8:1 We started gathering all sorts of seeds, grains, and fruit seeds.
8:2 And while we were living in the wilderness, our father shared a divinely inspired dream, a vision.
8:3 And because of the things which I have seen, I have joy in the Lord because of Nephi and Sam, because I have reason to believe that much of their posterity will be saved.
8:4 But Laman and Lemuel, I worry because of you; for in my dream I saw a desolate, foreboding wasteland.
8:5 And I saw a man, dressed in a white robe, and he stood in front of me.
8:6 And he talked to me and asked that I follow him.
8:7 As I followed him I saw that I was in a dark and dreary waste land.
8:8 And as I traveled many hours in darkness, I prayed that the Lord would have mercy on me, according to his many tender mercies.
8:9 After I prayed, I saw a large and open field.
8:10 And I saw a tree, who’s fruit made anyone who partook happy.
8:11 I took a bite of the fruit and it was the sweetest fruit I’ve ever tasted. The fruit was white, whiter than anything I’d seen before.
8:12 I ate the fruit and it filled my soul with great joy; I wanted my family to also eat it.
8:13 I looked for my family and saw a river near the tree.
8:14 Looking to the river’s source, I spotted Sariah, Sam, and Nephi nearby, unsure which way to go.
8:15 I beckoned them to come to me; and I spoke loudly to them to come to me and eat the fruit, which was more desirable than all other fruits.
8:16 They joined me and ate the fruit also.
8:17 I wanted Laman and Lemuel to eat the fruit also and so I looked to the head of the river to find them.
8:18 I saw them but they refused to come.
8:19 I also saw a rod of iron that extended along the bank of the river and led to this tree where I stood.
8:20 There was a straight and narrow path near the rod of iron that also extended to the tree.
8:21 Countless people pressed forward to reach the path leading to the tree where I stood.
8:22 Once they entered the path, they progressed toward the tree.
8:23 But, a strong mist of darkness moved in and those that had commenced in the path lost their way, wandered off and were lost.
8:24 I saw others pressing forward, and they caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they moved through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, until they reached the tree and ate the fruit.
8:25 After they ate the fruit they looked around and were ashamed.
8:26 On the other side of the river I saw a great and spacious building, high in the air above the ground.
8:27 It was filled with people, young and old, male and female, dressed exotically. They were pointing fingers at and mocking those of us that were eating the fruit.
8:28 Those who ate the fruit and were ashamed by these scoffers, fell into forbidden paths and were lost.
8:29 Now, these aren’t all the words of my father.
8:30 To be short in writing, he saw other people pressing forward, who caught a hold of the end of the rod of iron, and they held firmly to the rod of iron until they were at the tree and ate the fruit.
8:31 He also saw others feeling their way towards the great and spacious building.
8:32 They were drowned in the river and others were lost from his view, wandering in strange roads.
8:33 Many entered into that great and spacious building. After they entered they pointed at me and those that were eating the fruit; but we didn’t pay attention to them.
8:34 Those who followed them fell away.
8:35 My father said that Laman and Lemuel did not eat the fruit.
8:36 After my father told us the story of his dream or vision, he also said that because of the things that he saw he was worried about Laman and Lemuel. He feared that they would distance themselves from God.
8:37 He pleaded with them, with all of the feeling of a tender parent, to listen to him and hopefully God would be merciful.
8:38 After he finished preaching to them, he told them to keep God’s commandments and he stopped speaking with them.
