The Book of Mormon begins in the city of Jerusalem 600 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. In order to understand this setting, we have to have some background from the Old Testament of the Bible. In the Old Testament, we learn about the creation of the earth, the fall of Adam, and the prophets among Adam's descendants that teach the people about God. The people become so wicked that they are destroyed in a flood.
Only Noah and his family survive on the ark. Their descendants begin to fall into apostasy and attempt to build a tower at Babel. but their languages are confused and they scatter.
A righteous man named Abraham makes a covenant with God in which, among other things, he is promised a land for his descendants. Abraham's descendants, through his grandson Jacob, are known as the Israelites. The Israelites leave the promised land to escape a famine and are eventually enslaved by the Egyptians. After 400 years of slavery, God calls a prophet named Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and back to the promised land.
However, the promised land, also known as Canaan, or Palestine, is inhabited. After many years, the Israelites are able to conquer much of Canaan. They are led for a few hundred years by a series of judges, such as Gideon, Samson, and Samuel.
They decide they want to be led by a king, and are ruled over by Saul, who is succeeded by David, who is succeeded by Solomon. After Solomon dies, the great kingdom of Israel is split into two kingdoms. Ten tribes form the kingdom of Israel in the north, and two tribes form the kingdom of Judah in the south. The kings in the northern kingdom lead their people into apostasy and wickedness. The Assyrian Empire invades and destroys the northern kingdom, scattering the ten tribes.
The Lord protects the kingdom of Judah and the Assyrians are unable to conquer it. Assyria is eventually conquered by Babylon. As the people of Judah become more wicked, prophets such as Jeremiah call them to repentance. They warn the Jews that their great city of Jerusalem will be destroyed if they do not repent.
This is where the Book of Mormon begins. One of the prophets calling the people to repentance is Lehi. Lehi is warned by the Lord to flee from Jerusalem into the wilderness with his family.
Some of Lehi's sons, Nephi and Sam, believe him. His other sons, Laman and Lemuel, do not. Lehi sends his sons back to Jerusalem to obtain the brass plates and later, Ishmael and his family.
The Lord commands Nephi to record their experiences on metal plates. They experience trials such as hunger when their bows break and miracles such as the appearance of the Liahona. After years in the wilderness, the Lord commands Nephi to build a boat, which he does. They leave the old world and sail to the new world. Lehi and his descendants settle in this promised land.
Lehi dies and Laman and Lemuel plot to kill Nephi. Nephi and the more righteous people leave and begin a new settlement, which they call Nephi. They come to be known as the Nephites. Those who remain with Laman come to be known as the Lamanites. Nephi passes his plates to his brother Jacob before he dies.
Jacob continues to teach the people about God and call them to repentance. Jacob passes the plates to his son Enos, who passes them to his son Jerem, then Omni, etc. After 270 years, the Nephites and the Lamanites have become large civilizations.
The Lamanites do not have the gospel and live worldly lives. Over time, the Nephites begin to fall into apostasy as well. A righteous Nephite named Mosiah is warned by God to leave the land of Nephi. He takes everyone who will listen to him and flees into the wilderness. They discover the city of Zarahemla, which has been established by a people known as the Mulekites.
The Mulekites were also led by the Lord to the Americas from Jerusalem. Mosiah and the righteous Nephites join the Mulekites in Zarahemla. The wicked Nephites that remain in the land of Nephi are destroyed and the city of Nephi becomes a Lamanite city.
Mosiah's son, Benjamin, becomes king over the people of Zarahemla. It is at this point in the Book of Mormon that Mormon, who will not be born for several centuries to come, tells us that he will now abridge the remaining Nephite records and serve as the narrator. This is why the record later becomes known as the Book of Mormon. After giving a great last sermon to the Nephites from a tower, King Benjamin dies and his son, also known as Mosiah, becomes king.
Some of the Nephites want to return to the land of Nephi, which has been occupied by the Lamanites. A man named Zeniff leads them to Nephi and negotiates with the Lamanite king to allow them to settle in the cities of Lehi-Nephi and Shilom. Once Zeniff's people have settled the land, the Lamanites attempt to conquer and enslave them. Zeniff and his people are able to defend themselves.
Zeniff dies and his son Noah becomes king. King Noah is wicked and a prophet named Abinadi calls him to repentance. King Noah has Abinadi killed, but not before one of his priests, named Alma, believes Abinadi. Alma preaches the gospel to the Nephites and King Noah attempts to kill him.
Alma flees into the wilderness with his followers and they establish the city of Helam. The Lamanites then conquer Shilom and King Noah is killed by his own people. Noah's son, Limhi, becomes king. Limhi sends people to seek help from Zarahemla.
The people become lost and stumble upon the ruins of an ancient civilization. They bring back... plates containing writings from this ancient civilization.
