Advanced Chiasmus or Menorah Patterns in The Book of Jacob

Book of Jacob Chapter 1

✡ Book of Jacob Chapter 2

✡Book of Jacob Chapter 3

✡Book of Jacob Chapter 4

✡Book of Jacob Chapter 5

✡Book of Jacob Chapter 6

Book of Jacob Chapter 7

Chapter 2 Jacob 2:1 1 The words which Jacob, the brother of Nephi, spake unto the people of Nephi, after the death of Nephi:

Jacob 3:13 13 And a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people, which now began to be numerous, cannot be written upon these plates; but many of their proceedings are written upon the larger plates, and their wars, and their contentions, and the reigns of their kings.

• Jacob 2:2 2 Now, my beloved brethren, I, Jacob, according to the responsibility which I am under to God, to magnify mine office with soberness, and that I might rid my garments of your sins, I come up into the temple this day that I might declare unto you the word of God. Jacob 2:3 3 And ye yourselves know that I have hitherto been diligent in the office of my calling; but I this day am weighed down with much more desire and anxiety for the welfare of your souls than I have hitherto been.
• Jacob 2:4 4 For behold, as yet, ye have been obedient unto the word of the Lord, which I have given unto you.
• Jacob 2:5 5 But behold, hearken ye unto me, and know that by the help of the all-powerful Creator of heaven and earth I can tell you concerning your thoughts, how that ye are beginning to labor in sin, which sin appeareth very abominable unto me, yea, and abominable unto God.

  χ  (The below Menorah rendered as a Chiasmus) Jacob 2:6 6 Yea, it grieveth my soul and causeth me to shrink with shame before the presence of my Maker, that I must testify unto you concerning the wickedness of your hearts. Jacob 2:7 7 And also it grieveth me that I must use so much boldness of speech concerning you, before your wives and your children, many of whose feelings are exceedingly tender and chaste and delicate before God, which thing is pleasing unto God; Jacob 2:8 8 And it supposeth me that they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul. Jacob 2:9 9 Wherefore, it burdeneth my soul that I should be constrained, because of the strict commandment which I have received from God, to admonish you according to your crimes, to enlarge the wounds of those who are already wounded, instead of consoling and healing their wounds; and those who have not been wounded, instead of feasting upon the pleasing word of God have daggers placed to pierce their souls and wound their delicate minds. Jacob 2:10 10 But, notwithstanding the greatness of the task, I must do according to the strict commands of God, and tell you concerning your wickedness and abominations, in the presence of the pure in heart, and the broken heart, and under the glance of the piercing eye of the Almighty God. ✡  (The above Chiasmus rendered as a Menorah) Jacob 2:6 6 Yea, it grieveth my soul and causeth me to shrink with shame before the presence of my Maker, that I must testify unto you concerning the wickedness of your hearts. Jacob 2:7 7 And also it grieveth me that I must use so much boldness of speech concerning you, before your wives and your children, many of whose feelings are exceedingly tender and chaste and delicate before God, which thing is pleasing unto God; Jacob 2:8 8 And it supposeth me that they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul. Jacob 2:9 9 Wherefore, it burdeneth my soul that I should be constrained, because of the strict commandment which I have received from God, to admonish you according to your crimes, to enlarge the wounds of those who are already wounded, instead of consoling and healing their wounds; and those who have not been wounded, instead of feasting upon the pleasing word of God have daggers placed to pierce their souls and wound their delicate minds. Jacob 2:10 10 But, notwithstanding the greatness of the task, I must do according to the strict commands of God, and tell you concerning your wickedness and abominations, in the presence of the pure in heart, and the broken heart, and under the glance of the piercing eye of the Almighty God.

Jacob 2:11 11 Wherefore, I must tell you the truth according to the plainness of the word of God.

Jacob 2:23 23 But the word of God burdens me because of your grosser crimes.

Jacob 2:12 12 And now behold, my brethren, this is the word which I declare unto you, that many of you have begun to search for gold, and for silver, and for all manner of precious ores, in the which this land, which is a land of promise unto you and to your seed, doth abound most plentifully.

