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Revision as of 17:41, 17 November 2023 by BoyNamedTzu (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The story of Nephi killing Laban is found near the beginning of the Book of Mormon in 1 Nephi 4:1-38. After the family of Lehi flees Jerusalem and sets up a camp in the wilderness, Nephi sends his four sons back to Jerusalem to obtain a set of brass plates from a religious leader named Laban. Lehi believes that these plates will be necessary for his descendants to preserve their culture and religion in the new land they will inhabit. When Lehi's sons meet with Laban, he refused to give them the plates and attempts to have them killed. Later, Nephi encounters a drunken Laban on the steps of his house. Under direction from the Holy Spirit, Nephi kills and decapitates Laban and then impersonates him in order to obtain the brass plates. The ethical implications of Nephi, an important prophet in the Book of Mormon, taking a man's life in order to secure the long-term prosperity of his descendants have made this one of the most analyzed and debated passages of the Book of Mormon.