Behold, now it came to pass in the sixty and ninth year of the reign of the judges over the people of the Nephites, that Nephi, the son of Helaman, ^areturned to the land of Zarahemla from the land northward.

 2 For he had been forth among the people who were in the land northward, and did preach the word of God unto them, and did prophesy many things unto them;

 3 And they did ^areject all his words, insomuch that he could not stay among them, but returned again unto the land of his nativity.

 4 And seeing the people in a state of such awful wickedness, and those Gadianton robbers filling the judgment-seats—having ^ausurped the power and authority of the land; laying aside the commandments of God, and not in the least aright before him; doing no justice unto the children of men;

 5 Condemning the righteous because of their righteousness; letting the guilty and the wicked go ^aunpunished because of their ^bmoney; and moreover to be held in office at the head of government, to rule and do according to their wills, that they might get gain and glory of the ^cworld, and, moreover, that they might the more easily commit adultery, and steal, and kill, and do according to their own wills—

 6 Now this great iniquity had come upon the Nephites, in the space of ^anot many years; and when Nephi saw it, his heart was swollen with sorrow within his breast; and he did exclaim in the agony of his soul:

 7 Oh, that I could have had my days in the days when my father Nephi first came out of the land of Jerusalem, that I could have ^ajoyed with him in the promised land; then were his people easy to be entreated, ^bfirm to keep the commandments of God, and slow to be led to do iniquity; and they were quick to hearken unto the words of the Lord—

 8 Yea, if my days could have been in those days, then would my soul have had joy in the righteousness of my brethren.

 9 But behold, I am consigned that these are my days, and that my soul shall be filled with ^asorrow because of this the wickedness of my brethren.

 10 And behold, now it came to pass that it was upon a tower, which was in the ^agarden of Nephi, which was by the highway which led to the chief market, which was in the city of Zarahemla; therefore, Nephi had bowed himself upon the tower which was in his garden, which tower was also near unto the garden gate by which led the highway.

 11 And it came to pass that there were certain men passing by and saw Nephi as he was pouring out his soul unto God upon the ^atower; and they ran and told the people what they had seen, and the people came together in multitudes that they might know the cause of so great mourning for the wickedness of the people.