• Jacob 2:20 20 And now, my brethren, I have spoken unto you concerning pride; and those of you which have afflicted your neighbor, and persecuted him because ye were proud in your hearts, of the things which God hath given you, what say ye of it?
• Jacob 2:21 21 Do ye not suppose that such things are abominable unto him who created all flesh? And the one being is as precious in his sight as the other. And all flesh is of the dust; and for the selfsame end hath he created them, that they should keep his commandments and glorify him forever.
• Jacob 2:22 22 And now I make an end of speaking unto you concerning this pride. And were it not that I must speak unto you concerning a grosser crime, my heart would rejoice exceedingly because of you.

• Jacob 2:14A 14A And now, my brethren, do ye suppose that God justifieth you in this thing?
• Jacob 2:14B 14B Behold, I say unto you, Nay.
• Jacob 2:14C 14C But he condemneth you, and if ye persist in these things his judgments must speedily come unto you.

• Jacob 2:17 17 Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you.
• Jacob 2:18 18 But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.
• Jacob 2:19 19 And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good--to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.

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• Jacob 2:15 15 O that he would show you that he can pierce you, and with one glance of his eye he can smite you to the dust!
• Jacob 2:16A 16A O that he would rid you from this iniquity and abomination.
• Jacob 2:16B 16B And, O that ye would listen unto the word of his commands, and let not this pride of your hearts destroy your souls!

Chapter 4 Jacob 4:1 1 Now behold, it came to pass that I, Jacob, having ministered much unto my people in word, (and I cannot write but a little of my words, because of the difficulty of engraving our words upon plates) and we know that the things which we write upon plates must remain; Jacob 4:2 2 But whatsoever things we write upon anything save it be upon plates must perish and vanish away; but we can write a few words upon plates, which will give our children, and also our beloved brethren, a small degree of knowledge concerning us, or concerning their fathers-- Jacob 4:3 3 Now in this thing we do rejoice; and we labor diligently to engraven these words upon plates, hoping that our beloved brethren and our children will receive them with thankful hearts, and look upon them that they may learn with joy and not with sorrow, neither with contempt, concerning their first parents.

Jacob 6:12B 12B what can I say more?

Jacob 4:9C 9C O then, why not able to command the earth, or the workmanship of his hands upon the face of it, according to his will and pleasure?

Jacob 6:11 11 O then, my beloved brethren, repent ye, and enter in at the strait gate, and continue in the way which is narrow, until ye shall obtain eternal life.

Jacob 4:12 12 And now, beloved, marvel not that I tell you these things; for why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of him, as to attain to the knowledge of a resurrection and the world to come?

Jacob 6:9 9 Know ye not that if ye will do these things, that the power of the redemption and the resurrection, which is in Christ, will bring you to stand with shame and awful guilt before the bar of God?

Jacob 4:15 15 And now I, Jacob, am led on by the Spirit unto prophesying; for I perceive by the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that by the stumbling of the Jews they will reject the stone upon which they might build and have safe foundation.

Jacob 6:6 6 Yea, today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts; for why will ye die?

Jacob 4:17 17 And now, my beloved, how is it possible that these, after having rejected the sure foundation, can ever build upon it, that it may become the head of their corner?

( ✹ ) Chapter 6 Jacob 6:1 1 And now, behold, my brethren, as I said unto you that I would prophesy, behold, this is my prophecy--that the things which this prophet Zenos spake, concerning the house of Israel, in the which he likened them unto a tame olive-tree, must surely come to pass.

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Chapter 5 Jacob 5:1 1 Behold, my brethren, do ye not remember to have read the words of the prophet Zenos, which he spake unto the house of Israel, saying:
Jacob 5:2 2 Hearken, O ye house of Israel, and hear the words of me, a prophet of the Lord.

Jacob 5:42 42 Behold, I knew that all the fruit of the vineyard, save it were these, had become corrupted.

And now these which have once brought forth good fruit have also become corrupted; and now all the trees of my vineyard are good for nothing save it be to be hewn down and cast into the fire.

Jacob 5:43 43 And behold this last, whose branch hath withered away, I did plant in a good spot of ground; yea, even that which was choice unto me above all other parts of the land of my vineyard.

