The words of Lehi’s seed (his descendants) speaking from “low out of the dust” with a “familiar spirit” and being “sealed up in a book” (2 Nephi 26:14–17; see also Isaiah 29:4).
What does voices from the dust mean? The prophets who wrote the Book of Mormon are long gone and their bodies have turned to dust, but we hear their words by reading the Book of Mormon.
Read 2 Nephi 27:25–26, looking for what the Lord promised He would do. Nephi prophesied that the Book of Mormon would come forth to help with the problems of the last days (see 2 Nephi 27:6).
President Russell M. Nelson stated that this “marvelous work would include the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the Restoration of the gospel” (“Scriptural Witnesses,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 46).
Nephi also wrote that God would allow a few witnesses to behold the plates the Book of Mormon was translated from and to testify of the truthfulness of the book to the world (see 2 Nephi 27:12–14). Nephi then shared a prophecy about some of the details related to the translation of the Book of Mormon.
Church History Topics “Martin Harris’s Consultations with Scholars” This article tells the story and has pictures of Martin Harris and Professor Anthon.
What did Professor Anthon say when Martin Harris first showed him a copy of some of the Book of Mormon writings? (JS—H 1:64.) Why do you think Professor Anthon tore up the certificate when he learned that an angel had shown Joseph Smith where to find the gold plates? (JS—H 1:65.
Why do you think the Lord used Joseph Smith, who was an unlearned man, to bring forth the Book of Mormon?
Emma Smith (1804–1879), the wife of the Prophet, testified of the divine assistance Joseph received in his translation of the Book of Mormon:
Joseph Smith could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter, let alone dictat[e] a book like the Book of Mormon. And, though I was an active participant in the scenes that transpired, … it is marvelous to me, “a marvel and a wonder.” …
My belief is that the Book of Mormon is of divine authenticity—I have not the slightest doubt of it. … It would have been improbable that a learned man could do this; and, for one so ignorant and unlearned as he was, it was simply impossible. (Emma Smith, in “Last Testimony of Sister Emma,” The Saints’ Herald, Oct. 1, 1879, 290)
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “2 Nephi 26-30” Explain that because of Heavenly Father’s great love for us, he has given us a gift to help us achieve eternal life (the kind of life Heavenly Father has).Show the children a Book of Mormon wrapped as a gift, and tell them that something valuable is inside. Let them hold the gift, and give clues to help them guess what it is; for example, it’s something the Lord has given us, it helps us believe in Jesus Christ, and so on. Read from 2 Nephi 30:6: “It is a blessing unto them from the hand of God.” Let the children open the gift, and then explain that we must open the Book of Mormon and read it to receive the blessings it contains.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “2 Nephi 26-30” Read 2 Nephi 28:2 to the children. Explain that Nephi saw that the Book of Mormon would “be of great worth” to us, which means that it will help and bless us. Tell the children why the Book of Mormon is of great worth to you. Share your favorite verse or story from the Book of Mormon, and invite the children to share theirs. Show pictures from the Gospel Art Book to give them ideas.
Friend February 2012 “The Book of Mormon: Our True Guide” President Henry B. Eyring teaches how the Book of Mormon is our guide to return home. The article includes a simple maze activity.
For they were the very vilest of sinners.(Mosiah 28:4) But Alma 48:17-18 talks about these men and the changes they had made.
17 Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.
18 Behold, he was a man like unto Ammon, the son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of Mosiah, yea, and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God.
Friend January 2020 “Book of Mormon Videos: Behind the Scenes” In 2019 the church made Book of Mormon videos to go with Come Follow Me: Book of Mormon 2020. This image shows how they made some of the videos.
Elder Rasband told about how the prophet gave a copy of the Book of Mormon to a king in Ghana. Together, President Nelson and the king read about Jesus Christ in 3 Nephi 11. The king said the book was more valuable than diamonds or rubies because it taught him more about Jesus.
