Laban (Book of Mormon)

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This article is about Laban, a person in The Book of Mormon. For other uses, see Laban.

According to The Book of Mormon, Laban is a man in Jerusalem who commands wealth and servants, and also possesses records on brass plates of the genealogy of Lehi. After Lehi and his family leave the city Lehi sends his sons back to Jerusalem to get the records from Laban.

1 Laban
2 Sword of Laban
3 See also
4 External links
5 References

[edit] Laban

The information in this section is according to The Book of Mormon, considered scripture in the Latter-day Saint Movement. In the book of First Nephi, chapters 3 through 4, Lehi commands his four sons to return to Jerusalem, "For behold, Laban hath the record of the Jews and also a genealogy of my forefathers, and they are engraven upon plates of brass."(1 Nephi 3:3)

First, Laman enters the city to request the records, but Laban casts Laman out of his house.

Afterwards, the sons of Lehi gathers all their gold, silver and precious objects to bring to Laban as payment for the records. However, Laban keeps the property, and orders his men to kill Lehi's sons.

After fleeing Jerusalem, the elder brothers Laman and Lemuel are angry at Lehi (their father) and their younger brothers Sam and Nephi, and they beat Sam and Nephi with rods. During the beating, an angel appears to them, telling them to return to Jerusalem, and that Laban would fall into their hands. Laman and Lemuel complain, "Behold, he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea, even he can sly fifty; then why not us?"(1 Nephi 3:31)

Finally, Nephi sneaks into Jerusalem at night, and finds Laban drunk and unconscious on the ground. The Spirit of the Lord tells Nephi to kill Laban with his own sword and take the records, saying "It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief."(1 Nephi 4:13) Afterwards, Nephi put on Laban's armour and entered his house. One of Laban's servants, Zoram, was inside and thought that Nephi was Laban. Nephi commanded Zoram to retrieve the brass plates and follow him out of Jerusalem.

[edit] Sword of Laban

Nephi described the Sword of Laban as such: And I beheld his sword, and I drew it forth from the sheath thereof; and the hilt thereof was of pure gold, and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine, and I saw that the blade thereof was of the most precious steel. (1 Nephi 4:9) Apparently the sword was passed down through the ages to future prophets, kings, and warriors, as it is mentioned centuries later in the Book of Mormon. The sword supposedly existed to the present-day, and was hidden away with the Gold Plates found by Joseph Smith, Jr.^[1]