SMITH The Book of Mormon (Part 2)

Mosiah 2
Modernly Mosiah 4
CHAPTER II. And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words which had been delivered unto him by the Angel of the Lord, that he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold, they had fell to the earth, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them; and they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice saying, O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ, that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified: for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created Heaven and earth, and all things, who shall come down among the children of men.

And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words, the spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ which should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them. And king Benjamin again opened his mouth, and began to speak unto them, saying, My friends and my brethren, my kindred and my people, I would again call your attention, that ye may hear and understand the remainder of my words which I shall speak unto you: for behold, that if the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time, hath awakened you to a sense of your nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state; I say unto you, that if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long suffering towards the children of men, and also, the atonement which hath been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life; I mean the life of the mortal body; I say, that this is the man that receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world, for all mankind, which ever was ever since the fall of Adam, or which is or which ever shall be, even unto the end of the world; and this is the means whereby salvation cometh. And there is none other salvation, save this which hath been spoken of; neither is there any conditions whereby man can be saved, except the conditions which I have told you. Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in Heaven and in Earth; believe that he hath all wisdom, and all power, both in Heaven and in Earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend. And again: Believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God, and ask in sincerity of the heart that he would forgive you: and now, if you believe all these things, see that ye do them. And again I say unto you, as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness, and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceeding great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long suffering towards you unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the Angel; and behold, I say unto you that if ye do this, ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of Him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true. And ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due. And ye will not suffer your children, that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the Devil, which is the master of sin, or which is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers; he being an enemy to all righteousness; but ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another; and also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn out to perish. Perhaps thou shalt say, The man hath brought upon himself his misery, therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance, that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just. But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this, the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he done, he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God. For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same being, even God, for all substance which we have; for both food, and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all riches which we have of every kind? And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And hath he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he hath poured out his spirit upon you, and hath caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and hath caused that your mouths should be stopped, that ye should not find utterance, so exceeding great was your joy. And now, if God, who hath created you, on whom you are dependant for your lives, and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how had ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have, one to another? And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance, that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation, for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you, but to

God, to whom also, your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, or repenteth not of the thing which thou hast done. -- I say unto you, Wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him, and now, I say these things unto those which are rich, as pertaining to the things of the world. And again, I say unto the poor, ye that have not and yet hath sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you that deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts, that I give not because I have not; but if I had, I would give. And now, if ye say this in your hearts, ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned, and your condemnation is just; for ye covet that which ye have not received.

And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you; that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God, I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants, and see that all these things are done in wisdom and order: for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than what he hath strength. And again: It is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order. And I would that ye should remember, that whosoever among you that borroweth of his neighbor, should return the thing that he borroweth, according as he doth agree, or else thou shalt commit sin also. And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin: for there are divers ways and means, even so many, that I cannot number them. But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe to keep the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the ends of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.

Mosiah 3
Modernly Mosiah 5
CHAPTER III. And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had thus spoken to his people, he sent among them, desiring to know of his people, if they believed the words which he had spoken unto them. And if they all cried with one voice, saying, Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which hath wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually. And we, ourselves, also, through the infinite goodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit, have great views of that which is to come; and were it expedient, we could prophesy of all things. And it is the faith which we have had on the things which our king hath spoken unto us, and hath brought us to this great knowledge, whereby we do rejoice with such exceeding great joy; and we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God, to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things, that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a never ending torment, as has been spoken by the Angel, that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of God.

And now, these are the words which king Benjamin desired of them; and therefore he said unto them, Ye have spoken the words that I desired; and the covenant which ye have made, is a righteous covenant. And now, because of the covenant which ye have made, ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and daughters: for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed, through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him, and have become his sons, and daughters. And under this head, ye are made free; and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given, whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God, that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives. And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this, shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called: for he shall be called by the name of Christ.

And now, it shall come to pass that whosoever shall not take upon them the name of Christ, must be called by some other name; therefore, he findeth himself on the left hand of God. And I would that ye should remember also, that this is the name that I said I should give you, that never should be blotted out, except it be through transgression; therefore, take heed that ye do not transgress, that the name be not blotted out of your hearts. I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts, that ye are not found on the left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you: for, how knoweth a man the master which he hath not served, and which is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart? And again: Doth a man take an ass which belongeth to his neighbor, and keep him? I say unto you, Nay; he will not even suffer that he shall feed among his flocks, but will drive him away, and cast him out. I say unto you, that even so shall it be among you, if ye know not the name by which ye are called. Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to Heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of Him, who created all things, in Heaven and in Earth, who is God above all. Amen.

Mosiah 4
Modernly Mosiah 5
CHAPTER IV. And now, king Benjamin thought it was expedient, after having finished speaking to the people, that he should take the names of all those who had entered into a covenant with God, to keep his commandments. And it came to pass that there was not one soul, except it were little children, but what had entered into the covenant, and had taken upon them the name of Christ. And again: It came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of all these things, and had consecrated his son Mosiah, to be a ruler and a king over his people, and had given him all the charges concerning the kingdom, and also had appointed priests to teach the people, that thereby they might hear and know the commandments of God, and to stir them up in remembrance of the oath which they had made, he dismissed the multitude, and they returned, every one according to their families, to their own houses.

And Mosiah began to reign in his father's stead. And he began to reign in the thirtieth year of his age, making in the whole, about four hundred and seventy-six years from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem. And king Benjamin lived three years, and he died. And it came to pass that king Mosiah did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe his judgments, and his statutes, and did keep his commandments in all things whatsoever he commanded him.

And king Mosiah did cause his people that they should till the earth. And he also, himself did till the earth, that thereby he might not become burthensome to his people, that he might do according to that which his father had done, in all things. And there was no contention among all his people, for the space of three years.

Mosiah 5
Modernly Mosiah 7
CHAPTER V. And now, it came to pass that after king Mosiah had had continual peace, for the space of three years, he was desirous to know concerning the people which went up to dwell in the land of Lehi-Nephi, or in the city of Lehi-Nephi: for his people had heard nothing from them, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla; therefore, they wearied him with their teasings.

And it came to pass that king Mosiah granted that sixteen of their strong men might go up to the land of Lehi-Nephi, to inquire concerning their children. And it came to pass that on the morrow, they started to go up, having with them one Ammon, he being a strong and mighty man, and a descendant of Zarahemla; and he was also their leader. And now, they knew not the course they should travel in the wilderness, to go up to the land of Lehi-Nephi; therefore, they wandered many days in the wilderness, even forty days, did they wander. And when they had wandered forty days, they came to a hill, which is north of the land of Shilom, and there they pitched their tents. And Ammon took three of his brethren, and their names were Amaleki, Helem, and Hem, and they went down into the land of Nephi; and behold, they met the king of the people, which was in the land of Nephi, and in the land of Shilom; and they were surrounded by the king's guard, and was taken, and was bound, and was committed to prison. And it came to pass when they had been in prison two days, they were again brought before the king, and their bands were loosed; and they stood before the king, and was permitted or rather commanded that they should answer the questions which he should ask them. And he saith unto them, Behold, I am Limhi, the son of Noah, which was the son of Zeniff, which came up out of the land of Zarahemla to inherit this land, which was the land of their fathers, which was made a king by the voice of the people. And now, I desire to know the cause whereby ye were so bold as to come near the walls of the city, when I, myself, was with my guards, without the gate? And now, for this cause have I suffered that ye should be preserved, that I might inquire of you, or else I should have caused that my guards should have put you to death. -- Ye are permitted to speak.

And now, when Ammon saw that he was permitted to speak, he went forth and bowed himself before the king; and rising again, he said, O king, I am very thankful before God this day, that I am yet alive, and am permitted to speak; and I will endeavor to speak with boldness: for I am assured that if ye had known me, ye would not have suffered that I should have wore these bands. For I am Ammon, and am a descendant of Zarahemla, and have come up out of the land of Zarahemla, to inquire concerning our brethren, which Zeniff brought up out of that land.

