An Abridgment of the Record of Lehi
by
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The record of the prophet Lehi, the son of Samuel, and the father of Nephi and his brothers; Lehi’s youth with the Jews in the land of Egypt; his vision of the Lord and his prophecies to the Jews in the city of Jerusalem; his family life on their farm in the land of Judea; their wandering in the desert of Arabia; the description of the brass plates; of the Liahona; their building the ship of Nephi; and their sailing across the great sea to the land of promise. Wherefore, this is an abridgment of the record of the prophet Lehi; or, in other words, I, Lehi, wrote this record.
Chapter 1
Lehi makes a record and tells of his forefathers in the land of Egypt. In his youth Lehi seeks for knowledge and the will of God. His kinsmen were coppersmiths and merchants. Lehi leaves his family in Egypt and journeys to Jerusalem. Lehi marries Sariah and his first two sons are born at the house of Laban in the city of Jerusalem. Lehi names his sons after his forefathers.
1:1 Behold I, Lehi, do make a record of my proceedings in my days. I am the son of Samuel who dwelt all his days in the land of Egypt. And I do inscribe my record on plates of copper and gold alloy, and, behold, I do call it the Book of Lehi.
1:2 And, behold, my father Samuel was a coppersmith and merchant, and he had attained to much riches. And there were many Jews who did seek after riches and the things of the world. For they were like the Jews who dwelt at Jerusalem; for they did not seek after the Lord and the riches of his righteousness, but they did seek after the riches of the world.
1:3 Now my forefathers and the Jews that dwelt in Egypt; even though they did not seek to know their God; nevertheless, they did teach their children to believe in God and to keep the commandments. And my father was a learned man, according to both the learning of the Jews and the Egyptians.
1:4 And I do call my people the Jews in Egypt; but behold, they were Israelites of the tribe of Manasseh who escaped from northern Israel before the war with Assyria. But, behold, most of Israel has become lost to the world, and we are all called Jews by other nations. Wherefore, we do also call ourselves Jews.
1:4 Wherefore, I, Lehi, was taught the scriptures and the traditions of the Jews from the days of our fathers. And I, Lehi, did spend much of my time in the pursuit of knowledge and in seeking the will of the Lord my God. Yea, from the days of my youth I did seek to know my God.
1:5 And even as a child these things were of the greatest interest to me. Yea, I did seek to understand the things of God with all my heart. Yea, I did even dream that I might someday become like the great prophet Moses, and that I might do some great work for the Lord my God.
1:6 Now the learning and the writing of my father, and the other Jews in Egypt, was not according to the Jews at Jerusalem; nor was it according to the Egyptians. For, behold, the Jews in Egypt did develop their own kind of writing. But, nevertheless, they could speak with both the Egyptians and with the people of other nations. Yea, my people could speak in several languages, for that was useful in the manner of their employment.
1:7 Yea, my father and some of the Jews in Egypt did grow rich by the manner of their employment. Now some of the Jews did barter with the traders among the camel caravans, and they were good with languages. Others of my people became skillful in the working of metal, in the smelting of copper, and in the casting of bronze. And there was also much gold in Egypt. But, behold, the great metal in Egypt was copper.
1:8 But, behold, the time came that I, Lehi, did feel that I should leave the Jews in the land of Egypt and return to the land of my fathers, even back to the land of Jerusalem. And, surely, it was from the promptings of the Spirit of God that I did feel that I should return back to Jerusalem. For, behold, I was there called of God to prophesy unto the Jews in the great city of Jerusalem; and of their impending judgment if they did not repent and return unto the Lord their God. Yea, that was my first calling.
1:9 However, let me first write somewhat concerning my father’s family and of my youth among the Jews in the land of Egypt. And I write this record, praying unto the Lord my God, that this record might someday come forth; that it might bear witness to the truth; and that the world might know of the tender mercies of our God and of his longsuffering in behalf of Israel.
1:10 For God was justified in bringing in those judgments upon this people. And the prophets were faithful in doing what they could in their attempt to get the Jews in Jerusalem to repent and to return back unto the Lord their God. Wherefore I, Lehi, was one of the prophets whom the Lord sent to testify of these things unto the Jews
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About the Book
Part I of this book gives an abridgment of the record of the prophet Lehi, which was the first book engraved upon the gold plates of the Book of Mormon. The original Book of Lehi, which was translated by Joseph Smith in 1828, was stolen and became lost from the Book of Mormon. Since that time they have simply been referred to as the lost 116 manuscript pages. This plain abridgment of the record of Lehi answers several questions about the origin of the Book of Mormon. For instance, it explains the connection with Egypt, revealing that Lehi was a Jew, or rather an Israelite, from the land of Egypt. It reveals that Laban’s plates of brass were actually Lehi’s plates of brass that were made by his people in the land of Egypt. As well, it reveals that the land of their inheritance is simply their house and farm, which was near Hebron in the land of Judea. Since this is from the personal account of the record of Lehi, he describes the nature and function of the Liahona, the making and composition of the metal plates, and their building the ship of Nephi at Bountiful. Lehi further explains something about the characters of their language which were inscribed upon the metal plates. The characters had been developed by his forefathers who were Israelites living in the land of Egypt, which were unique to them, and they cannot be proved to the world. Part II of this book describes a simple and realistic model for the unknown geography of the Book of Mormon. After all these years the actual geographic setting for the locations found in the Book of Mormon has not been understood. If the account in the book is true, then there is a real geography to be found, as well. The author believes that he has discovered a simple and realistic answer to the question of the Book of Mormon geography. The author has a testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, and believes that those were real lands, and cities, and events that were so faithfully recorded therein. He wishes to make those places and events more realistic to people when they read and study the Book of Mormon.
About the Author
William C. Chappell, the author of this book, was originally from Tyner, Jackson County, Kentucky. He was raised in a Christian family on a farm among the rolling hills of Appalachia. William is a graduate of Berea College and is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served in the US Air Force, and has retired from a career with the Kentucky state government.
The author has been blessed with great inspiration, whereby he has come to the knowledge of the truths revealed in this book. He does not claim any special intelligence or righteousness. He does claim that these things have become known to him by the spiritual gift of the word of knowledge. The author‘s purpose is to restore some of the lost record of the prophet Lehi, and also some of the geography of the Book of Mormon.