Jacob 5:44 44 And thou beheldest that I also cut down that which cumbered this spot of ground, that I might plant this tree in the stead thereof.

Jacob 5:45 45 And thou beheldest that a part thereof brought forth good fruit, and a part thereof brought forth wild fruit; and because I plucked not the branches thereof and cast them into the fire, behold, they have overcome the good branch that it hath withered away.

Jacob 5:46A 46A And now, behold, notwithstanding all the care which we have taken of my vineyard, the trees thereof have become corrupted, that they bring forth no good fruit; and these I had hoped to preserve, to have laid up fruit thereof against the season, unto mine own self.

• Jacob 5:46B 46B But, behold, they have become like unto the wild olive-tree, and they are of no worth but to be
• hewn down and cast into the fire; and it grieveth me that I should lose them.
• Jacob 5:47 47 But what could I have done more in my vineyard? Jacob 5:47A 47A Have I slackened mine hand,
• that I have not nourished it, Nay, I have nourished it, and I have digged about it, and I have pruned it, and I have dunged it;
• and I have stretched forth mine hand almost all the day long, and the end draweth nigh. Jacob 5:47B 47B And it grieveth me that I should
• hew down all the trees of my vineyard, and cast them into the fire that they should be burned.
• Jacob 5:47C 47C Who is it that has corrupted my vineyard?

Jacob 5:48 48 And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master: Is it not the loftiness of thy vineyard--have not the branches thereof overcome the roots which are good?

And because the branches have overcome the roots thereof, behold they grew faster than the strength of the roots, taking strength unto themselves.

Behold, I say, is not this the cause that the trees of thy vineyard have become corrupted?

Jacob 5:49 49 And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant: Let us go to and hew down the trees of the vineyard and cast them into the fire, that they shall not cumber the ground of my vineyard, for I have done all.

What could I have done more for my vineyard?

Jacob 5:50 50 But, behold, the servant said unto the Lord of the vineyard: Spare it a little longer.

Jacob 5:51 51 And the Lord said: Yea, I will spare it a little longer, for it grieveth me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard.

Jacob 5:52 52 Wherefore, let us take of the branches of these which I have planted in the nethermost parts of my vineyard, and let us graft them into the tree from whence they came; and let us pluck from the tree those branches whose fruit is most bitter, and graft in the natural branches of the tree in the stead thereof.

Jacob 5:53 53 And this will I do that the tree may not perish, that, perhaps, I may preserve unto myself the roots thereof for mine own purpose.

Jacob 5:54 54 And, behold, the roots of the natural branches of the tree which I planted whithersoever I would are yet alive; wherefore, that I may preserve them also for mine own purpose, I will take of the branches of this tree, and I will graft them in unto them.

Yea, I will graft in unto them the branches of their mother tree, that I may preserve the roots also unto mine own self, that when they shall be sufficiently strong perhaps they may bring forth good fruit unto me, and I may yet have glory in the fruit of my vineyard.

Jacob 5:55 55 And it came to pass that they took from the natural tree which had become wild, and grafted in unto the natural trees, which also had become wild.

Jacob 5:56 56 And they also took of the natural trees which had become wild, and grafted into their mother tree.

Jacob 5:57 57 And the Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant: Pluck not the wild branches from the trees, save it be those which are most bitter; and in them ye shall graft according to that which I have said.

Jacob 5:58 58 And we will nourish again the trees of the vineyard, and we will trim up the branches thereof; and we will pluck from the trees those branches which are ripened, that must perish, and cast them into the fire.

Jacob 5:59 59 And this I do that, perhaps, the roots thereof may take strength because of their goodness; and because of the change of the branches, that the good may overcome the evil.

Jacob 5:60 60 And because that I have preserved the natural branches and the roots thereof, and that I have grafted in the natural branches again into their mother tree, and have preserved the roots of their mother tree, that, perhaps, the trees of my vineyard may bring forth again good fruit; and that I may have joy again in the fruit of my vineyard, and, perhaps, that I may rejoice exceedingly that I have preserved the roots and the branches of the first fruit-- Jacob 5:61 61 Wherefore, go to, and call servants, that we may labor diligently with our might in the vineyard, that we may prepare the way, that I may bring forth again the natural fruit, which natural fruit is good and the most precious above all other fruit.

