12  And I, Nephi, had also brought the records which were engraven upon the ^aplates of brass; and also the ball, or compass, which was prepared for my father by the hand of the Lord, according to that which is written.

  16  And moreover, he also gave him charge concerning the records which were engraven on the ^aplates of brass; and also the plates of Nephi; and also, the sword of Laban, and the ball or director, which led our fathers through the wilderness, which was prepared by the hand of the Lord that thereby they might be led, every one according to the heed and diligence which they gave unto him.

  20  And now, as I said unto you, that after king Mosiah had done these things, he took the plates of ^abrass, and all the things which he had kept, and conferred them upon Alma, who was the son of Alma; yea, all the records, and also the interpreters, and conferred them upon him, and commanded him that he should keep and preserve them, and also keep a record of the people, handing them down from one generation to another, even as they had been handed down from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem.

  19  And behold, it is wisdom in God that we should obtain these ^arecords, that we may preserve unto our children the language of our fathers;

  17  And at the time that Mosiah discovered them, they had become exceedingly numerous. Nevertheless, they had had many wars and serious contentions, and had fallen by the sword from time to time; and their language had become corrupted; and they had brought no ^brecords with them; and they denied the being of their Creator; and Mosiah, nor the people of Mosiah, could understand them.