And now, it came to pass that after Limhi had heard the words of Ammon, he was exceeding glad, and said, Now, I know of a surety that my brethren which was in the land of Zarahemla, are yet alive. And now, I will rejoice; and on the morrow, I will cause that my people shall rejoice also. For behold, we are in bondage to the Lamanites, and are taxed with a tax which is grievous to be borne. And now, behold, our brethren will deliver us out of our bondage, or out of the hands of the Lamanites, and we will be their slaves: for it is better that we be slaves to the Nephites, than to pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites.

And now, king Limhi commanded his guards that they should no more bind Ammon, nor his brethren, but caused that they should go to the hill which was north of Shilom, and bring their brethren into the city, that thereby they might eat, and drink, and rest themselves from the labors of their journey; for they had suffered many things: they had suffered hunger, thirst, and fatigue.

And now, it came to pass on the morrow, that king Limhi sent a proclamation among all his people, that thereby they might gather themselves together to the temple, to hear the words which he should speak unto them. And it came to pass that when they had gathered themselves together, that he spake unto them in this wise, saying, O ye, my people, lift up your heads and be comforted: for behold, the time is at hand, or is not far distant, when we shall no longer be in subjection to our enemies, notwithstanding our many strugglings, which have been in vain; yet I trust there remaineth an effectual struggle to be made. Therefore, lift up your heads, and rejoice, and put your trust in God, in that God who was the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; and also, that God who brought the Children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, and caused that they should walk through the Red Sea on dry ground, and fed them with manna, that they might not perish in the wilderness; and many more things did he do for them. And again: That same God hath brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem, and hath kept and preserved his people, even until now. And behold, it is because of our iniquities and abominations, that has brought us into bondage. -- And ye all are witnesses this day, that Zeniff, who was made king over this people, he being over zealous to inherit the land of his fathers, therefore being deceived by the cunning and craftiness of king Laman, who having entered into a treaty with king Zeniff, and having yielded up into his hands the possessions of a part of the land, or even the city of Lehi-Nephi, and the city of Shilom, and the land round about; and all this he done, for the sole purpose of bringing this people into subjection, or into bondage. And behold, we at this time do pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites, to the amount of one half of our corn, and our barley, and even all our grain of every kind, and one half of the increase of our flocks, and our herds; and even one half of all we have or possess. the king of the Lamanites doth exact of us, or our lives. And now, is not this grievous to be borne? And is not this, our afflictions great? Now behold, how great reason have we to mourn. Yea, I say unto you, great are the reasons which we have to mourn: for behold, how many of our brethren have been slain, and their blood hath been spilt in vain, and all because of iniquity. For if this people had not fallen into transgression, the Lord would not have suffered that this great evil should come upon them. But behold, they would not hearken unto his words; but there arose contentions among them, even so much that they did shed blood among themselves. And a Prophet of the Lord have they slain; yea, a chosen man of God, who told them of their wickedness and abominations, and prophesied of many things which is to come, yea, even the coming of Christ. And because he saith unto them, That Christ was the God, the Father of all things, and saith that he should take upon him the image of man, and it should be the image after which man was created after the image of God, and that God should come down among the children of men, and take upon him flesh and blood, and go forth upon the face of the earth; and now, because he said this, they put him to death; and many more things did they do, which brought down the wrath of God upon them. Therefore, who wondereth that they are in bondage, and that they are smitten with sore afflictions? For behold, the Lord hath said, I will not succor my people in the day of their transgression; but I will hedge up their ways, that they prosper not, and their doing shall be as a stumbling block before them. And again, He saith, If my people shall sow filthiness, they shall reap the chaff thereof, in the whirlwind; and the effects thereof is poison, And again: He saith, If my people shall sow filthiness, they shall reap the east wind, which bringeth immediate destruction. And now, behold, the promise of the Lord is fulfilled; and ye are smitten, and afflicted. But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind; and if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage.

And it came to pass that after king Limhi had made an end of speaking to his people, for he spake many things unto them, and only a few of them have I written in this book, he told his people all the things concerning their brethren which were in the land of Zarahemla; and he caused that Ammon should stand up before the multitude, and rehearse unto them all that had happened unto their brethren, from the time that Zeniff went up out of the land, even until the time that he, himself came out of the land. And he also rehearsed unto them the last words which king Benjamin had taught them, and explained them to the people of king Limhi, so that they might understand all the words he spake. And it came to pass that after he had done all this, that king Limhi dismissed the multitude, and caused that they should return, every one unto his own house.

And it came to pass that he caused that the plates which contained the record of his people, from the time before Ammon, that he might read them. Now, as soon as Ammon had read the record, the king inquired of him to know if he could interpret languages. And Ammon told him that he could not. And the king saith unto him, I being grieved for the afflictions of my people, I caused that forty and three of my people should take a journey into the wilderness, that thereby they might find the land of Zarahemla; that we might appeal unto our brethren to deliver us out of bondage; and they were lost in the wilderness, for the space of many days, yet they were diligent, and found not the land of Zarahemla, but returned to this land, having travelled in a land among many waters; having discovered a land which was covered with ruins of buildings of every kind; having discovered a land which had been peopled with a people, which were as numerous as the hosts of Israel. And for a testimony that the things that they have said is true, they have brought twenty-four plates, which are filled with engravings; and they are of pure gold. And behold, also, they have brought breast-plates, which are large; and they are of brass, and of copper, and are perfectly sound. And again: They have brought swords, the hilts thereof hath perished, and the blades thereof were cankered with rust; and there is no one in the land that is able to interpret the language of the engravings that are on the plates. Therefore, I said unto thee, Canst thou translate? And I say unto you again, Knowest thou of any one that can translate? for I am desirous that these records should be translated into our language. For, perhaps they will give us a knowledge of a remnant of the people which have been destroyed, from whence these records came; or, perhaps they will give us a knowledge of this very people which hath been destroyed; and I am desirous to know the cause of their destruction.

Now, Ammon saith unto him, I can assuredly tell thee, O king, of a man that can translate the records: for he hath wherewith that he can look, and translate all records that are of ancient date; and it is a gift from God. And the things are called interpreters; and no man can look in them, except he be commanded, lest he should look for that he had not ought, and he should perish. And whosoever is commanded to look in them, the same is called seer. And behold, the king of the people which is in the land of Zarahemla, is the man that is commanded to do these things, and which hath this high gift from God. And the king saith, That a seer is greater than a prophet. And Ammon saith, That a seer is a revelator, and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater, can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him from God. But a seer can know of things which has past, and also of things which is to come; and by them shall all things be revealed, or rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which is not known, shall be made known by them; and also, things shall be made known by them, which otherwise could not be known. Thus God hath provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore, he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings.

And now, when Ammon had made an end of speaking these words, the king rejoiced exceedingly, and gave thanks to God, saying, Doubtless, a great mystery is contained within these plates; and these interpreters was doubtless prepared for the purpose of unfolding all such mysteries to the children of men. O how marvellous are the works of the Lord, and how long doth he suffer with his people; yea, and how blind and impenetrable are the understandings of the children of men: for they shall not seek wisdom, neither do they desire that she should rule over them. Yea, they are as a wild flock, which fleeth from the shepherd, and scattereth, and are driven, and are devoured by the beasts of the forest.

Mosiah 6
Modernly Mosiah 9
CHAPTER VI.

THE RECORD OF ZENIFF. An account of his people, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla, until the time that they were delivered out of the hands of the Lamanites.

