Even though this is Ether’s record, and we are now in the part of his record to which he was an eyewitness, we still see the text in the third person. Therefore, we are seeing either the text that Mosiah translated, or that Moroni is editing. The use of the third person suggests that we are seeing Moroni’s summary here.
Ether was a prophet sent to give the people yet one last chance to repent and turn to God. Where the previous descriptions of prophets among the people typically told only of their rejection, Ether’s record more explicitly states that in his day (as was probable in earlier times as well), there were some who did believe. Not all were turned from God (see verse 4).