Meanwhile, in Zarahemla, King Mosiah sends people to search for the ancient for those who left to settle in the land of Nephi to find out what has become of them. His scouts find King Limhi and help his people escape to Zarahemla. The Lamanites pursue King Limhi's people but become lost.
They accidentally find Alma's people in Helam. The Lamanites enslave Alma and his people for a while before the Lord helps them escape to Zarahemla. The Nephites are now gathered together as one people under King Mosiah.
Alma becomes the high priest over the church. Mosiah's sons Ammon, Aaron, Omner, and Himni leave to preach the gospel among the Lamanites. Before Mosiah dies, he establishes a new form of government in which the people will be governed by judges rather than kings. Alma's son, Alma the Younger, becomes the chief judge.
Alma faces opposition from dissenters such as Nehor and Amlici and defends the people against the Lamanites. He then resigns as the chief judge to spend his time preaching the gospel among the Nephites. The sons of Mosiah have great success teaching the gospel to the Lamanites and many are converted.
The unconverted Lamanites slaughter many of these converts who flee to the Nephites for safety. These converts become known as the Anti-Nephi-Lehais or the Ammonites. The Lamanites pursue them but are driven away by the Nephites in a great battle. Some of the Nephites separate themselves from the other Nephites and become the Zoramites. Alma leads missionaries to preach among the Zoramites.
Those who believe are thrown out by the Zoramites. The Zoramites eventually ally themselves with the Lamanites who invade. The Nephites, led by Captain Moroni, drive the Lamanites out of the land. A wicked man named Amalickiah attempts to make himself king of the Nephites.
Captain Moroni rallies the people under the title of liberty and Amalickiah is defeated. Amalickiah joins the Lamanites and, through treacherous means, eventually becomes king of the Lamanites. He then attempts to conquer the Nephites. The Nephites, led by great men like Captain Moroni and Helaman, eventually drive the Lamanites out of Nephite territory.
Many of the Nephites begin to fall away from the church and become wicked again. A secret organization known as the Gadianton Robbers begins to infiltrate the Nephite government and gains power. Alma's great-grandsons, Nephi and Lehi, Preach among the Nephites, and then among the Lamanites.
Most of the Lamanites are converted and become more righteous than the Nephites. Nephi continues to preach to the Nephites, but they are not as receptive as the Lamanites. The Nephites become more wicked, and the Gadianton robbers become more powerful until the Nephites begin to fight one another.
Nephi prays for a famine to end the war. Some of the Nephites humble themselves and repent. The Lamanites, most notably Samuel the Lamanite, preach to the Nephites, and some repent.
Samuel the Lamanite prophesies, that there would be two days without a night between them to indicate that Jesus Christ had come into the world. The unbelievers plan to kill the believers if the prophecy does not come to pass by a certain day. It does, and the unbelievers fall to the ground.
Many believe and are converted. The Gadianton robbers establish strongholds in the mountains. The righteous Lamanites and Nephites join together into one people. They are protected by the Lord and defeat the Gadianton robbers.
The Nephites prosper for a while and then become wicked again. The government collapses and they separate into tribes. When Jesus Christ is crucified in the old world, storms, earthquakes, and other disasters destroy many of the Nephite cities.
The more wicked people are destroyed, the more righteous people mourn in darkness and then hear the voice of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ then visits them in the land of Bountiful and reestablishes his church. The Nephites enjoy 200 years of peace and prosperity after the coming of Jesus Christ.
The people again begin to fall away and become wicked. Those who reject the gospel of Jesus Christ separate themselves from the people of Nephi. and become Lamanites.
Eventually, the Nephites become wicked as well. The plates containing the record of the Nephites are entrusted to a righteous young man named Mormon. Mormon is a large, mighty man and is chosen to lead the Nephite armies against the Lamanites.
He does so despite knowing that they are wicked and do not deserve the Lord's protection. The Lamanites rampage across Nephite land, defeating them repeatedly and destroying their cities. Mormon abridges the records on golden plates and entrusts them to his son, Moroni. Mormon is killed by the Lamanites and the Nephites are obliterated.
Moroni adds the record of the Jaredites, the plates discovered by Limhi's people, to the golden plates. In the Jaredite record, a righteous man known as the brother of Jared leaves the Tower of Babel centuries before Lehi leaves Jerusalem. The Jaredites are led by the Lord to the American continent where they grow into a great civilization.
Like the Nephites who arrive later, the Jaredites rebel against God. Righteous men, most notably Ether, prophesy and call them to repentance. The Jaredites continue to grow in wickedness and destroy one another until only one man remains.
Moroni finishes the record and hides the golden plates in the hill Cumorah. 1400 years later, Moroni would appear as an angel to a young man named Joseph Smith and lead him to the golden plates. The Lord would enable Joseph Smith to translate the record into English.
The translation would come to be known as the Book of Mormon and would serve as another testament of Jesus Christ.