First Nephi 13:20

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that they did prosper in the land; and I beheld a book, and it was carried forth among them.

A connection exists between prospering and the scriptures. Prosperity comes in many forms. We think of prosperity primarily as financial, but we can prosper in many ways. Spiritual prosperity is an obvious benefit of reading the scriptures. We also prosper in our families, our communities, and in our nations when we abide by the principles in the scriptures.

I think it is interesting that Nephi first commented on prosperity of the people and then mentioned the coming forth of the Bible. Prosperity in technology has made possible the ubiquitous presence of the Bible. Before Gutenberg, Bibles, and indeed all books, were hand-crafted works of art and extremely expensive. Literacy and knowledge were limited to the very rich and the very elite. Prosperity has brought the Bible into virtually every home that wants one. And with the inexpensive availability of the Bible has come a vast library of books. Public libraries in America and other countries make this knowledge available at virtually no cost to anyone who is willing to walk in. Indeed, the Bible has brought untold prosperity to people all over the world in many ways. It is phenomenal to think of what one book has done for mankind. The publishing of the Book of Mormon could not have happened without the Bible preceding it.