Some critics of the Book of Mormon have contended that there should have been some record of the departure of Lehi's family in the Bible. Nephi makes it clear that their departure was in secret. Mormon reaffirmed this, 'he brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem, (and no one knew it save it were himself (Lehi) and those whom he brought out of that land)' (3 Nephi 5:20). This was especially important after Nephi had killed Laban. If others had known about their departure, they would have been (correctly) blamed for Laban's death and been brought to judgment.