Why Are Calls Given?

Scarce little did they leave me after dividing, for Father was always left with a mere pittance from the sum they removed from me. Sam was angry with them in my behalf and Father's, but he too was a younger brother to Laman and Lemuel, thus forbidden to strike them in my behalf.

Laman is a large man and broad of shoulder. His neck was thick and it was said that he could bring a bullock to its knees with one crushing blow. Lemuel was taller than Laman, but not yet as broad, but his mean-spirited soul was sharp with cunning and he it was that watched me the closest and urged Laman to further vulgar acts, should he ever need prompting. His hair was almost black on his head but there was no pride in him for that precious mane, and his beard was also tangled and wild, for he sported much with the women lounging on the darkest streets of Jerusalem, thus constantly needing even more coin to settle his debts than did Laman. Even though mother made sure they left the house in clean finery of an early morn, they were as filthy as one rolled in a pig sty when they returned in the evening. Cunning words were of little use in defense against them when their eyes glowed red with evil.

Every time that I had to tell Father that Laman or Lemuel had robbed me again he would shake his head sadly, and I imagined that his hair grew more gray even as I watched. “What can I do with them? What can I do?”

But it came to pass that one day I was in warehouse number seven and watching an intricate water clock to see how precise it was. “Of purest gold it may be, but unless every one of them is accurate I cannot offer it to those who trust me,” Father had said when assigning me to this task. I had just set a fresh clock into the testing pool when I saw a shadow fall across the water's edge, just before a rough hand grasped my the top of my robe from behind. Thus it was that the shadow took only the robe for I came free ere it tightened. With my left fist I smote the shadow with all my strength and behold, a froth of wine bubbles was sprinkled across my face. Only when he collapsed, gasping and retching into my robe did I see it was Laman whom I had struck. Fear made my knees weak for he ever was a violent man.

“You little snot,” said he. “When I can stand up again I shall strip the hide from thee in one piece from your head even unto your toe.”

It must have been a very lucky blow I struck because tears still streamed down his face and there was an intensity of hatred in his eyes I had never seen before, so that I feared for my life as he struggled to rise. But behold, Father's voice struck Laman so hard that he cringed. “No, ye shall not do Nephi harm for he was acting in my employ, protecting my goods as thou hast never done though thou art not yet a man.”
Father reached down to fetch my robe to me, then flung it away from him in disgust when he saw the back of it was soiled with Laman's vomit. “Are you this drunk so early in the day?”

“Nay,” said Laman. “But this little snot struck me when I was not looking.”
Father turned and studied my face for a moment and his eyes widened as a man's eye widens who marvels at some great thing. So I explained: “He came up behind me and made as if to strike me unconscious.” I said. “I thought he was a thief. I knew not that it was Laman when I struck.”
Father's eye turned and he looked at the golden bowl even then sinking in the water, then turned his sharp gaze upon Laman. Suddenly he picked up a camel prod and began lashing at Laman as if truly determined to kill him. It frightened me even more when he began shouting: “Thief! Robber! Winebibber, Man Of Harlots too? Shall I have thee before the council this very hour, or wilt thou now serve me as a son should and as a son must?”

If I was frightened by Father's outburst of passion, Laman was affrighted even more. The stench of him was awful in that closed area for Father wielded the prod to gouge out strips of flesh even as one sees happen in a public flogging, and Laman had soiled himself even as doth a calf that is being slaughtered by young women. He dodged and rolled until finally he gat himself standing erect in the darkened corner. He cowered downward and raised his hands to shield his eyes and ears. “Enough. Enough. I, I will serve thee.”

“Best you should,” Father agreed. He paused with the prod. “For all ye have done, the council would take great pride in stoning both of you to death.”

Of a sudden, Father glanced around as the thought quickened his suspicions. “Where IS Lemuel? I know he is in on this attack too.”

“I have not seen him, Father.” I said as he glanced my way for an answer.

“Hurry then,” he said. “As God liveth, he has bid Laman make this attack while he robbed me of my jewels in my inner chambers.”

I sprang away and ran through the aisles. The servant stepped aside when he saw me coming and I leaped straight into the chamber. There Lemuel was indeed, still kneeling before the cavity where the jewels were kept. It was too much and my temper flared hot. With one hand I grabbed Lemuel by his robe and lifted him to his feet. His eyes rolled in astonishment, perhaps at how easily I had raised him off the floor. “Come, Lemuel,” I said, my voice breaking because my heart was sick. “Father would speak with thee. No, keep those jewels yet in thine hand, Lemuel. Father knowest what thou wert doing in here.”

