Read This, I Pray Thee

A sealed book, a professor in New York City, a farm boy with a gift, and a fallen star who said “I will” five times

  • 🏔️ Youth 16–18
  • Week 39
  • 📅 Sunday, September 27, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

God brings forth His marvelous work through people humble enough to be taught, not through pride or credentials, and the Book of Mormon in our hands is the proof Isaiah saw coming.

I can stay teachable as I get more educated, build my testimony of the Book of Mormon line upon line, and trust the Lord with the big decisions in front of me.

Know the chapters

Isaiah preached in Jerusalem about 700 years before Christ. Assyria was swallowing up nations. This week’s chapters jump between his day and the last days. Chapters 13–14 predict proud Babylon’s fall. Then 14:12–15 turns to Lucifer, the “son of the morning,” who said in his heart “I will” five times and was brought down. Latter-day revelation confirms this is Satan’s premortal rebellion. See Moses 4:1–4 and Doctrine and Covenants 76:25–27. In chapter 22, the Lord replaces a proud official with Eliakim. He fastens him “as a nail in a sure place” and gives him the key of the house of David. Those words are later applied to Jesus Christ in Revelation 3:7. Chapters 24–27 look to the end of the world as we know it. The Lord is a refuge from the storm in 25:4. He swallows up death in victory in 25:8. He keeps in perfect peace the mind stayed on Him in 26:3. Chapters 28–30 warn leaders who trusted Egypt instead of God. Chapter 35 ends with the desert blossoming as the rose.

The centerpiece for this class is Isaiah 29:11–14. Isaiah saw a sealed book handed to a learned man. He says, “I cannot; for it is sealed.” Then it goes to an unlearned man, who says “I am not learned.” And the Lord announces “a marvellous work and a wonder.” On September 22, 1827, 21-year-old Joseph Smith received the gold plates. That’s 199 years ago this week, in Joseph Smith—History 1:59. In February 1828, Martin Harris took characters copied from the plates to Professor Charles Anthon in New York City. By Martin’s account, Anthon praised the characters and wrote a certificate. Then he heard an angel was involved and tore it up. He asked for the plates. When told part was sealed, he said he couldn’t read a sealed book. That’s in Joseph Smith—History 1:63–65. Nephi gives a longer version of the prophecy in 2 Nephi 27:15–20. He adds that the learned man wants the book for the glory of the world and for gain. And the Lord says He is able to do His own work.

An honest heads-up for a sharp class. Anthon later wrote two letters, in 1834 and 1841, saying he had warned Harris of a hoax. The two letters don’t agree about whether he gave Harris anything in writing. Here’s what we can say with confidence. Martin Harris came home convinced. He later mortgaged his farm to pay for printing the Book of Mormon, which went on sale in March 1830. The Church teaches that Isaiah 29:4, a voice speaking “out of the dust,” also points to the Book of Mormon. See 2 Nephi 26:16. Show your youth how to take a hard question seriously without letting it run the show.

The thread tying it all together is pride versus teachability. Lucifer wanted to be above God. The Son said, “Thy will be done,” in Moses 4:1–2. The learned man trusted his own credentials. God worked through someone willing to be taught. Your 16- to 18-year-olds are about to be very learned. College, trade school and mission training are coming. Nephi teaches that being learned is good when we listen to God’s counsel, in 2 Nephi 9:28–29. Isaiah 28:10 describes learning “line upon line.” In Isaiah’s setting, people used that phrase to mock the prophet’s simple repetition. But Nephi uses the same words in 2 Nephi 28:30. He promises that God keeps giving more to those who receive. That’s how a testimony of the Book of Mormon grows too.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Isaiah 29:11–14 and Joseph Smith—History 1:63–65. Ask who they’d expect God to pick. Do the sealed-envelope demo, or just clamp your own scriptures shut. Tell the story from the Teach Mode screens. Spend most of your leftover time on Real Talk. Close by holding up a Book of Mormon and bearing a one-sentence testimony.

