3 Nephi 5

For the first time, Mormon identifies himself by name. After telling us that for four years the Nephites live righteously, Mormon says that he can't write a 100th part of what happened among the people. He then tells us a little about himself, how he got his name, how he is a direct descendent of Lehi, how he is called of God to declare his word among the people, how he is engraving what he is on the plates because he is commanded of God and it is to answer the prayers of all those who have written on plates before him. He tells us that he is making this record from the accounts of those who went before and from what he has seen with his own eyes. He bears testimony that his words are true and adds that he would like to write more but their language prevents him from doing so. Mormon then bears witness that the Lord will remember his covenants with the House of Israel to gather them again and to bring them again to a true knowledge of the Redeemer. Mormon understands that it is through his abridgment of all the plates, what will become known as the Book of Mormon, that this will happen, that his words will be the tmeans by which Israel will gain the true knowledge of the Redeemer and be gathered. What a weight of responsibility he must have felt. All the prophets before him wrote for that same purpose. This is what they prayed their writings would accomplish. All of them knew that the Nephites would be destroyed and the Lamanites would some day come again to the Gospel in the latter days. But they also knew that it was through their testimony that Israel would be gathered. So Mormon has the responsibility to abridge all that they wrote so it's in one volume. What an amazing man Mormon was and this is an amazing book. We are so fortunate to have it.