Moroni wisely begins in Mormon 8:14 with blessings and accompanying curses, part of a typical colophon. A good scribe would typically place curses upon anyone who would tamper with or misuse the record. In verses 14 to 22, he warned people not to condemn the record because of potential mistakes or faults of men in it (8:17). A good scribe would realize that they were unlikely to produce a perfect record, and there is a very candid admission that there may be errors. Moroni, as a competent scribe, editor, and author followed appropriate conventions by providing a colophon and its required information according to ancient convention.
He also warned people that no one shall have these records to get gain (8:14), and he blesses those who will do this with an eye single to God’s glory (8:15; invoking 3 Nephi 13:22). He warns people not to try to destroy the work of the Lord or to claim that God has forgotten his covenant (8:21), for the eternal purposes of the Lord shall roll on (8:22), and the words and prayers of the righteous dead shall cry from the dust (8:23–25).
In Mormon 9:31, Moroni likewise ends his first farewell by pointing out again how fortunate the readers are that, through this record, God has made manifest their—Moroni’s contemporaries’—imperfections, “That ye may learn to be more wise than we have been.” He may have been concerned that people would condemn the book as unrighteous because the people who produced it had been destroyed, and reject it as the work of a sinful people. Moroni asked readers not to condemn the record because of who the people were, because of their weakness in writing, or their weakness in many ways. It is a modest statement, and the curse is not the usual type of self-promoting, harsh curse.
One curse has particular meaning to modern authors or publishers. The records were written on precious metal, and if someone were to find them and could not read the writing, they would be likely to melt them down. Therefore, he provided a warning that no one shall have the plates to get gain. This warning, however, refers not only to the metal content, but also to the book itself. The publication of the Book of Mormon should not be something to be sold at a great profit. The Lord would not be very happy for people to be profiting from it. The record is of great worth, but it was not designed to be of financial worth. Moroni wanted to be sure that whoever obtained this record dealt with it appropriately. In verse 15, he wrote, “God wills that it shall be done with an eye single to his glory, or the welfare of the ancient, long-dispersed covenant people of the Lord.” They shall be brought to light only for these purposes.
He also wrote a blessing to the person who brought forth the book, “Blessed be he that shall bring this thing to light” (8:16). So, Joseph Smith was given a blessing, and that will come up again in Moroni 10:24–25: “Wo be unto the children of men because of unbelief” which will exist at the time when the Book of Mormon comes forth, for “there shall be none that doeth good among you, no, not one,” which words will be fulfilled as the Savior spoke to Joseph Smith in the First Vision. Then Moroni continued and clarified, “For if there be one among you that doeth good, he shall work by the power and gifts of God” (10:25) which is another reference to Joseph Smith and the only way in which the Book of Mormon could possibly come forth.