Shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem, Lehi and Ishmael and their families escaped, along with another man named Zoram. Lehi led them south down the Arabian Peninsula until they reached a fertile coastal region, which they named Bountiful. There, they built a ship, and sailed across the ocean to the Americas. Lehi's sons Nephi and Laman are said to have established themselves and to have founded Israelite nations: the Nephites and the Lamanites.