaven. Aminadab told everyone to look at Nephi and Lehi.
The people asked Aminadab what they could do to get rid of the dark cloud. Aminadab shared what he knew about God and Jesus. He told the people to repent, have faith in Jesus, and pray to God. The people listened to Aminadab. They prayed until the darkness went away.
The fire from God surrounded all the people and did not burn them. The people were filled with the Holy Ghost and were very happy. They said amazing things. The voice came again. It told them to have peace because of their faith in Jesus. Angels came and visited the people.
Nephi, Lehi, and all the people left the prison. They told many people across the land what they had seen and heard that day. Most of the Lamanites believed and chose to follow Jesus. They stopped fighting in the war. Instead, they helped people to have faith in Jesus and repent.