Section 3 of Benjamin’s Speech runs from Mosiah 3:2–10. These verses seem to be the very words that an angel of the Lord had spoken to Benjamin one night about the coming of Christ. The text does not say how many days or nights beforehand this visitation had occurred. The angel had awakened Benjamin, presumably at night, "And he said unto me: Awake; and I awoke, and behold he stood before me" (3:2).
The first words that the angel spoke to Benjamin were “For the Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath judged of thy righteousness, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be filled with joy" (3:4). Above all, Benjamin wants all people to know that the Atonement is filled with joy. In the world, there is misery and sorrow, but the one thing that makes this life bearable and something we can enjoy to the fullest is the knowledge of the Atonement.
These teachings come from the angel. Whether they are all of the angel’s precise words is not known, but Benjamin has learned and reports the true essence of these things from the angel. Humans don’t receive messages like this one very often, so when such information is conveyed, we ought to take special note, with heed and diligence, listening carefully to what is said. Notice that the messenger from the Lord said, "Awake!" and Benjamin awoke. And the angel said again, "Awake and hear!" (3:3). Wakefulness is an important thing. With it, King Benjamin was able to hear and understand all of the teachings about the Atonement that were then delivered to him.
It is possible that Benjamin timed his gathering to coincide with the season of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. In Jerusalem, people wanted their High Priest to be fully conscious of everything, as he prepared to perform the most important sacrifices of the year on the Day of Atonement. To keep him focused and not to have any debilitating thoughts, the High Priest was kept awake the night before. Interestingly, Benjamin had been praying and was awakened, so he could understand all of these teachings about the Atonement that he then delivered to his people.