What to bring3 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Read Isaiah 29:9–24 and Joseph Smith—History 1:59–65 side by side. Then skim 2 Nephi 27:15–26. Flip through the story screens in Teach Mode.
  2. Make the sealed envelope. Draw made-up symbols on a card and write Isaiah 29:14 on the back. Seal it inside and write SEALED on the front.
  3. Think of one honest line from your testimony of the Book of Mormon. Or think of a time you learned “here a little, and there a little.” You’ll share it at the end.

If your class is wild

  • Hand the envelope to a good sport. Giving it to the class valedictorian is only funny if they’re in on the joke.
  • Tell the Anthon story like a true-crime show. Give the dates, the places, the torn certificate. Sixteen-year-olds lean in for real history.
  • Older youth hate being handed answers. In Unseal It, don’t explain how the two passages connect. Wait until they find it.
  • If someone raises a hard question about the Book of Mormon, thank them. Answer what you honestly know and offer to study the rest together. That respect teaches more than a perfect answer.

The 25-minute plan24 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Steps that mention Teach Mode, the Sound Board or other class games refer to the Gospel Sparks app; on the web you can play Forehead Guess and Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

Who Would You Pick?

2 min

Youth say out loud who they’d expect God to choose, which sets up the surprise of Isaiah 29.

  1. SAY“Imagine God needs someone to bring forth a new book of scripture. Who would you expect Him to pick? Describe that person.”
  2. Take three or four answers, like a scholar, a famous pastor or someone rich. Don’t correct anyone.
  3. SAY“Hold that picture. Isaiah saw who God actually picked. And it went through a very confused professor first.”

Class screen: 🤔 If God needed someone to bring forth scripture, who would He pick?

2. Object lesson

Read This, I Pray Thee

5 min

A sealed envelope replays Isaiah’s exact exchange, so the prophecy feels real before anyone opens a scripture.

  1. SAY“Read this, I pray thee.”
  2. Hand the sealed envelope to a good sport. If they reach for the flap, say, “No opening it.” Let them say, “I can’t, it’s sealed.”
  3. SAY“Congratulations. You just fulfilled half of Isaiah 29. He wrote that conversation about twenty-seven hundred years ago.”
  4. Hand it to a second youth and say again, “Read this, I pray thee.” They open it. Have them read Isaiah 29:14 off the back.
  5. Ask: “The first one couldn’t open it. The second can’t read the squiggles. So how would God ever get this book read?”
🌪️ If the first volunteer rips it open anyway, laugh. Say, “And that’s why the plates had an angel guarding them.” Then keep going.

Class screen: 🔏 “Read this, I pray thee.” “I cannot; for it is sealed.” · Isaiah 29:11–12

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: An envelope sealed shut with SEALED written across it; inside, a card with a row of made-up squiggly symbols on the front and “Isaiah 29:14” on the back

The Sealed Scriptures

  1. SAY“Read this, I pray thee.”
  2. Clamp your scriptures shut and let a volunteer try to read them. Let them say, “I can’t, it’s sealed.”
  3. SAY“Congratulations. You just fulfilled half of Isaiah 29. He wrote that conversation about twenty-seven hundred years ago.”
  4. Open the scriptures and hand them to a second youth. Have them turn to Isaiah 29:14 and read the first line out loud.
  5. Ask: “If the learned couldn’t read it, how would God ever get this book read?”
3. Story

Tell It: The Book the Professor Couldn’t Read

5 min

The teacher tells the prophecy and its 1828 fulfillment side by side, so youth see a real, checkable Old Testament prophecy about the Restoration.

  1. SAY“Here’s a prophecy you can check. Isaiah wrote it about seven hundred years before Christ. It came true in New York City in 1828. Watch.”
  2. Tell each scene in your own words and ask its question. Keep it moving.
  3. Slow down at scene 7. Let “I cannot read a sealed book” sink in.
  4. After scene 8, point out 2 Nephi 27:15–20. The learned man wanted it for the glory of the world. And the Lord is able to do His own work.

