Ether Chapter 1 Moroni abridges the writings of Ether—Ether’s genealogy is set forth—The language of the Jaredites is not confounded at the Tower of Babel—The Lord promises to lead them to a choice land and make them a great nation.
Ether Chapter 2 The Jaredites prepare for their journey to a promised land—It is a choice land whereon men must serve Christ or be swept off—The Lord talks to the brother of Jared for three hours—The Jaredites build barges—The Lord asks the brother of Jared to propose how the barges will be lighted.
Ether Chapter 3 The brother of Jared sees the finger of the Lord as He touches sixteen stones—Christ shows His spirit body to the brother of Jared—Those who have a perfect knowledge cannot be kept from within the veil—Interpreters are provided to bring the Jaredite record to light.
Ether Chapter 4 Moroni is commanded to seal up the writings of the brother of Jared—They will not be revealed until men have faith even as the brother of Jared—Christ commands men to believe His words and those of His disciples—Men are commanded to repent, believe the gospel, and be saved.
Ether Chapter 5 Three witnesses and the work itself will stand as a testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.
The book of Ether is the record of the Jaredites, who arrived in the promised land centuries before the Nephites. God inspired Moroni to include Ether’s record in the Book of Mormon because of its relevance to our day.
Ether 1-3
Jaredites Leave Babel
Heavenly Father hears and answers my prayers.
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “Ether 1-5”
- If you know a language that your children don’t, give them some simple directions in that language ( or play a recording of another language, or invite a ward member who knows another language to say a few sentences in that language). (Explain how the brother of Jared prayed that he and his friends and family would be able to understand one another (see Ether 1:34–37).) Emphasize how the Lord felt about this prayer and how He responded (see also “Chapter 50: The Jaredites Leave Babel,” Book of Mormon Stories, 143–44).
Primary 4 Manual: Book of Mormon “The Jaredites Are Led to the Promised Land”
Give each child one of the papers with the phrase “Stand up, turn around, and sit quietly” written on it in one of the various languages. Ask the class members to follow the instructions on their papers.
Why are you all not able to follow the instructions? (Show the English version, and explain that each of their papers said the same thing but were in a different language.)
What would it be like if you were not able to understand the people around you? Explain that today the children will learn about a family who lived at the time of the Tower of Babel.
Book of Mormon Stories “The Jaredites Leave Babel” Images and Video
Building Barges
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “Ether 1-5”
- Your children could pretend to build a barge as you read Ether 2:16–17. Then you and your children could read about the problems the Jaredites had with their barges (see Ether 2:19) (Ask the children what they would do about these problems. Read Ether 2:18–19 to teach the children how the brother of Jared took his problems to the Lord in prayer.) Discuss the different ways the Lord answered the brother of Jared’s prayers (see Ether 2:19–25; 3:1–6). The picture and activity page at the end of this outline could help you and your children tell the story. What do we learn from the brother of Jared about prayer? Consider sharing an experience in which you prayed for help and Heavenly Father helped you. (Invite the children to think about problems they need help with. How can they follow the example of the brother of Jared to find solutions to their problems? Testify that we can always pray when we have questions or problems. Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “Ether 1–5)
Book of Mormon Stories “The Jaredites Travel to the Promised Land” Images and Video
- Place 16 stones throughout the classroom, and invite the children to count them as they find them.
- Color the stones yellow to represent the light Jesus Christ gave them while reminding them that Heavenly Father and Jesus can make miracles happen when we have faith in them and pray!
- It could also be fun to use decorative stones like these ones for this. I’m pretty sure that Dollar Tree sells these.
Friend November 2024 “Come, Follow Me Activities: Painting Rocks”
- The brother of Jared asked the Lord to touch stones so his boats could have light (see Ether 3). Collect rocks from outside or cut circles from pieces of paper. On your rocks or paper, write, draw, or paint things that you can do to bring light and love to others.
Lesson 40: The Jaredites Are Led to the Promised Land
Teaching the Scripture Readers
Was the brother of Jared the first person to see the Lord?
God had shown Himself to other prophets before the brother of Jared (for example, see Moses 7:4, 59), so why did the Lord say to him, “Never have I showed myself unto man”? (Ether 3:15). Elder Jeffrey R. Holland offered this possible explanation: “Christ was saying to the brother of Jared, ‘Never have I showed myself unto man in this manner, without my volition, driven solely by the faith of the beholder’” (Christ and the New Covenant [1997], 23).Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Book of Mormon 2020 “Ether 1–5: “Rend That Veil of Unbelief””
Brother of Jared Sees the Finger of the Lord
I was created in the image of God.
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “Ether 1-5”
- As they grow, your children will encounter many false messages about God, themselves, and their physical bodies. You might ask them to help you find truths about these topics in Ether 3:6–16. To emphasize the truth taught in Ether 3:13, 15, you could look at a picture of the Savior together and invite your children to point to various parts of His body. They could then point to the same part of their own bodies. (Explain that when the brother of Jared saw Jesus Christ, he learned that we all look like Jesus. Testify that we were created to look like our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “)
- You could also sing together a song related to our bodies, such as “The Lord Gave Me a Temple” (Children’s Songbook, 153). You and your children could talk about why you are grateful for your bodies.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “Ether 1–5: “Rend That Veil of Unbelief”
- Senior Primary Read with the children Ether 3:6–16, and help them make a list of things the brother of Jared learned about the Lord from this experience. Why is it important to know these things? For example, how does it affect the way we view our bodies to know that we are created in the Lord’s image?
