# Book of Mormon (Plain English Version)/Words of Mormon

​The plates are passed on... (compare The Words of Mormon)
385 AD:
I, Mormon, am about to give my plates to my son Moroni. I have seen the death of almost all my people, the Nephites. I believe my son will witness their entire destruction.
May God spare him long enough to write about my people, and about Christ, so that someday his writings may be of value to my people's descendants among the Lamanites.
After I had engraved the Nephite history down to King Benjamin by referring to Nephi's large plates, I found Nephi's small plates. They contain many of Nephi's words and a brief account of the prophets from Jacob down to King Benjamin.
What pleases me most about Nephi's small plates is their account of the prophecies of Christ's coming. My ancestors knew that many of these prophecies had been fulfilled in their day.
I know the prophecies of my day have been fulfilled, and that the prophecies not yet fulfilled (like those made by Isaiah) surely will be. Because these prophecies will be fulfilled, I will pattern the rest of my record after them. I will do this as I continue referring to Nephi's large plates.
       NOTE: Among all the plates available to Mormon, the few writings ("less than 1%") that he included in "the rest of his record” contain events that strictly followed the pattern set forth by Isaiah's prophecies. Isaiah wrote about patterns that will repeat themselves in ​
       the last days. This is why Mormon’s record (The Book of Mormon), a book written to warn latter-day Israel, is patterned after Isaiah's writings.
And I cannot engrave even one percent of the history of my people, the Nephites.
Because these small plates are so choice to me, I am putting them with my plates before continuing my engraving.
I know the record of these small plates will also be choice to my brethren, the Lamanites, in the last days.
I am putting the small plates with mine because the Lord's Spirit tells me to. I don't know exactly why, for I don't know the future, but it must be for a wise purpose known to the Lord, who works His will through me.
My prayer to God is for my brethren, the Lamanites, to once again know God, to know of Christ's redemption, and to again become a delightful people.
Now I, Mormon, continue to engrave my record as I refer to Nephi's large plates. I do this according to the knowledge and understanding God has given me.
When King Benjamin received Nephi's small plates from Amaleki, he put them with Nephi's large plates that had been handed down by the kings from generation to generation.
All these plates have been handed down by King Benjamin, from generation to generation until I, Mormon, received them. I pray to God they will always be preserved, and I know they will be, for great things are written on them.
On the great and last day, my people the Nephites, and our brethren the Lamanites, will be judged ​by what is engraved on these plates.
       Now back to King Benjamin.
His own people, the Nephites, fought a great deal among themselves.
Then the Lamanite armies came from the land of Nephi to attack them. King Benjamin gathered armies to defend his people, and he himself used Laban's sword while battling the Lamanites.
Because the Nephites were strengthened by the Lord, they killed several thousand Lamanites and chased the rest of them out of their lands of inheritance.
Among the Nephites, there had been false Christs who were silenced and punished according to their crimes.
There were also false prophets, preachers and teachers among the Nephites, who had caused much of the fighting and defecting to the Lamanites. They were also punished. With the assistance of the holy prophets among his people, King Benjamin had seen to this justice.
King Benjamin was a holy man, who reigned in righteousness. There were many other holy men in the land who spoke God's words with power and authority. They spoke sharply because the Nephites were stubborn.
With the help of these holy men, and by laboring with all the strength of his body and soul, King Benjamin established peace again in the land.