Killing of Laban

Killing of Laban
A painting of the scene in 1 Nephi 4 (in the Book of Mormon) when Nephi feels the spirit of God tell him to kill Laban, whom he has found unconscious on the street in Jerusalem. Two men on a cobblestone street, surrounded by high walls; the lighting of the sky and scene indicate it is nighttime. One man lies on the ground, his eyes shut. He wears clothing with very wide sleeves. A scabbard for a sword is at his belt. One arm rests under his head, as if his pillow. He is fully plunged in the shadow of a wall/building to the left in the image. This man is Laban. The second man stands over him, hunched over but leaning slightly back. His back down is caught in shadow; his head is caught in light (moonlight?). He has in his right hand a sword, visible only by silhouette in the lighting. He wears an orange-ish tunic that goes down to his wrists and shins. He wears a not-quite-turban head covering of a more bluish/whitish hue. This man is Nephi. In the background, the street stretches on, passing under a semi-oval arch.
H. H. Haag's Nephi and Laban (1894)
TimeNight
EraReign of Zedekiah
LocationJerusalem
Participants
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The story of the Killing of Laban, in which Nephi kills Laban, is found near the beginning of the Book of Mormon.

After the family of Lehi flees Jerusalem and sets up a camp in the wilderness, upon being commanded by God in a dream, Lehi sends his four sons back to Jerusalem to obtain a set of brass plates from a commander 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 eldest son, Laman, meets with Laban, he refuses to give up the plates and attempts to have Laman killed.

Later, the four sons of Lehi offer to trade Lehi's wealth (gold, silver, and much riches) for the plates. Laban instead robs them of their property and sends men to kill them. In a third, late-night attempt, The youngest son, Nephi, encounters a drunken Laban passed out on the street in Jerusalem. Under direction from the Holy Spirit, Nephi reluctantly decapitates Laban with Laban's sword, 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.