But behold, Father appeared in the chamber at that very moment. He was in time to witness Lemuel fling the jewels out of his hand and at my feet. “So Lemuel, thou art confederate in this matter, as I thought? So be it. We shall go before the council at once, for thou art no son of mine having done this thing unto me. The time is past when I might trust thee to serve me as a son must.”
And it came to pass that tears, tears of real remorse, sprang from the eyes of Lemuel as he realized at last how great was his transgression. He fell to his knees and clasped both hands around Father's knees. “No Father. No. I wilt serve thee. I swear it.”

“Swear then,” said Father with eyes glowing hot and fierce. “Swear now an oath unto me or thou shalt die this very day.”

Lemuel gave his oath, never raising his eyes, then he fell unto the floor as one prostrate with grief when Father nodded that he was satisfied, and Lemuel gave vent to wracking sobs, knowing of himself how worthily close to death's door he had been.

Father called in Laman and bid him carry Lemuel out, and behold, he bid them wait for him at the fountain. Then he turned to me with eyes still so hot that I too felt myself at death's very door -- though I knew myself to be innocent of any crime against my father. “They shall do all thine running and carrying from this day forth,” Father told me. “Thou shalt be left free to learn to cipher and to write the history of my accounts in a manner that I wilt show thee.”

And thus it came to pass that I was taught by the best teachers in Jerusalem at that time to cipher and to record accounts for my father. And it came to pass that when Father went himself with one of his caravans to visit a foreign land, it was I, Nephi, who was left in charge of all his affairs in Jerusalem. Laman and Lemuel, were made to do my bidding in the works of the day done for our father, but woe unto me were the nights when in our home they were the elder brothers again, and thus Sam and I did suffer many things at their hands when Father was away.

Once I had been passed as a cipher and a scribe I turned my hand at once to recording my own thoughts even as my father did, for in spite of my youth my thoughts were many and often sober. And so it came to pass that with Father to guide me I set a forge of plates to use as my own and the first thing I put into my record was: “I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days.
I make this record in the secret language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews, and in the language of the Egyptians. And I know that the record which I make is true; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according to my own knowledge.”
And it came to pass in my fourteenth year that I stood a head taller than Lemuel, with shoulders wider than Laman's and the beginnings of a beard fuzzed on my cheeks even so much that Lemuel remarked upon how often I stroked my jaw in pride. None of the youths in Jerusalem could run as I could run, nor could any receive my blows without flinching. Father had paid much gold to secure my training so that I could stand against any man with sword, knife or fist.
But behold, what pleased my father most as that Passover Season approached was that I truly listened when he read the Scriptures to us of an evening. But behold, even with the sullen airs of Laman and Lemuel my spirit was quickened when Father spoke and I counted myself one of the most fortunate youths in the world to have Father as my teacher both temporally and spiritually. When he spake of that heaven where God lives I could see it and his words rang true in the chambers of my heart.
Behold, it was only natural as that Season of the Passover approached that his mind had turned to pondering what we knew then from the Scriptures of the future advent of Christ, the Savior, the Anointed One. Behold, this, my fourteenth year, was in the commencement of the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah, (my father, Lehi, having dwelt at Jerusalem in all his days); and in that same year there came many prophets with that same token of spirit that Father had when he spoke truth in spiritual matters, prophesying unto the people that they must repent, or the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed.

Behold, I was made to feel the certainty of their words and the very thought of Jerusalem being destroyed made my heart tremble in fear. But it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth to work through the days, he prayed always unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart he prayed in behalf of his people. There were many times that he came to warehouse number seven and he and I would stand with our faces to the east and raise our voices in prayer that the hearts of the people would be softened that they might turn aside from their wicked ways even as did the people of Nineveh upon hearing the prophecies of Jonah, the son of Amittai, that the sword of destruction would not fall on our beloved city of Jerusalem. And it came to pass as Father went forth to cull his biggest camel herd that he stopped at the door to their enclosure and prayed with all his soul unto the Lord, and there came a pillar of fire and the dancing flames dwelt upon a rock before him; and my father peered into the flames he saw and heard much; and because of the things which he saw and heard his whole frame did quake and tremble exceedingly.