Class screen: 📜 700 BC prophecy, 1828 New York City: watch it come true · Isaiah 29:11–14 · Joseph Smith—History 1:59–65

4. Scripture

Unseal It

4 min

Youth practice a real study skill: using a latter-day scripture as the key that unlocks a hard Isaiah passage.

  1. SAY“Every sealed passage has a key. Let’s start with Isaiah 29:14.”
  2. Teach the key verse with the memory hooks. Say it together once.
  3. Give each pair one lock and its key from the screen. They get about two minutes to read both and find how the second unlocks the first.
  4. Each pair reports back in one sentence: “Isaiah said ___, and it points to ___.”
🌪️ Older youth hate being handed answers. Don’t explain the connections. Wait until they find them.

Class screen: 🗝️ Every sealed passage has a key. Find yours. · 29:11–12 + JS—H 1:64–65 · 29:13 + JS—H 1:19 · 29:4 + 2 Nephi 26:16 · 28:9–10 + 2 Nephi 28:30

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Scriptures: the youth’s own Gospel Library app, or a few printed copies of the scriptures (one per pair)

  1. SAY“Every sealed passage has a key. Let’s start with Isaiah 29:14.”
  2. Teach the key verse with the memory hooks. Say it together once.
  3. Read Isaiah 29:13 from your scriptures, then Joseph Smith—History 1:19. Ask, “Where did Joseph hear Isaiah’s words again?” Listen for the Savior in the Sacred Grove.
  4. Read Isaiah 28:10, then 2 Nephi 28:30. Ask, “What does Nephi add?” Listen for this: God keeps giving more to those who receive.
  5. Have two youth each finish this out loud: “Isaiah said ___, and it points to ___.”
5. Talk it over

Real Talk

5 min

Honest questions connect Isaiah to the education, doubts and decisions these youth are facing right now.

  1. SAY“Let’s get honest. In a year or two, you’re the learned ones.”
  2. Hand your phone or tablet to a youth discussion leader to read the questions and call on people. Pick two or three. Going deep beats covering them all.
  3. If college comes up, point to 2 Nephi 9:28–29. Being learned is good when we still listen to God. The problem was pride, not school.
💬 Ask the class
  • Soon you’ll be the “learned” ones: college, trade school, a mission. How can you get educated without getting proud?
  • Anthon made up his mind the moment he heard the word angel. How do you want to handle hard questions about the Restoration?
  • Lucifer said “I will” five times. Where does “I will be above everyone” show up at school, in sports or online?
  • Isaiah 28:10 says truth comes line upon line. Maybe your testimony of the Book of Mormon feels small right now. What would one more line look like this week?
  • Isaiah 26:3 promises perfect peace to a mind stayed on the Lord. What keeps your mind on Him when the future feels loud?

Class screen: 💬 Real talk

6. Testimony

Out of the Dust

3 min

Ending with the Book of Mormon itself turns an ancient prophecy into a personal witness.

  1. SAY“Isaiah saw it all. A voice out of the dust. A sealed book. A desert that blossoms as the rose.”
  2. Hold up a Book of Mormon if you brought one.
  3. SAY“The Book of Mormon came out of the ground. And it’s been making dry places bloom ever since.”
  4. Share your short line of testimony about the Book of Mormon. Or share a time the Lord taught you here a little and there a little.
  5. Introduce the challenge and invite a youth to pray.

Class screen: 🌸 The desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. · Isaiah 35:1 · Isaiah 29:4

7. Wiggle break

Five I Wills

2 minBONUS

If the class needs to move, climbing with Lucifer’s five boasts and crashing on verse 15 makes pride’s fall unforgettable.