I, Zeniff, having been taught in all the language of the Nephites, and having had a knowledge of the land of Nephi, or the land of our father's first inheritance, and I having been sent as a spy among the Lamanites, that I might spy out their forces, that our army might come upon them and destroy them; but when I saw that which was good among them, I was desirous that they should not be destroyed; therefore, I contended with my brethren in the wilderness: for I would that our ruler should make a treaty with them. But he being an austere and a blood-thirsty man, commanded that I should be slain; but I was rescued, by the shedding of much blood: for father fought against father, and brother against brother, until the greatest number of our army was destroyed in the wilderness; and we returned, those of us that were spared, to the land of Zarahemla, to relate that tale to their wives, and their children. And yet, I being over zealous to inherit the land of our fathers, collected as many as were desirous to go up to possess the land, and started again on our journey into the wilderness, to go up to the land; but we were smitten with famine and sore afflictions: for we were slow to remember the Lord our God. Nevertheless, after many days wandering in the wilderness, we pitched our tents in the place where our brethren were slain, which was near the land of our fathers.

And it came to pass that I went again with four of my men, into the city, in unto the king, that I might know of the disposition of the king, and that I might know if I might go in with my people, and possess the land in peace. And I went in unto the king, and he covenanted with me, that I might possess the land of Lehi-Nephi, and the land of Shilom. And he also commanded that his people should depart out of the land, and I and my people went into the land, that we might possess it. And we began to build buildings, and to repair the walls of the city of Shilom. And we began to till the ground, yea, even with all manner of seeds, with seeds of corn, and of wheat, and of barley, and with neas, and with sheum, and with seeds of all manner of fruits: and we did begin to multiply and prosper in the land. Now, it was the cunning and the craftiness of king Laman, to bring my people into bondage, that he yielded up the land, that we might possess it.

Therefore, it came to pass that after we had dwelt in the land for the space of twelve years, that king Laman began to grow uneasy, lest by any means my people should wax strong in the land, and that they could not overpower them and bring them into bondage. Now, they were a lazy, and an idolatrous people; therefore, they were desirous to bring us into bondage, that they might glut themselves with the labors of our hands; yea, that they might feast themselves upon the flocks of our fields.

Therefore, it came to pass that king Laman began to stir up his people, that they should contend with my people; therefore, there began to be wars and contentions in the land. For, in the thirteeneth year of my reign in the land of Nephi, away on the south of the land of Shilom, when my people were watering and feeding their flocks, and tilling their lands, a numerous host of Lamanites came upon them, and began to slay them, and to take of their flocks, and the corn of their fields. Yea, and it came to pass that they fled, all that were not overtaken, even into the city of Nephi, and did call upon me for protection.

And it came to pass that I did arm them with bows, and with arrows, with swords, and with cimeters, and with clubs, and with slings, and with all manner of weapons which we could invent, and I and my people did go forth against the Lamanites, to battle; yea, in the strength of the Lord did we go forth to battle against the Lamanites: for I and my people did cry mightily to the Lord, that he would deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, for we were awakened to a remembrance of the deliverance of our fathers. And God did hear our cries, and did answer our prayers; and we did go forth in his might. Yea, we did go forth against the Lamanites; and in one day and a night, we did slay three thousand and forty-three; we did slay them, even until we had driven them out of our land. And I, myself, with mine own hands, did help to bury their dead. And behold, to our great sorrow and lamentation, two hundred and seventy-nine of our brethren were slain.

And it came to pass that we again began to establish the kingdom; and we again began to possess the land in peace. And I caused that there should be weapons of war made, of every kind, that thereby I might have weapons for my people, against the time the Lamanites should come up again to war against my people. And I set guards round about the land, that the Lamanites might not come upon us again unawares, and destroy us; and thus I did guard my people, and my flocks, and keep them from falling into the hands of our enemies.

And it came to pass that we did inherit the land of our fathers, for many years; yea, for the space of twenty and two years. And I did cause that the men should till the ground, and raise all manner of grain, and all manner of fruit, of every kind. And I did cause that the women should spin, and toil, and work, and work all manner of fine linen; yea, and cloth of every kind, that we might clothe our nakedness; and thus we did prosper in the land; thus we did have continual peace in the land, for the space of twenty and two years.

And it came to pass king Laman died, and his son began to reign in his stead. And he began to stir his people up in rebellion against my people; therefore, they began to prepare for war, and to come up to battle against my people. -- But I having sent my spies out round about the land of Shemlon, that I might discover their preparations, that I might guard against them, that they might not come upon my people and destroy them.

And it came to pass that they came up upon the north of the land of Shilom, with their numerous hosts, men armed with bows, and with arrows, and with swords, and with cimeters, and with stones, and with slings; and they had their heads shaved, that they were naked; and they were girded about with a leathern girdle about their loins.

And it came to pass that I caused that the women and children of my people should be hid in the wilderness; and I also caused that all my old men that could bear arms, and also all my young men that were able to bear arms, should gather themselves together, to go to battle against the Lamanites; and I did place them in their ranks, every man according to his age.

And it came to pass that we did go up to battle against the Lamanites. And I, even I, in my old age, did go up to battle against the Lamanites. And it came to pass that we did go up in the strength of the Lord, to battle.

Now, the Lamanites knew nothing concerning the Lord, nor the strength of the Lord; therefore, they depended upon their own strength. Yet they were a strong people, as to the strength of men: they were a wild and ferocious, and a blood-thirsty people, believing in the tradition of their fathers, which is this: Believing that they were driven out of the land of Jerusalem. because of the iniquities of their fathers, and that they were wronged in the wilderness by their brethren; and they were also wronged, while crossing the sea. And again: That they were wronged while in the land of their first inheritance, after they had crossed the sea; and all this, because that Nephi was more faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; therefore he was favored of the Lord, for the Lord heard his prayers and answered them, and he took the lead of their journey in the wilderness. And his brethren were wroth with him, because they understood not the dealings of the Lord; they were also wroth with him upon the waters, because they hardened their hearts against the Lord. And again: They were wroth with him, when they had arriven to the promised land, because they said that he had taken the ruling of the people out of their hands; and they sought to kill him. And again: They were wroth with him, because he departed into the wilderness as the Lord commanded him, and took the records which were engraven on the plates of brass; for they said he robbed them. And thus they have taught their children, that they should hate them, and that they should murder them, and that they should rob and plunder them, and do all they could to destroy them; therefore, they have an eternal hatred towards the children of Nephi. For this very cause hath king Laman, by his cunning and lying craftiness, and his fair promises, hath deceived me, that I have brought this, my people, up into this land, that they may destroy them; yea, and we have suffered this many years in the land.

And now, I, Zeniff, after having told all these things unto my people concerning the Lamanites, I did stimulate them to go to battle with their might, putting their trust in the Lord; therefore, we did contend with them, face to face. And it came to pass that we did drive them again out of our land; and we slew them with a great slaughter, even so many that we did not number them.

And it came to pass that we returned again to our own land, and my people again began to tend their flocks, and to till their ground. And now, I being old, did confer the kingdom upon one of my sons; therefore, I say no more. And may the Lord bless my people. Amen.

Mosiah 7
Modernly Mosiah 11
CHAPTER VII. And now it came to pass that Zeniff conferred the kingdom upon Noah, one of his sons; therefore Noah began to reign in his stead; and he did not walk in the ways of his father.

For behold, he did not keep the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart. And he had many wives and concubines. And he did cause his people to commit sin, and do that which was abominable in the sight of the Lord. Yea, and they did commit whoredoms, and all manner of wickedness. And he laid a tax of one fifth part of all they possessed; and a fifth part of their gold and of their silver, and a fifth part of their ziff, and of their copper, and of their brass and their iron; and a fifth part of their fatlings; and also, a fifth part of all their grain. And all this did he take, to support himself, and his wives, and his concubines, and also, his priests, and their wives, and their concubines; thus he had changed the affairs of the kingdom. For he put down all the priests that had been consecrated by his father, and consecrated new ones in their stead, such as were lifted up in the pride of their hearts. Yea, and thus were they supported in their laziness, and in their idolatry, and in their whoredoms, by the taxes which king Noah had put upon his people; thus did the people labor exceedingly, to support iniquity. Yea, and they also became idolatrous, because they were deceived by the vain and flattering words of the king and priests; for they did speak flattering things unto them.