- Write physical body and spiritual body on the board. Invite the children to share characteristics of a physical body (we have skin, blood, and so on), and write their answers on the board. Read Ether 3:4–17 together, and invite the children to look for what they learn about our spiritual bodies. Testify that our bodies and spirits were “created after [Jesus’s] own image” (Ether 3:15).
Friend November 2024 “Come, Follow Me Activities” For younger children: Read Ether 3:15 to your little ones and tell them we were made to look like God. Then make a healthy snack or go on a walk together to take care of the bodies God gave you.
Ether 4
Persuadeth to Do Good
After reading these verses, family members could write down some everyday things that influence your family (such as movies, songs, games, or people) on slips of paper and place them in a bowl. Then they could take turns picking one and discussing whether it “persuadeth [them] to do good” (Ether 4:12). What changes does your family feel inspired to make?,Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Book of Mormon 2020 “Ether 1–5: “Rend That Veil of Unbelief””
Sing “Choose the Right Way” (Children’s Songbook, 160–61).
Ether 5
Three witnesses testified of the Book of Mormon.
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “Ether 1-5”
- Moroni prophesied that the Three Witnesses would help establish the truth of the Book of Mormon. To teach what a witness is, you could ask your children to describe something they have seen or experienced that others have not. Then as you read Ether 5 together, you could talk about why God uses witnesses in His work. You could also share with each other how you know the Book of Mormon is true and how you can share your witness with others.
The Red Crystal I brought out the box and excitedly told the kids (ages 3 and 4) that I had an elephant in the box. As I’d hoped, they didn’t believe that I had a great big elephant in this little box. So I let grandma look in the box. She bore her “witness” that there was, indeed, an elephant in the box. I asked them again if they believed that there was an elephant in the box now that two of us had seen it. This time they said yes!!
We explained how this was just like the golden plates. We haven’t seen them, but because of the testimonies of these men, we have greater trust that they are indeed real. That’s why we have these testimonies and why they are important. (This is a super cute idea from Katie Flaniken)
Additional Resources
Friend November 2024 “The Brother of Jarod”
Friend November 2024 “The Jaredite Barges”
Friend November 2020 “The Brother of Jared” Read this rock art story about the Brother of Jared and then go outside and find 16 stones of different shapes and sizes. Use them to create a scene from this story!
Friend November 1988 “Scriptural Giants: The Brother of Jared”
Friend October 2016 “Traveling to the Promised Land”
Latter Day Kids “Prayer” Lesson ideas
Friend November 1988 “Annette’s Very Own Scriptures” A teacher tells the story of the brother of Jared using some fun ideas.
Friend November 2020 “Funstuff: The Jaredite Maze” Follow the maze through each barge to learn about the Jaredites’ journey. Be sure to read each scripture along the way!
Book of Mormon Coloring Book “The Brother of Jared Saw the Lord’s Finger”
Primary 4 Manual: Book of Mormon “The Jaredites Are Led to the Promised Land”
Activity:
Using the chalkboard or a poster, make a tic-tac-toe board. Divide the class into two groups, one using the x’s and the other the o’s. If the question you ask is answered correctly, that group gets to choose where to put the x or o. The object is to get three x’s or o’s in a row. When any question is missed, the opposing team gets a chance to answer the same question. (Refer to lesson 18 for directions.) The following are possible review questions about the Jaredites (you will need to add others.):
How many stones were placed in each barge? (Two.)
How long did it take for Jared, his brother, and their families and friends to cross the ocean? (Almost a year.)
What was the name of the high tower the wicked people were building? (Tower of Babel.)
Why did the brother of Jared prepare the sixteen small stones? (To make a source of light for their journey.)
How did Jesus Christ make each stone shine? (With his power by touching them with his finger.)
See the lesson for questions to ask while studying each scripture.
Friend November 1988
“The Brother of Jared Sees Jesus Christ” (December 2012 Friend)
“Matthew’s Family Home Evening Lesson” (September 1992 Friend)
A young boy has his family act out the story of the Jaredites for family home evening.
“Safe on the Sea” (October 2011 Friend)
President Thomas S. Monson uses the story of the Jaredites to teach how to be safe on the seas of life. Includes a coloring page of a child in a boat.
“Brothers of Faith” (May 1971 Friend) Crossword puzzle Complete the blanks in the story (See story at link)
“Book of Mormon Timeline” (October 2011 Liahona and Ensign)
A timeline that shows how the Jaredites fit chronologically in the Book of Mormon.
Gospel Art Picture: “The Brother of Jared Seeing the Finger of the Lord”
Scripture Figures: “The Brother of Jared Sees Jesus” (January 1992 Friend)
Scripture Figures: “The Jaredites Are Led to the Promised Land” (October 2012 Liahona and Friend)
Come Follow Me Kid Review Game