  1. SAY“Everyone crouch low. Isaiah 14 describes Lucifer. Every time I read an ‘I will,’ go higher.”
  2. Read Isaiah 14:13–14 slowly, one “I will” at a time. By the end, everyone’s on tiptoes with arms stretched high. Hold it.
  3. Read verse 15: “Yet thou shalt be brought down.” Everyone drops into their seats.
  4. SAY“Five I wills. Now listen to the Savior in that same council, in Moses 4:2. ‘Father, thy will be done.’ Pride says ‘I will.’ Christ says ‘Thy will.’”
🌪️ No standing on chairs. Tiptoes are plenty. If they drop too loudly, call it a dramatic reading and move on.

Class screen: ⬆️ Five “I wills,” then one big fall · Isaiah 14:12–15 · Moses 4:1–2

8. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

If you have extra time, a fast team quiz reviews the whole lesson.

  1. SAY“Two teams, one captain each. Ten seconds to huddle, and only the captain answers.”
  2. Tap Scripture Showdown and play.
  3. If a team misses, the other team can steal the point by naming the chapter.

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown: the sealed book

Object lesson

The Book the Professor Couldn’t Read

Isaiah 29:11–14 ↗

Scenes

  1. 📜👁️ 700 BC: Isaiah sees a sealed book

    About seven hundred years before Christ, Isaiah has a vision of the last days. He sees a book. It’s sealed shut. People carry it to an expert and say, “Read this, I pray thee.”

    🙌 Ask: “Why would anyone hand a sealed book to an expert?”

  2. 🎓🚫 The learned: “I cannot; for it is sealed”

    The learned man says, “I cannot; for it is sealed.” So the book goes to someone who isn’t learned at all. He says, “I am not learned.” Isaiah says this is how the Lord begins a marvelous work and a wonder.

    🙌 A volunteer reads Isaiah 29:11–12 aloud.

  3. ⛰️✨ September 22, 1827: a farm boy receives plates

    Now jump ahead about twenty-five hundred years. A hill in New York. An angel gives a set of gold plates to a twenty-one-year-old farmer. His name is Joseph Smith. That was a hundred and ninety-nine years ago this very week.

    🙌 Ask: “Why do you think God picked a twenty-one-year-old farmer?”

  4. ✍️🔣 Joseph copies the strange characters

    Joseph and Emma move to Harmony, Pennsylvania. That winter, Joseph copies characters off the plates. By the gift of God, he translates some of them. Martin Harris is a respected farmer. He’s already helped them with fifty dollars. Now he offers to take the characters to the experts.

    🙌 Ask: “Why would Martin want an expert’s opinion?”

  5. 🏙️🎓 February 1828: New York City

    Martin travels to New York City. He shows the characters to a famous scholar, Professor Charles Anthon. According to Martin, Anthon says the characters are real. He says the translation is correct. He even writes a certificate saying so.

    🙌 Ask: “What would a famous professor’s certificate mean to Martin?”

  6. 📄✂️ “An angel?” The certificate gets torn up

    Martin is heading out the door when Anthon calls him back. How did the young man find these plates? Martin tells him an angel of God showed him. Anthon asks for the certificate back. And he tears it to pieces. There are no such things as angels anymore, he says.

    🙌 Ask: “Why would a brilliant man want the book but not the angel?”

  7. 🔒😶 “I cannot read a sealed book”

    Anthon says, “Bring me the plates and I’ll translate them.” Martin explains that part of the plates is sealed. He isn’t allowed to bring them. Then Anthon says it. “I cannot read a sealed book.” Isaiah’s words, twenty-five hundred years later. Nearly word for word.

    🙌 Read Isaiah 29:11 again, then Anthon’s line. Let the silence sit.

  8. 📖🌸 The unlearned man and a marvelous work

    The Lord doesn’t need the professor. He works through the unlearned farmer, by the gift and power of God. The Book of Mormon is translated. In March of 1830, it goes on sale. Nephi records the Lord’s answer in 2 Nephi 27:20. “I am able to do mine own work.”

    🙌 Ask: “What did Joseph have that the professor didn’t?”