And it came to pass that king Noah built many elegant and spacious buildings; and he ornamented them with fine work of wood, and of all manner of precious things, of gold, and of silver, and of iron, and of brass, and of ziff, and of copper; and he also built him a spacious palace, and a throne in the midst thereof, all of which was of fine wood, and was ornamented with gold and silver, and with precious things. And he also caused that his workmen should work all manner of fine work within the walls of the temple, of fine wood, and of copper, and of brass; and the seats which was set apart for the high priests, which was above all the other seats, he did ornament with pure gold; and he caused a breastwork to be built before them, that they might rest their bodies and their arms upon, while they should speak lying and vain words to his people.

And it came to pass that he built a tower near the temple; yea, a very high tower, even so high that he could stand upon the top thereof and overlook the land of Shilom, and also the land of Shemlon, which was possessed by the Lamanites; and he could even look over all the land round about.

And it came to pass that he caused many buildings to be built in the land of Shilom; and he caused a great tower to be built on the hill north of the land of Shilom, which had been a resort for the children of Nephi, at the time they fled out of the land; and thus he did do with the riches which he obtained by the taxation of his people.

And it came to pass that he placed his heart upon his riches, and he spent his time in riotous living with his wives and his concubines; and so did also his priests spend their time with harlots. And it came to pass that he planted vineyards round about in the land; and he built wine presses, and made wine in abundance; and therefore he became a wine bibber, and also his people.

And it came to pass that the Lamanites began to come in upon his people, upon small numbers, and to slay them in their fields, and while they were tending their flocks. And king Noah sent guards round about the land to keep them off; but he did not send a sufficient number, and the Lamanites came upon them and killed them, and drove many of their flocks out of the land: thus the Lamanites began to destroy them and to exercise their hatred upon them.

And it came to pass that king Noah sent his armies against them, and they were driven back, or they drove them back for a time; therefore, they returned rejoicing in their spoil. And now, because of this great victory, they were lifted up in the pride of their hearts; they did boast in their own strength, saying, That their fifty could stand against thousands of the Lamanites; and thus they did boast, and did delight in blood, and the shedding of the blood of their brethren, and this because of the wickedness of their king and priests.

And it came to pass that there was a man among them, whose name was Abinadi; and he went forth among them, and began to prophesy, saying, Behold, thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he commanded me, saying, Go forth and say unto this people, thus saith the Lord: Wo be unto this people, for I have seen their abominations, and their wickedness, and their whoredoms; and except they repent, I will visit them in mine anger. And except they repent, and turn to the Lord their God, behold, I will deliver them into the hands of their enemies; yea, and they shall be brought into bondage; and they shall be afflicted by the hand of their enemies. And it shall come to pass that they shall know that I am the Lord their God, and am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of my people. And it shall come to pass that except this people repent, and turn unto the Lord their God, they shall be brought into bondage; and none shall deliver them, except it be the Lord the Almighty God. Yea, and it shall come to pass that when they shall cry unto me, I will be slow to hear their cries; yea, and I will suffer them that they be smitten by their enemies. And except they repent in sackcloth and ashes, and cry mightily to the Lord their God, I will not hear their prayers, neither will I deliver them out of their afflictions; and thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he commanded me.

Now it came to pass that when Abinadi had spoken these words unto them, they were wroth with him, and sought to take away his life; but the Lord delivered him out of their hands. Now when king Noah had heard of the words which Abinadi had spake unto the people, he was also wroth; and he saith, Who is Abinadi, that I and my people should be judged of him? or who is the Lord, that shall bring upon my people such great affliction? I command you to bring Abinadi hither, that I may slay him: for he hath said these things, that he might stir up my people to anger, one with another, and to raise contentions among my people; therefore, I will slay him. Now the eyes of the people were blinded; therefore, they hardened their hearts against the words of Abinadi, and they sought from that time forward to take him. And king Noah hardened his heart against the word of the Lord; and he did not repent his evil doings.

And it came to pass that after the space of two years, that Abinadi came among them in disguise, that they knew him not, and began again to prophesy among them, saying, Thus hath the Lord commanded me saying: Abinadi, go and prophesy unto this my people, for they have hardened their hearts against my words; they have repented not of their evil doings; therefore, I will visit them in my anger, yea, in my fierce anger will I visit them in their iniquities and abominations; yea, wo be unto this generation. And the Lord said unto me, Stretch forth thy hand, and prophesying, saying, Thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that this generation, because of their iniquities, shall be brought into bondage, and shall be smitten on the cheek; yea, and shall be driven by men, and shall be slain; and the vultures of the air, and the dogs, yea, and the wild beasts, shall devour their flesh.

And it shall come to pass that the life of king Noah shall be valued even as a garment in a hot furnace; for he shall know that I am the Lord. And it shall come to pass that I will smite this my people, with sore afflictions; yea, with famine and with pestilence; and I will cause that ye shall howl all the day long. Yea, and I will cause that they shall have burdens lashed upon their backs; and they shall be driven before, like a dumb ass.

And it shall come to pass that I will send forth hail among them, and it shall smite them; and they shall also be smitten with the east wind; and insects shall pester their land also, and devour their grain. And they shall be smitten with a great pestilence; and all this will I do, because of their iniquities and abominations.

And it shall come to pass that except they repent, I will utterly destroy them from off the face of the earth; yet they shall leave a record behind them, and I will preserve them for other nations which shall possess the land; yea, even this will I do, that I may discover the abominations, of this people to other nations. And many things did Abinadi prophesy against this people.

And it came to pass that they were angry with him; and they took him and carried him bound before the king, and saith unto the king, Behold, we have brought a man before thee which has prophesied evil concerning thy people, and saith that God will destroy them; and he also prophesieth evil concerning thy life, and saith that thy life shall be as a garment in a furnace of fire. And again: He saith that thou shalt be as a stalk, even as a dry stalk of the field, which is ran over by the beasts and trodden under foot. And again; He saith thou shalt be as the blossoms of a thistle, which when it is fully ripe, if the wind bloweth, it is driven forth upon the face of the land; and he pretendeth the Lord hath spoken it. And he saith all this shall come upon thee, except thou repent; and this because of thine iniquities.

And now, O king, what great evil hast thou done, or what great sins has thy people committed, that we should be condemned of God, or judged of this man? And now, O king, behold, we are guiltless, and thou, O king hast not sinned; therefore, this man hast lied concerning you, and he hath prophesied in vain. And behold, we are strong, we shall not come into bondage, or be taken captive by our enemies; yea, and thou hast prospered in the land, and thou shalt also prosper. Behold, here is the man, we deliver him into thy hands; thou mayest do with him as seemeth thee good.

And it came to pass that king Noah caused that Abinadi should be cast into prison; and he commanded that the priests should gather themselves together, that he might hold a council with them what he should do with him. And it came to pass that they saith unto the king, Bring him hither, that we may question him. And the king commanded that he should be brought before them. And they began to question him, that they might cross him, that thereby they might have wherewith to accuse him; but he answered them boldly, and withstood all their questions, yea, to their astonishment: for he did withstand them in all their questions, and did confound them in all their words.