And it came to pass that he returned with a face pale and drawn as one who is ill to his own house at Jerusalem; and there were no readings of the Scriptures that night for he cast himself upon his bed, being overcome with the Spirit and the things which he had seen. Laman and Lemuel walked with caution that night and their loudest words were hissed in a whisper.

And being thus overcome with the Spirit, Lehi was carried away in a vision, even that he saw the heavens open, and he thought he saw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God. And it came to pass that he saw One parting the winds and descending out of the midst of heaven, and my father, Lehi beheld that his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day. But behold also, he saw twelve others following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the midnight firmament.

And it came to pass that he saw them that they came down and went forth upon the face of the earth; and the first One came and stood before my father, and gave unto him a hinged book of wax, and bade him that he should read. And it came to pass that as he read, my father was filled with the Spirit of the Lord that the eyes of his understanding were opened, and he read, saying: Wo, wo, unto Jerusalem, for I have seen thine abominations!
Yea, and many things did my father read concerning Jerusalem -- that it should be destroyed by numberless swords as if by a whirlwind, and the inhabitants thereof; many should perish by the sword, and many should be carried away captive into Babylon that Jerusalem should lose all favor in the sight of the nations.
And it came to pass that when my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things while in the Spirit that he could not doubt, he did exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as: Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth, and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!
And after this manner was the language of my father in the praising of his God; for his soul did rejoice in the Spirit, and his whole heart was filled, because of the things which he had seen, yea, which visions the Lord had shown unto him.
When he arose on the morrow morn my father's face did still shine, even so much that he could not work that day and he bid me bring his plates whereon he did write of the many things which he saw in visions and in dreams and it came to pass as he told of these things that the Spirit of the Lord did fall upon me and I knew of a surety that these things were true. I knew that my Savior lived and I knew that he had created this earth and that all men were his handiwork. Yea, his Spirit did fill my soul with joy unspeakable for the tongue of man cannot tell the power and depth of a vision from God so powerful. Behold, my joy was so great that I went out into the garden that I might be alone that I might savor of his goodness. Many times I did exclaim: God lives. Blessed by the name of the Lord.
My father also hath written many things which he prophesied and spake unto his children. Not even the prophets laboring in Jerusalem as that season approached spake so many great and marvelous things as did my father and I have abridged the record of my father even to add it to the account of mine own life for the words of my father did enter into my heart with great force. I knew of a surety that his words were true.
Behold, the Spirit of the Lord did work on my father in so much that he did seek out the Jews of Jerusalem that he might make known unto them the words given him by the Lord. Yea, my father, Lehi, went forth among the people, and began to prophesy unto them and to declare the truth of his visions which he had both seen and heard.
And it came to pass that the Jews did openly mock my father before the people because of the things which he testified of them; for he truly testified of their wicked deeds in the flesh and their secret abominations of the soul; and he testified unto the people also that the things which he saw and heard, and also the things which he read in the book, manifested plainly of the coming of the Messiah, and also the redemption of the world.
In the first hours the Jews were amused by the intensity of his purpose, even as parents might be amused by the tantrums of an unruly child, but behold, when my father persisted in his purpose and the Jews kept hearing these things from his lips, they were even angrier with him than they were with the other prophets of that day; yea, their anger mounted against him until their mein was fierce with indignation even as the Jews of former days had been angered with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned, and slain; and they also sought my father's life, that they might take it away.

The way of a prophet is a lonely one and it takes great courage to face the open scorn and hissed ridicule of a stiffnecked people. And it came to pass on the day before the Passover was upon us that some of the Jews took my father by the beard and made a show of him as they led my father out of the city and cast him headlong onto the rocks where people are stoned. But behold, as the people raised their hands to stone him it grew dark and the people looked around and behold, it was eventide and many of the people did edge away out of the crowd. Therefore the Jews said nothing when the people did let their stones fall and they only wagged the head at my father in derision, then each in turn spat upon him as they went away.
Behold, I did help my father to his feet and he leaned upon my shoulder as we did go home. And it came to pass that night that the Lord spake in a vision unto my father, yea, even in a dream, and said unto him: Blessed art thou Lehi, because of the things which thou hast done; and because thou hast been a faithful witness and did declare unto this people the things which I commanded thee, behold, they seek counsel to take away thy life. And it came to pass that the Lord commanded my father, even in a dream, that he should take his family and depart at once into the wilderness even while the Passover was being held. Thus, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen to witness in his name, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.

First Nephi