Key verse

Isaiah 29:14 ↗
“Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.”
In plain words: God promised a work so amazing that the world’s experts couldn’t explain it or stop it. It came through the Restoration and the Book of Mormon, and you’re part of it.
🙌 Memory hooks: “I will proceed” = take one big step forward · “a marvellous work and a wonder” = hands burst open like fireworks · “the wisdom of their wise men shall perish” = tap your temple, then let your hand fall · “shall be hid” = cover your eyes with both hands.

More verses

Isaiah 29:11–12 ↗
“And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.”
In plain words: Isaiah saw a sealed book handed to an expert who said he couldn’t read it, then to someone with no credentials at all. In 1828 it happened almost exactly that way.
Isaiah 14:12–15 ↗
“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! … I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”
In plain words: Lucifer wanted to put himself above God. Every “I will” pushed him higher in his own mind, and every one ended in a fall. Pride always overestimates itself.
Isaiah 28:10 ↗
“For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:”
In plain words: Truth usually doesn’t download all at once. God teaches a little, then a little more, to people who keep receiving it.
Isaiah 26:3 ↗
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
In plain words: When your mind stays anchored on the Lord and you trust Him, He gives a peace the future can’t shake.

Forehead Guess words18 words

  • 📜 Isaiah
  • 🔏 Sealed book
  • 📀 Gold plates
  • 👨‍🌾 Joseph Smith
  • 🧑‍🌾 Martin Harris
  • 🎓 Professor Anthon
  • 🔣 Characters
  • 📄 Certificate
  • ⭐ Lucifer
  • 🦚 Pride
  • 🏛️ Babylon
  • 🔩 Nail in a sure place
  • ⛈️ Refuge
  • 🕊️ Perfect peace
  • 📏 Line upon line
  • 🎆 Marvelous work
  • 📖 Book of Mormon
  • 🌹 Desert rose
Clues for each word
  • Isaiah: Prophet who saw the sealed book 2,500 years early
  • Sealed book: “I cannot; for it is sealed”
  • Gold plates: Joseph received them September 22, 1827
  • Joseph Smith: The unlearned farmer who translated by God’s power
  • Martin Harris: Carried the characters to New York City
  • Professor Anthon: Tore up the certificate when he heard “angel”
  • Characters: Symbols copied off the plates
  • Certificate: Written, then ripped to pieces
  • Lucifer: “Son of the morning” who fell from pride
  • Pride: Five “I wills” and a long way down
  • Babylon: Proud empire Isaiah said would fall
  • Nail in a sure place: How the Lord fastened Eliakim (22:23)
  • Refuge: The Lord is one from the storm (25:4)
  • Perfect peace: For the mind stayed on the Lord (26:3)
  • Line upon line: How God teaches: here a little, there a little
  • Marvelous work: “…and a wonder” (29:14)
  • Book of Mormon: The voice that spoke out of the dust
  • Desert rose: What the wilderness blossoms as (35:1)
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown9 questions

  1. In Isaiah 29:11, why can’t the learned man read the book?
    • A. It’s in another language
    • B. It is sealed
    • C. He lost his glasses
    Show answer

    ✅ B. It is sealed “I cannot; for it is sealed.” Anthon said nearly the same words in 1828.

  2. What does the unlearned man say when handed the book?
    • A. “I am not learned.”
    • B. “Give it to someone else.”
    • C. “I cannot; it is sealed.”
    Show answer

    ✅ A. “I am not learned.” Isaiah 29:12. God works through people humble enough to be taught.

  3. Who took the characters from the plates to New York City?
    • A. Oliver Cowdery
    • B. Hyrum Smith
    • C. Martin Harris
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Martin Harris Joseph Smith—History 1:63–64. He later mortgaged his farm to help print the book.

  4. Why did Professor Anthon tear up the certificate?
    • A. The translation was wrong
    • B. He learned an angel was involved
    • C. Martin was rude
    Show answer

    ✅ B. He learned an angel was involved Joseph Smith—History 1:64–65. He said there were no such things as angels anymore.