And it came to pass that one of them saith unto him, What meaneth the words which are written, and which have been taught by our fathers, saying: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of Him that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth salvation; that sayeth unto Zion, Thy God reigneth; thy watchmen shall lift up the voice with the voice; together shall they sing, for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion. Break forth into joy; sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people; he hath redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. And now Abinadi saith unto them, Are you priests? and pretend to teach this people, and to understand the spirit of prophesying, and yet desireth to know of me what these things mean? I say unto you, Wo be unto you for perverting the ways of the Lord. For if ye understand these things, ye have not taught them; therefore, ye have perverted the ways of the Lord. -- Ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise. Therefore, what teacheth thou this people? And they said, We teach the law of Moses. And again, He saith unto them, if ye teach the law of Moses, why do ye not keep it? Why do ye set your hearts upon riches? Why do ye commit whoredoms, and spend your strength with harlots, yea, and cause this people to commit sin, that the Lord hath caused to send me to prophesy against this people, yea, even a great evil against this people? Knowest thou not that I speak the truth? Yea, thou knowest that I speak the truth; and you had ought to tremble before God.

And it shall come to pass, that ye shall be smitten for thine iniquities: for ye had said that ye teach the law of Moses.

And what knowest thou concerning the law of Moses? Doth salvation come by the law of Moses? What sayest thou? And they answered and said, that salvation did come by the law of Moses. But now Abinadi saith unto them, I know if ye keep the commandments of God, ye shall be saved; yea, if ye keep the commandments which the Lord delivered unto Moses in the mount of Sinai, saying: I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other God before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing in the heaven above, or the things which is in the earth beneath. Now Abinadi saith unto them, Have ye done all this? I say unto you, Nay, ye have not. And have ye taught this people that they should do all these things? I say unto you, Nay, ye have not.

And now that when the king had heard these words, he said unto his priests, Away with this fellow, and slay him: for what have we to do with him, for he is mad. And they stood forth and attempted to lay hands on him; but he withstood them, and said unto them, Touch me not, for God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me, for I have not delivered the message which the Lord sent me to deliver; neither have I told you that which ye requested that I should tell; therefore, God will not suffer that I shall be destroyed at this time. For I must fulfil the commandments wherewith God hath commanded me; and because I have told you the truth, ye are angry with me. And again: Because I have spoken the word of God, you have judged me that I am mad.

Now it came to pass after Abinadi had spoken these words, that the people of king Noah durst not lay their hands on him; for the Spirit of the Lord was upon him; and his face shone with exceeding lustre, even as Moses did while in the mount of Sinai, while speaking with the Lord. And he spake with power and authority from God; and he continued his words, saying, Ye see that ye have not power to slay me, therefore, I finish my message. Yea, and I perceive that it cuts you to your hearts, because I tell you the truth concerning your iniquities; yea, and my words fill you with wonder and amazement, and with anger. But I finish my message; and then it matters not whither I go, if it so be that I am saved. But this much I tell you: What you do with me after this, shall be as a type and a shadow of things which is to come. And now I read unto you the remainder of the commandments of God, for I perceive that they are not written in your hearts; I perceive that ye have studied and taught iniquity the most part of your lives.

And now, ye remember that I said unto you, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images, or any likeness of things which is in heaven above, or which is in the earth beneath, or which is in the water under the earth. And again: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generations of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. -- Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Remember the sabbath-day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day, the sabbath of the Lord thy God, thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is; wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath-day, and hallowed it. Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's.

Mosiah 8
Modernly Mosiah 13
CHAPTER VII. And it came to pass that after Abinadi had made an end of these sayings, that he said unto them, Have ye taught this people that they should observe to do all these things? For to keep these commandments? I say unto you, Nay; for if ye had, the Lord would not have caused me to come forth and to prophesy evil concerning this people. And now ye have said that salvation cometh by the law of Moses. I say unto you that it is expedient that ye should keep the law of Moses as yet; but I say unto you, that the time shall come when it shall no more be expedient to keep the law of Moses. And moreover, I say unto you, that salvation doth not come by the law alone; and were it not for the atonement which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses. And now I say unto you, that it was expedient that there should be a law given to the children of Israel, yea, even a very strict law: for they were a stiffnecked people, quick to do iniquity, and slow to remember the Lord their God; therefore there was a law given them, yea, a law of performances and of ordinances, a law which they were to observe strictly, from day to day, to keep them in remembrance of God, and their duty towards him. But behold, I say unto you, that all these things were types of things to come. And now, did they understand the law? I say unto you, Nay, they did not all understand the law; and this because of the hardness of their hearts: for they understood not that there could not any man be saved, except it were through the redemption of God. For behold, did not Moses prophesy unto them concerning the coming of the Messiah, and that God should redeem his people, yea, and even all the prophets which have prophesied ever since the world began? Have they not spoken more or less concerning these things? Have they not said that God himself should come down among the children of men, and take upon him the form of man, and go forth in mighty power upon the face of the earth? Yea, and have they not said also, that he should bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, and that he himself should be oppressed and afflicted? Yes, even doth not Isaiah say, Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? for he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgressions of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no evil, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

And now Abinadi saith unto them, I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people; and because he dwelleth in flesh, he shall be called the Son of God: and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son; the Father because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son: and they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of Heaven and of Earth; and thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people. And after all this, and after working many mighty miracles among the children of men, he shall be led, yea, even as Isaiah said; As a sheep before the shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth; yea, even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father; and thus God breaketh the bands of death; having gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to make intercession for the children of men; having ascended into heaven; having the bowels of mercy; being filled with compassion toward the children of men; standing betwixt them and justice; having broken the bands of death, taken upon himself their iniquity and their transgressions; having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of justice. And now I say unto you, Who shall declare his generation? Behold, I say unto you, that when his soul has been made an offering for sin, he shall see his seed. And now what say ye? And who shall be his seed? Behold I say unto you, that whosoever hath heard the words of the prophets, yea, all the Holy Prophets which have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord; I say unto, that all those who hath hearkened unto their words, and believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins; I say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are heirs of the Kingdom of God: for these are they whose sins he hath borne; these are they for whom he hath died, to redeem them from their transgressions. And now, are they not his seed? Yea, and are not the prophets, every one that has opened his mouth to prophesy, that has not fallen into transgression; I mean all the Holy Prophets ever since the world began; I say unto you that they are his seed; and these are they which hath published peace, that hath brought good tidings of good, that hath published salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! And O how beautiful upon the mountains were their feet! And again: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that are still publishing peace! And again: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who shall hereafter publish peace, yea, from this time henceforth and forever! And behold, I say unto you, this is not all: For O how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that is the founder of peace; yea, even the Lord, who hath redeemed his people; yea, him who hath granted salvation unto his people: for were it not for the redemption which he hath made for his people, which was prepared from the foundation of the world; I say unto you, were it not for this, that all mankind must have perished. But behold, the bands of death shall be broken, and the Son reigneth, and hath power over the dead; therefore, he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead. And there cometh a resurrection, even a first resurrection; yea, even a resurrection of those that have been and which are, and which shall be, even until the resurrection of Christ: for so shall he be called. And now, the resurrection of all the prophets, and all those that have believed in their words, or all those that have kept the commandments of God, these shall come forth in the first resurrection; therefore, they are the first resurrection. They are raised to dwell with God, who hath redeemed them: thus they have eternal life through Christ, who hath broken the bands of death. And there are those who have a part in the first resurrection; and these are they that have died before Christ came, in their ignorance, not having salvation declared unto them. And thus the Lord bringeth about the restoration of these, and they have a part in the first resurrection, or hath eternal life, being redeemed by the Lord. And little children also, hath eternal life. But behold, and fear, and tremble before God; for ye had ought to tremble: for the Lord redeemeth none such that rebelleth against him, and dieth in their sins; yea, even all those that have perished in their sins ever since the world began, that have wilfully rebelled against God, that have known the commandments of God, and would not keep them; these are they that have no part in the first resurrection. Therefore, had ye not ought to tremble? For salvation cometh to none such; for the Lord hath redeemed none such; yea, neither can the Lord redeem such: for he cannot deny himself; for he cannot deny justice when it hath its claim.