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “1 Nephi 11-15” To help your children value the “plain and precious” truths in the Book of Mormon, you could draw a picture and invite your children to change or remove parts of the picture to make it look different. You could use this to teach that things in the Bible were changed and taken out over time. Read together 1 Nephi 13:40 and talk about how the Book of Mormon (“these last records”) helps us understand the “plain and precious things” that were lost from the Bible (the “first” records). What “plain and precious” truths have you learned from the Book of Mormon?
Nephi saw that many Plain and Precious Things would be Removed from Bible
Draw a picture on the board, and invite the children to change or remove parts of the picture to make it look different. Help them understand that, like this picture, some things in the Bible were changed and taken out over time. Read parts of 1 Nephi 13:40 that teach how the Book of Mormon (which Nephi calls “these last records”) helps us understand the “plain and precious things” that were lost from the Bible.
Book of Mormon Seminary Student Manual (2024) A bicycle is a simple and effective form of transportation. Cycling can also be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. What are some of the essential parts that allow a person to operate a bicycle safely and effectively? Imagine you owned a bicycle and someone intentionally removed certain essential parts from it.
What might those actions indicate about his or her feelings toward you?
What could happen if you attempted to operate the bicycle with missing parts?
Who might you contact to repair and restore your bicycle to function properly?
In a similar way, Satan has sought to harm and confuse God’s children by removing and changing important parts of Jesus Christ’s gospel. As you study 1 Nephi 13, look for what the Savior has done to help us overcome Satan’s obstacles.
The video “The Book of Mormon—a Book from God” (Gospel Library) could help your children see why it’s important to have both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Children might enjoy re-creating the illustration from the video. (watch to 5:41)
Why is it helpful to have more than one witness? Draw a dot on the board, label it Bible, and invite each child to draw a different straight line passing through the dot to illustrate that teachings in the Bible can be interpreted many ways when the Bible stands alone. Erase the lines, and draw a second dot labeled Book of Mormon. Invite a child to draw a straight line that passes through both dots to show that there is only one way to interpret the gospel when the Bible and Book of Mormon are used together.
Friend February 2024 “Come, Follow Me Activities: Scripture Teamwork” The Book of Mormon and the Bible work together to teach us about Jesus Christ (see 2 Nephi 3:12). Play a game about working together! Have one person crumple up pieces of paper into balls and throw them in a bowl. Have another person try to stop the papers from going in. Now try it with two people throwing papers. Which time was it easier to get papers in the bowl?
Read 1 Nephi 13:26–29 together, and invite the children to look for what happens when people do not have the “plain and precious” truths of the gospel. How did the Lord restore truths that had been lost? (see verses 35–36, 40). Invite the children to share their testimonies of truths they have learned from the Book of Mormon, or share your own.
Primary 5: Doctrine and Covenants and Church History “Lesson 20: Joseph Smith Translates the Bible and Other Scriptures,” (See more at link) Have the children stand in a line. Whisper the two- or three-sentence message into the ear of the first child in line. Have each child in turn whisper the message to the next child. Instruct each child to say the message only once. Continue until the message reaches the last child in line. Ask the last child to repeat the message aloud. Compare the message the last child received with the original message to see how the message changed.
How had the message changed by the time it reached the end of the line? What was left out? What was added?
Why do you think the message changed as it passed from person to person?
Explain to the children that just as their message changed as it was passed from person to person, over many years some of the scriptures in the Bible had been changed as people translated the Bible and made copies of it by hand. Mistakes were made: some incorrect teachings had been added to the Bible, and some important teachings had been left out. (see Articles of Faith 1:8).
Watch the following video until 3.12
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “1 Nephi 11-15 Hide around the room pictures representing gospel truths that are clarified in the Book of Mormon, such as baptism, the sacrament, and resurrection. Invite the children to find these pictures. Explain that the Book of Mormon brought back gospel truths that had been lost (during the apostasy).
Help the children memorize the eighth article of faith. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