  5. Joseph received the gold plates on September 22 of which year?
    • A. 1820
    • B. 1830
    • C. 1827
    Show answer

    ✅ C. 1827 Joseph Smith—History 1:59. That was 199 years ago this week.

  6. Isaiah 29:14 calls the Lord’s latter-day work “a marvellous work and a…”
    • A. wonder
    • B. warning
    • C. war
    Show answer

    ✅ A. wonder A marvelous work and a wonder: the Restoration and the Book of Mormon.

  7. How many times does Lucifer say “I will” in Isaiah 14:13–14?
    • A. Three
    • B. Five
    • C. Seven
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Five Five boasts, then verse 15: “Yet thou shalt be brought down.”

  8. Isaiah 28:10 says God teaches precept upon precept and…
    • A. line upon line
    • B. day after day
    • C. book after book
    Show answer

    ✅ A. line upon line Here a little and there a little. Nephi promises more to those who receive (2 Nephi 28:30).

  9. In Isaiah 35:1, the desert rejoices and blossoms as the…
    • A. lily
    • B. cedar
    • C. rose
    Show answer

    ✅ C. rose The Lord can make the driest places in a life bloom again.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • Oh, How Lovely Was the Morning Hymns, no. 26

    The First Vision, where the Savior echoed Isaiah 29:13 to Joseph (Joseph Smith—History 1:19). A strong opener. Find it ↗

  • The Spirit of God Hymns, no. 2

    A Restoration anthem: Isaiah’s marvelous work and a wonder, set to music. Find it ↗

  • How Firm a Foundation Hymns, no. 85

    The Lord as a refuge from the storm (Isaiah 25:4), a sure foundation (28:16) and a nail in a sure place (22:23). A calm close after the testimony. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Seven Lines

Read one chapter of the Book of Mormon every day this week. After each one, write one line about what you learned or what you’ll do. By next Sunday you’ll have seven lines, precept upon precept. On day seven, read Moroni 10:3–5 and ask God about the book yourself.

Text the parents

This week we studied Isaiah 29. It tells of a sealed book the learned man couldn’t read, given to someone “not learned.” It came true in 1828. Martin Harris showed characters from the gold plates to Professor Charles Anthon, in Joseph Smith—History 1:63–65. And Joseph received the plates 199 years ago this week. Ask your teen how they’ll stay teachable as they get more educated. What’s one “line” they added to their testimony this week?

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

🔩 A Nail in a Sure Place · 5 min

  1. Read Isaiah 22:20–23. Eliakim replaces a proud official. The Lord gives him the key of the house of David. He fastens him “as a nail in a sure place.”
  2. Read Revelation 3:7. The same key language describes Jesus Christ. Ask, “What does it mean for Christ to be the sure place we hang everything on?”
  3. Read verse 25 too. Readers differ on who it means. But any human peg can give way. Only Christ never does.
  4. Ask, “What are you tempted to hang your future on? Grades, a relationship, a plan? What happens when that nail gives way?”
  5. Have each youth name one decision this year they want fastened to Christ first.

🌅 Death Swallowed Up · 4 min

  1. Read Isaiah 25:4 and 25:8. Then read 1 Corinthians 15:54–55. Paul quotes Isaiah there about the Resurrection.
  2. Ask: “Who do you know who needs a refuge from the storm right now, or who has lost someone?”
  3. Be gentle. Someone in the room may be grieving. Let them share only if they want to.
  4. Testify that because of Jesus Christ, death is temporary and every tear will be wiped away.

🏺 A Voice from the Dust · 5 min

  1. Read Isaiah 29:4 and 2 Nephi 26:16. Ask: “Why would people who were destroyed long ago ‘speak out of the dust’?”
  2. Read Mormon 8:26 and Moroni 10:3–5. Moroni buried the record, expecting it to come forth and speak for his people.
  3. Challenge them to pick one Book of Mormon prophet this week. Ask, “What did they want someone in my generation to hear?”

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

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