And now I say unto you, that the time shall come that the salvation of the Lord shall be declared to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. Yea, Lord, the watchmen shall lift up their voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations: and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

And now it came to pass that after Abinadi had spoken these words, he stretched forth his hand and said, The time shall come when all shall see the salvation of the Lord; when every nation, kindred, tongue and people, shall see eye to eye, and shall confess before God that his judgments are just; and then shall the wicked be cast out, and they shall have cause to howl, and weep, and wail, and gnash their teeth; and this because they would not hearken unto the voice of the Lord; therefore the Lord redeemeth them not, for they are carnal and devlish, and the devil hath power over them; yea, even that old serpent that did beguile our first parents, which was the cause of their fall; which was the cause of all mankind becoming carnal, sensual, devlish, knowing evil from good, subjecting themselves to the devil. Thus all mankind were lost; and behold, they would have been endlessly lost, were it not that God redeemed his people from their lost and fallen state. But remember, that he that persists in his own carnal nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, he remaineth in his fallen state, and the devil hath power over him. Therefore he is as though there was no redemption made; being an enemy to God; and also is the devil an enemy to God. And now if Christ had not come into the world, speaking of things to come, as though they had already come, there could have been no redemption. And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death, that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection. But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death, is swallowed up in Christ: He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death. Even this mortal shall put on immortality, and this corruption shall put on incorruption, and shall be brought to stand before the bar of God, to be judged of him according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil. If they be good, to the resurrection of endless life and happiness, and if they be evil, to the resurrection of endless damnation; being delivered up to the devil, who hath subjected them which is damnation; having gone according to their own carnal wills and desires; having never called upon the Lord while the arms of mercy was extended towards them; for the arms of mercy was extended towards them, and they would not; they being warned of their iniquities, and yet they would not depart from them; and they were commanded to repent, and yet they would not repent. And now had ye not ought to tremble and repent of your sins, and remember only in and through Christ ye can be saved? Therefore, if ye teach the law of Moses, also teach that it is a shadow of those things which are to come; teach them that redemption cometh through Christ the Lord, which is the very Eternal Father. Amen.

Mosiah 9
Modernly Mosiah 17
CHAPTER IX. And now it came to pass that when Abinadi had finished these sayings, that the king commanded that the priests should take him and cause that he should be put to death. But there was one among them, whose name was Alma, he also being a descendant of Nephi. And he was a young man, and he believed the words which Abinadi had spoken, for he knew concerning the iniquity which Abinadi had testified against them: Therefore he began to plead with the king that he would not be angry with Abinadi, but suffer that he might depart in peace. But the king was more wroth, and caused that Alma should be cast out from among them, and sent his servants after him, that they might slay him. But he fled from before them, and hid himself, that they found him not. And he, being concealed for many days, did write all the words which Abinadi had spoken.

And it came to pass that the king caused that his guards should surround Abinadi, and take him; and they bound him and cast him into prison. And after three days, having counselled with his priests, he caused that he should again be brought before him. And he said unto him, Abinadi, we have found an accusation against thee, and thou art worthy of death. For thou hast said that God himself should come down among the children of men; and now for this cause thou shalt be put to death, unless thou wilt recall all the words which thou hast spoken evil concerning me and my people.

Now Abinadi saith unto him: I say unto you, I will not recall the words which I have spoken unto you concerning this people, for they are true; and that ye may know of their surety, I have suffered myself that I have fallen into your hands. Yea, and I will suffer even until death, and I will not recall my words, and they shall stand as a testimony against you. And if ye slay me, ye will shed innocent blood, and this shall also stand as a testimony against you at the last day.

And now king Noah was about to release him, for he feared his word; for he feared the judgment of God would come upon him. But the priests lifted up their voices against him, and began to accuse him, saying: He hath reviled the king. Therefore the king was stirred up in anger against him, and he delivered him up, that he might be slain.

And it came to pass that they took him, and bound him, and scourged his skin with faggots, yea, even unto death. And now when the flames began to scorch him, he cried unto them saying: Behold, even as ye have done unto me, so shall it come to pass that thy seed shall cause that many shall suffer the pains that I do suffer, even the pains of death, by fire; and this because they believe in the salvation of the Lord their God. And it will come to pass that ye shall be afflicted with all manner of diseases, because of your iniquities. Yea, and ye shall be smitten on every hand, and shall be driven and scattered to and fro, even as a wild flock is driven by wild and ferocious beasts. And in that day ye shall be hunted, and ye shall be taken by the hand of your enemies, and then ye shall suffer, as I suffer, the pains of death, by fire. Thus God executeth vengeance upon those that destroy his people. O God, receive my soul. And now when Abinadi had said these words, he fell, having suffered death by fire; yea, having been put to death because he would not deny the commandments of God: having sealed the truth of his words by his death.

And now it came to pass that Alma, who had fled from the servants of king Noah, repented of his sins and iniquities, and went about privately among the people, and began to teach the words of Abinadi; yea, concerning that which was to come, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and the redemption of the people, which was to be brought to pass through the power, and sufferings, and death of Christ, and his resurrection and ascension into Heaven. And as many as would hear his word he did teach. And he taught them privately, that it might not come to the knowledge of the king. And many did believe his words. And it came to pass that as many as did believe him, did go forth to a place which was called Mormon, having received its name from the king, being in the borders of the land having been infested, by times, or at seasons, by wild beasts. Now there was in Mormon a fountain of pure water, and Alma resorted thither, there being near the water a thicket of small trees, where he did hide himself in the day-time, from the searches of the king. And it came to pass that as many as believed him, went thither to hear his words. And it came to pass after many days, there were a goodly number gathered together to the place of Mormon, to hear the words of Alma. Yea, all were gathered together that believed on his word, to hear him. And he did teach them, and did preach unto them repentance, and redemption, and faith on the Lord.

And it came to pass that he said unto them, Behold, here is the waters of Mormon; for thus were they called. And now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light; yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times, and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life: Now I say unto you, if this be the desires of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his spirit more abundantly upon you. -- And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy and exclaimed, This is the desires of our hearts.

And now it came to pass that Alma took Helam, he being one of the first, and went and stood forth in the water, and cried, saying, O Lord, pour out your spirit upon thy servant, that he may do this work with holiness of heart. And when he had said these words, the spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he said, Helam, I baptize thee, having authority from the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into a covenant to serve him until you are dead, as to the mortal body; and may the spirit of the Lord be poured out upon you; and may he grant unto you eternal life, through the redemption of Christ, which he hath prepared from the foundation of the world. And after Alma had said these words, both Alma and Helam was buried in the water; and they arose and came forth out of the water rejoicing, being filled with the spirit. And again, Alma took another, and went forth a second time into the water, and baptizing him according to the first, only he did not bury himself again in the water. And after this manner he did baptize every one that went forth to the place of Mormon; and they were in number about two hundred and four souls; yea, and they were baptized in the waters of Mormon, and were filled with the grace of God: and they were called the Church of God, or the Church of Christ, from that time forward.

And it came to pass that whosoever was baptized by the power and authority of God, they was added to his church.

