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.
Story Ideas
Book of Mormon Stories “The Jaredites Leave Babel” Images and Video
Book of Mormon Stories “The Jaredites Travel to the Promised Land” Images and Video
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”
Friend November 1988
Friend November 1988 “Annette’s Very Own Scriptures” A teacher tells the story of the brother of Jared using some fun ideas.
Activity Ideas
Friend November 2020 “Come, Follow Me for Little Ones” Read Ether 3:4 together and review the story of how the brother of Jared built ships to travel to the promised land. (You could use the illustrated story on pages FJ4–6 of the October 2016 Friend.) Then hide 16 stones and help your children find them. When you’re done, help your little ones say, “God can help me solve my problems.”
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”
Book of Mormon Coloring Book “The Jaredite Barges”
Song Ideas
Sing “Choose the Right Way” (Children’s Songbook, 160–61).
Lessons
Lesson 40: The Jaredites Are Led to the Promised Land
Teaching the Scripture Readers
Primary 4 Manual: Book of Mormon “The Jaredites Are Led to the Promised Land”
- Write the phrase “Stand up, turn around, and sit quietly” on a slip of paper. Then, using the other languages below, make enough copies of the phrase in foreign languages so the rest of the children can have one.
- German: Steh auf, dreh dich um, und sitz still.
- Italian: Alzati, girati, siediti, e stai tranquillo.
- Danish: Rejs dig op, vend dig omkring, sæt dig stille ned.
- Swedish: Ställa upp, vänd dig omkring, sätt dig stilla ned.
- French: Lève-toi, tourne-toi, et assieds-toi tranquillement.
- Portuguese: Levante-se, vire-se, e sente-se silenciosamente!
- Spanish: Ponte de pie, date una vuelta, y siéntate en silencio.
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?
Briefly tell the story of the Tower of Babel from Genesis 11:1–9.
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.
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.
Lesson Ideas
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””
Heavenly Father hears and answers my prayers. I can receive revelation to help me.
Ether 1:33–43; 2:16–25; 3:1–17
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “Ether 1–5: “Rend That Veil of Unbelief”
Invite a few ward members who know another language to say a few sentences in that language for your class (or play a recording of another language). Let the children pretend to speak another language, and point out how hard it is to understand one another when we don’t speak the same language. Use this to introduce the account of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1–9 and Ether 1:33. 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). Read and help the children understand the Lord’s response to his prayer in Ether 1:35.
Before class, write the phrase “Stand up, turn around, and sit down” in different languages on several slips of paper (you could use an online translator or the help of someone who knows another language). Give one slip to each of the children, and invite them to try to follow the instructions. Use this to help explain what motivated the brother of Jared’s prayers in Ether 1:33–37.
- Invite the children to pretend to build a barge, as described in Ether 2:16–17. Explain the problems the Jaredites had with their barges (see Ether 2:19), and 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. Testify that we can always pray when we have questions or problems.
- Briefly summarize Ether 2:19–3:6 to explain how the Lord responded to the brother of Jared’s questions about the barges. Place 16 stones throughout the classroom, and invite the children to count them as they find them.
Assign each child to read one of the following passages, and help them look for a question or problem the brother of Jared had: Ether 1:33–35; Ether 1:36–37; and Ether 2:18–20. What did the brother of Jared do about these problems or questions? How did the Lord help him in each case? 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? Share an experience in which you prayed for help and the Lord helped you.
Friend November 2020 “Come Follow Me for Little Ones: The Promised Land” Read Ether 3:4 together and review the story of how the brother of Jared built ships to travel to the promised land. (You could use the illustrated story on pages FJ4–6 of the October 2016 Friend.) Then hide 16 stones and help your children find them. When you’re done, help your little ones say, “God can help me solve my problems.”
I was created in the image of God.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “Ether 1–5: “Rend That Veil of Unbelief”
- Show a picture of the Savior, and invite the children to point to various parts of His body. Read Ether 3:13 and 15, and explain that when the brother of Jared saw Jesus Christ, he learned that we all look like Jesus. As you point to a body part in the picture, invite them to point to the same part of their own bodies. Testify that we were created to look like our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
- Sing together a song related to our bodies, such as “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” (Children’s Songbook, 275). Help the children talk about why they are grateful for different parts of their bodies.
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””
Three witnesses testify of the Book of Mormon.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “Ether 1–5: “Rend That Veil of Unbelief”
Moroni prophesied that the Three Witnesses would help establish the truth of the Book of Mormon.
To teach the children about the Three Witnesses, you might refer to the images in “Chapter 7: Witnesses See the Gold Plates” (Doctrine and Covenants Stories, 31–33), or the video below, and “The Testimony of Three Witnesses” in the Book of Mormon.
You could hide an object or a treat in a box and invite a family member to look inside and give the rest of the family clues to help them guess what it is. As you read Ether 5 together, discuss why it is important that the Lord uses witnesses in His work. How can we share our witness of the Book of Mormon with others? Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Book of Mormon 2020 “Ether 1–5: “Rend That Veil of Unbelief””