Jacob 5:62 62 Wherefore, let us go to and labor with our might this last time, for behold the end draweth nigh, and this is for the last time that I shall prune my vineyard.

Jacob 5:63 63 Graft in the branches; begin at the last that they may be first, and that the first may be last, and dig about the trees, both old and young, the first and the last; and the last and the first, that all may be nourished once again for the last time.

Jacob 5:64A 64A Wherefore, dig about them, and prune them, and dung them once more, for the last time, for the end draweth nigh.

Jacob 5:64B 64B And if it be so that these last grafts shall grow, and bring forth the natural fruit, then shall ye prepare the way for them, that they may grow.

Jacob 5:65 65 And as they begin to grow ye shall clear away the branches which bring forth bitter fruit, according to the strength of the good and the size thereof; and ye shall not clear away the bad thereof all at once, lest the roots thereof should be too strong for the graft, and the graft thereof shall perish, and I lose the trees of my vineyard.

Jacob 5:66 66 For it grieveth me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard; wherefore ye shall clear away the bad according as the good shall grow, that the root and the top may be equal in strength, until the good shall overcome the bad, and the bad be hewn down and cast into the fire, that they cumber not the ground of my vineyard; and thus will I sweep away the bad out of my vineyard.

Jacob 5:67 67 And the branches of the natural tree will I graft in again into the natural tree; Jacob 5:68 68 And the branches of the natural tree will I graft into the natural branches of the tree; and thus will I bring them together again, that they shall bring forth the natural fruit, and they shall be one.

Jacob 5:69 69 And the bad shall be cast away, yea, even out of all the land of my vineyard; for behold, only this once will I prune my vineyard.

Jacob 5:70 70 And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard sent his servant; and the servant went and did as the Lord had commanded him, and brought other servants; and they were few.

Jacob 5:71 71 And the Lord of the vineyard said unto them: Go to, and labor in the vineyard, with your might.

For behold, this is the last time that I shall nourish my vineyard; for the end is nigh at hand, and the season speedily cometh; and if ye labor with your might with me ye shall have joy in the fruit which I shall lay up unto myself against the time which will soon come.

Jacob 5:72 72 And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them; and they did obey the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all things.

Jacob 5:73 73 And there began to be the natural fruit again in the vineyard; and the natural branches began to grow and thrive exceedingly; and the wild branches began to be plucked off and to be cast away; and they did keep the root and the top thereof equal, according to the strength thereof.

Jacob 5:74 74 And thus they labored, with all diligence, according to the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard, even until the bad had been cast away out of the vineyard, and the Lord had preserved unto himself that the trees had become again the natural fruit; and they became like unto one body; and the fruits were equal; and the Lord of the vineyard had preserved unto himself the natural fruit, which was most precious unto him from the beginning.

Jacob 5:75 75 And it came to pass that when the Lord of the vineyard saw that his fruit was good, and that his vineyard was no more corrupt, he called up his servants, and said unto them: Behold, for this last time have we nourished my vineyard; and thou beholdest that I have done according to my will; and I have preserved the natural fruit, that it is good, even like as it was in the beginning.

And blessed art thou; for because ye have been diligent in laboring with me in my vineyard, and have kept my commandments, and have brought unto me again the natural fruit, that my vineyard is no more corrupted, and the bad is cast away, behold ye shall have joy with me because of the fruit of my vineyard.

Jacob 5:76 76 For behold, for a long time will I lay up of the fruit of my vineyard unto mine own self against the season, which speedily cometh; and for the last time have I nourished my vineyard, and pruned it, and dug about it, and dunged it; wherefore I will lay up unto mine own self of the fruit, for a long time, according to that which I have spoken.

Jacob 5:77 77 And when the time cometh that evil fruit shall again come into my vineyard, then will I cause the good and the bad to be gathered; and the good will I preserve unto myself, and the bad will I cast away into its own place.

And then cometh the season and the end; and my vineyard will I cause to be burned with fire.