And it came to pass that Alma, having authority from God, ordained priests; even one priest to every fifty of their number did he ordain to preach unto them, and to teach them concerning the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. And he commanded them that they should teach nothing save it were the things which he had taught, and which had been spoken by the mouths of the holy prophets. Yea, even he commanded them that they should preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord, who hath redeemed his people. And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism; having their hearts knit together in unity and in love, one towards another. And thus he commanded them to preach. And thus they became the children of God. And he commanded them that they should observe the sabbath day, and keep it holy, and also every day they should give thanks to the Lord their God. And he also commanded them that the priests which he had ordained should labor with their own hands for their support; and there was one day in every week that was set apart that they should gather themselves together to teach the people, and worship the Lord their God, and also as often as it was in their power to assemble themselves together. And the priests was not to depend upon the people for their support; but for their labor they were to receive the grace of God, that they might wax strong in spirit, having the knowledge of God, that they might teach the power and authority from God. And again Alma commanded that the people of the Church should impart of their substance, every one according to that which he hath; if he have more abundantly, he should impart more abundantly; and he that hath but little, but little should be required; and to him that hath not should be given. And thus they should impart of their substance, of their own free will and good desires towards God, and to those priests that stood in need, yea, and to every needy, naked soul. And this he said unto them, having been commanded of God; and they did walk uprightly before God, imparting to one another, both temporally and spiritually, according to their needs and their wants.

And now it came to pass that all this was done in Mormon; yea, by the waters of Mormon, in the forest that was near the waters of Mormon, yea, the place of Mormon, the waters of Mormon, the forest of Mormon, how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their redeemer; yea, and how blessed are they, for they shall sing to his praise forever. And these things were done in the borders of the land, that they might not come to the knowledge of the king. But behold, it came to pass that the king, having discovered a movement among the people, sent his servants to watch them. Therefore on the day that they were assembling themselves together to hear the word of the Lord, they were discovered unto the king. And now the king saith that Alma was stirring up the people to a rebellion against him; therefore he sent his army to destroy them. And it came to pass that Alma, and the people of the Lord were apprised of the coming of the king's army; therefore they took their tents and their families, and departed into the wilderness. And they were in number about four hundred and fifty souls.

And it came to pass that the army of the king returned, having searched in vain for the people of the Lord. And now behold, the forces of the king were small, having been reduced, and there began to be a division among the remainder of the people. And the lesser part began to breath out threatnings against the king, and there began to be a great contention among them. And now there was a man among them whose name was Gideon, and he being a strong man, and an enemy to the king, therefore he drew his sword and swore in his wrath, that he would slay the king. And it came to pass that he fought with the king; and when the king saw that he was about to overpower him, he fled and ran and got upon the tower, which was near the temple. And Gideon pursued after him and was about to get upon the tower to slay the king, and the king cast his eyes round about towards the land of Shemlon, and behold, the army of the Lamanites were within the borders of the land. And now the king cried out in the anguish of his soul, saying, Gideon, spare me, for the Lamanites are upon us, and they will destroy them; yea, they will destroy my people. And now the king was not so much concerned about his people, as he was about his own life; nevertheless, Gideon did spare his life. And the king commanded the people that they should flee before the Lamanites, and he himself did go before them, and they did flee into the wilderness with their women and their children. And it came to pass that the Lamanites did pursue them, and did overtake them, and began to slay them.

Now it came to pass that the king commanded them that all men should leave their wives and their children and flee from the Lamanites. Now there were many that would not leave them, but had rather stay and perish with them. And the rest left their wives and their children and fled.

And it came to pass that those that tarried with their wives and their children, caused that their fair daughters should stand forth and plead with the Lamanites, that they would not slay them. And it came to pass that the Lamanites had compassion on them, for they were charmed with the beauty of their women; therefore the Lamanites did spare their lives, and took them captives, and carried them back to the land of Nephi, and granted unto them that they might possess the land, under the conditions that they would deliver up the king Noah into the hands of the Lamanites, and deliver up their property, even one half of all they possessed; one half of their gold, and their silver, and all their precious things; and thus they should pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites, from year to year. And now there was one of the sons of the king among those that was taken captive, whose name was Limhi. And now Limhi was desirous that his father should not be destroyed; nevertheless, Limhi was not ignorant of the iniquities of his father, he himself, being a just man.

And it came to pass that Gideon sent men into the wilderness secretly, to search for the king, and those that was with him. And it came to pass that they met the people in the wilderness, all save the king and his priests. Now they had sworn in their hearts that they would return to the land of Nephi, and if their wives and their children were slain, and also those that had tarried with them, that they would seek revenge, and also perish with them. And the king commanded them that they should not return; and they were angry with the king, and caused that he should suffer, even unto death by fire. And they were about to take the priests also and put them to death, and they fled before them.

And it came to pass that they were about to return to the land of Nephi, and they met the men of Gideon. And the men of Gideon told them of all that had happened to their wives and their children; and that the Lamanites had granted unto them that they might possess the land by paying a tribute to the Lamanites of one half of all they possessed. And the people told the men of Gideon that they had slain the king, and his priests had fled from them farther into the wilderness, And it came to pass that after they had ended the ceremony, that they returned to the land of Nephi, rejoicing, because their wives and their children were not slain; and they told Gideon what they had done to the king.

And it came to pass that the king of the Lamanites made an oath unto them, that his people should not slay them. And also Limhi, being the son of the king, having the kingdom conferred upon him by the people, made an oath unto the king of the Lamanites, that his people should pay tribute unto him, even one half of all they possessed.

And it came to pass that Limhi began to establish the kingdom, and to establish peace among his people. And the king of the Lamanites set guards round about the land, that he might keep the people of Limhi in the land, that they might not depart into the wilderness; and he did support his guards out of the tribute which he did receive from the Nephites. And now king Limhi did have continual peace in his kingdom, for the space of two years, that the Lamanites did not molest them nor seek to destroy them.

Now there was a place in Shemlon, where the daughters of the Lamanites did gather themselves together for to sing, to dance, and to make themselves merry. And it came to pass that there was one day a small number of them gathered together to sing and dance. And now the priests of king Noah, being ashamed to return to the city of Nephi, yea, and also fearing that the people would slay them, therefore they durst not return to their wives and their children. And having tarried in the wilderness and having discovered the daughters of the Lamanites, they laid and watched them; and when there were but few of them gathered together to dance, they came forth out of their secret places, and took them and carried them into the wilderness; yea, twenty and four of the daughters of the Lamanites they carried into the wilderness.

And it came to pass that when the Lamanites found that their daughters had been missing, they were angry with the people of Limhi; for they thought it was the people of Limhi. Therefore they sent their armies forth; yea, even the king himself went before his people; and they went up to the land of Nephi, to destroy the people of Limhi. And now Limhi had discovered them from the tower; even all their preparations for war did he discover; therefore he gathered his people together, and laid wait for them in the fields, and in the forests. And it came to pass that when the Lamanites had come up, that the people of Limhi began to fall upon them from their waiting places, and began to slay them.

And it came to pass that the battle became exceeding sore, for they fought like lions for their prey. And it came to pass that the people of Limhi began to drive the Lamanites before them, yet they were not half so numerous as the Lamanites. But they fought for their lives, and for their wives, and for their children; therefore they exerted themselves, and like dragons did they fight.

And it came to pass that they found the king of the Lamanites among the number of their dead; yet he was not dead, having been wounded and left upon the ground, so speedy was the flight of his people. And they took him and bound up his wounds, and brought him before Limhi, and said, Behold, here is the king of the Lamanites; he having received a wound, hath fallen among their dead, and they have left him; and behold, we have brought him before you; and now let us slay him. But Limhi saith unto them, Ye shall not slay him, but bring him hither, that I may see him. And they brought him. And Limhi saith unto him, What cause have ye to come up to war against my people? Behold, my people have not broken the oath that I made unto you; therefore, why should ye break the oath which ye made unto my people? And now the king said, I have broken the oath, because thy people did carry away the daughters of my people; therefore in my anger I did cause my people to come up to war against thy people. Now Limhi had heard nothing concerning this matter; therefore he saith, I will search among my people, and whosoever hath done this thing shall perish. Therefore he caused a search to be made among his people. Now when Gideon had heard these things, he being the king's captain, he went forth and said unto the king, I pray thee forbear, and do not search this people, and lay not this thing to their charge. For do ye not remember the priests of thy father, which this people sought to destroy? And are they not in the wilderness? And is it not they which have stolen the daughters of the Lamanites? And now behold, and tell the king these things, that he may tell his people, that they may be pacified towards us: for behold, they are already preparing to come against us; and behold also, there are but few of us. And behold, they come with their numerous hosts; and except the king doth pacify them towards us, we must perish. For are not the words of Abinadi fulfilled, which he prophesied against us? and all this because we would not hearken unto the words of the Lord, and turn from our iniquities? And now let us pacify the king, and we fulfil the oath which we have made unto him: for it is better that we should be in bondage, than that we should lose our lives; therefore, let us put a stop to the shedding of so much blood. And now Limhi told the king all the things concerning his father, and the priests that had fled into the wilderness, and attributed the carrying away of their daughters to them.

