Jeffersonian Jarom

--------------------Chapter 1--------------------

1 Now I, Jarom, will write a few words, as I have been instructed to do so by my father Enos, so that our genealogy may be kept.

2 Since these plates are small, I must only write a little.

3 These things have been written for the intent of benefitting our brothers and sisters, the Lamanites.

4 What more could I write that my ancestors haven't?

5 Haven't they already taught us how to live a moral life?

6 Yes, they have. That's good enough for me.

7 Many of the Nephites have struggled with these lessons and have been very stubborn. They refuse to listen or see.

8 Luckily, we have not destroyed ourselves yet.

9 However, there have also been many which have not been so stubborn.

10 200 years have passed since we arrived in this land and the Nephites have grown strong.

11 We have tried to live moral lives.

12 We kept good laws.

13 We had settled far and wide across the land, and the Lamanites have as well.

14 There are many more Lamanites than Nephites.

15 They are still a murderous people.

16 They came to us again to wage war.

17 Our kings and leaders were mighty and moral men who also taught the ways of morality.

18 Because of that, we were able to work together and repel the Lamanites and sweep them out of our land.

19 We fortified our cities and our land.

20 We had many children and continued to settle new lands.

21 We became rich with silver, gold, and other precious things.

22 We were fine carpenters, masons, and industrialists. We could work iron, copper, brass, steel, and make many tools out of them - including farming equipment and weapons of war.

23 We made arrow heads, quivers, darts, javelins, and other weapons of war.

24 Since we were prepared to fight, the Lamanites could not defeat us.

25 We knew that if we were moral and worked together, nothing could defeat us.

26 This was a trying time for us, because if we did not work together, we would have been destroyed.

27 Many leaders and teachers worked hard to teach the benefits of living a moral life and persuaded people to live such a life.

28 Because of these leaders and teachers, we were kept from destruction by our ability to work together.

29 238 years had passed since Lehi found this land. We have had many wars, contentions, and dissensions during that time.

30 I, Jarom, will write no more, because these plates are small.

31 However, you can go to the other plates of Nephi, where our record of wars are kept by our kings.

32 I give these plates to my son Omni, so that they may be preserved according to the instructions which have been handed down by our ancestors.