LABAN — The Keeper of the Records and a Warning From History

Scripture Setting: 1 Nephi 3–4

Before Nephi ever held the brass plates in his hands, they belonged to a powerful man named Laban—a commander in Jerusalem, wealthy, influential, and feared. Laban wasn’t just a record keeper. He was a man who controlled sacred history, family genealogy, and the words of the prophets. In a city falling into wickedness, he held one of the last great treasures of truth.

But Laban’s heart had grown hard.

When Lehi’s sons came asking for the plates, Laban mocked them, accused them, and even tried to kill them. He valued wealth and status more than the safety of the innocent. Later, when the brothers returned with their family’s riches, Laban stole everything and sent his servants to finish them off. His greed and pride blinded him to the things of God.

Laban’s fall came in a moment of drunken vulnerability, when Nephi found him lying in the street. It wasn’t a triumph—it was a tragedy. A man once entrusted with holy records lost everything because he refused to listen to the Lord.

For families reading the Book of Mormon, Laban’s life serves as a sobering reminder: when we cling to pride and possessions, we can lose the very things God gives us to protect.

In Rumors of War, Laban’s card embodies unchecked power. He reminds players that without humility, even the strongest can fall—and that sacred things belong in the hands of the faithful.