And it came to pass that the king was pacified towards his people; and he said unto them, Let us go forth to meet my people, without arms; and I swear unto you with an oath, that my people shall not slay thy people. And it came to pass that they followed the king, and went forth without arms to meet the Lamanites. And it came to pass that they did meet the Lamanites; and the king of the Lamanites did bow himself down before them, and did plead in behalf of the people of Limhi. And when the Lamanites saw the people of Limhi, that they were pacified towards them, and returned with their king in peace to their own land.

And it came to pass that Limhi and his people returned to the city of Nephi, and began to dwell in the land again in peace. And it came to pass that after many days, the Lamanites began to be stirred up in anger against the Nephites; and they began to come into the borders of the land round about. Now they durst not slay them, because of the oath which their king had made unto Limhi; but they would smite them on their cheeks, and exercise authority over them; and began to put heavy burdens upon their backs, and drive them as they would a dumb ass: yea, all this was done, that the word of the Lord be fulfilled. And now the afflictions of the Nephites was great; and there was no way that they could deliver themselves out of their hands, for the Lamanites had surrounded them on every side.

And it came to pass that the people began to murmur with the king, because of their afflictions; and they began to be desirous to go against them to battle. And they did afflict the king sorely with their complaints; therefore he granted unto them that they should do according to their desires. And they gathered themselves together again, and put on their armor, and went forth against the Lamanites, to drive them out of their land. And it came to pass that the Lamanites did beat them, and drove them back, and slew many of them. And now there was a great mourning and lamentation among the people of Limhi; the widow mourning for her husband; the son and the daughter mourning for their father; and the brothers for their brethren. Now there were a great many widows in the land; and they did cry mightily from day to day, for a great fear of the Lamanites had come upon them. And it came to pass that their continual cries did stir up the remainder of the people of Limhi to anger, against the Lamanites. And they went again to battle; but they were driven back again, suffering much loss. Yea, they went again, even the third time, and suffered in the like manner; and those that were not slain, returned again to the city of Nephi. And they did humble themselves even to the dust, subjecting themselves to the yoke of bondage, submitting themselves to be smitten, and to be driven to and fro, and burdened, according to the desires of their enemies. And they did humble themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God, that he would deliver them out of their afflictions. And now the Lord was slow to hear their cry, because of their iniquities; nevertheless the Lord did hear their cries, and began to soften the hearts of the Lamanites, that they began to ease their burdens: yet the Lord did not see fit to deliver them out of bondage.

And it came to pass that they began to prosper by degrees in the land, and began to raise grain more abundantly, and flocks, and herds, that they did not suffer with hunger. Now there was a great number of women more than there was of men; therefore king Limhi commanded every man should impart to the support of the widows and their children, that they might not perish with hunger: and this they did, because of the greatness of their number that had been slain. Now the people of Limhi kept together in a body as much as it was possible, and secure their grain, and their flocks; and the king himself did not trust his person without the walls of the city, unless he took his guards with him, fearing that he might by some means fall into the hands of the Lamanites. And he caused that his people should watch the land round about, that by some means they might take those priests that fled into the wilderness, which had stolen the daughters of the Lamanites, and that caused such a great destruction to come upon them; for they were desirous to take them, that they might punish them: for they had come into the land of Nephi by night, and carried off of their grain, and many of their precious things; therefore they laid wait for them.

And it came to pass that there was no more disturbance between the Lamanites and the people of Limhi, even until the time that Ammon and his brethren came into the land. And the king having been without the gates of the city with his guard he discovered Ammon and his brethren; and supposing them to be priests of Noah, therefore he caused that they should be taken, and bound, and cast into prison. And had they been the priests of Noah, he would have caused that they should be put to death; but when he found that they were not, but that they were his brethren, and had come from the land of Zarahemla, he was filled with exceeding great joy. -- Now king Limhi had sent, previous to the coming of Ammon, a small number of men to search for the land of Zarahemla; but they could not find it: and they were lost in the wilderness. Nevertheless they did find a land which had been peopled; yea, a land which was covered with dry bones; yea, a land which had been peopled, and which had been destroyed; and they having supposed it to be the land of Zarahemla, returned to the land of Nephi, having arrived in the borders of the land not many days before the coming of Ammon. And they brought a record with them, even a record of the people whose bones they had found; and they were engraven on plates of ore. And now Limhi was again filled with joy, on learning from the mouth of Ammon that king Benjamin had a gift from God, whereby he could interpret such engravings; yea, and Ammon also did rejoice. Yet Ammon and his brethren were filled with sorrow, because so many of his brethren had been slain; and also that king Noah and his priests had caused the people to commit so many sins and iniquities against God; and they also did mourn for the death of Abinadi; and also for the departure of Alma, and the people that went with him, who had formed a church of God through the strength and power of God, and faith on the words which had been spoken by Abinadi; yea, they did mourn for their departure, for they knew not whither they had fled. Now they would have gladly joined with them, for they themselves had entered into a covenant with God, to serve him, and keep his commandments. And now since the coming of Ammon, king Limhi had also entered into a covenant with God, and also many of his people, to serve him, and keep his commandments.

And it came to pass that king Limhi and many of his people was desirous to be baptized; but there was none in the land that had authority from God. And Ammon declined doing this thing, considering himself an unworthy servant; therefore they did not at that time form themselves into a church, waiting upon the spirit of the Lord. Now they were desirous to become even as Alma and his brethren, which had fled into the wilderness. They were desirous to be baptized, as a witness and a testimony that they were willing to serve God with all their hearts; nevertheless they did prolong the time: and an account of their baptism shall be given hereafter. And now all the study of Ammon and his people, and king Limhi and his people, was to deliver themselves out of the hands of the Lamanites, and from bondage.

Mosiah 10
Modernly Mosiah 22
CHAPTER X. And now it came to pass that Ammon and king Limhi began to consult with the people how they should deliver themselves out of bondage; and even they did cause that all the people should gather themselves together: and this they did that they might have a voice of the people concerning the matter. And it came to pass that they could find no way to deliver themselves out of bondage, except it were to take their women and children, and their flocks, and their herds, and their tents, and depart into the wilderness; for the Lamanites being so numerous that it was impossible for the people of Limhi to contend with them, thinking to deliver themselves out of bondage by the sword.

Now it came to pass that Gideon went forth and stood before the king, and said unto him, Now O king, thou hast hitherto hearkened unto my words many times when we have been contending with our brethren, the Lamanites. And now O king, if thou hast not found me to be a unprofitable servant or if thou hast hitherto listened to my words in any degree, and they have been of service to thee, even so I desire that thou wouldst listen to my words at this time, and I will be thy servant, and deliver this people out of bondage. And the king granted unto him that he might speak. And Gideon saith unto him, Behold the back pass through the back wall, on the back side of the city. The Lamanites, or the guards of the Lamanites, by night, are drunken; therefore let us send a proclamation among all this people, that they gather together their flocks and herds, that they may drive them into the wilderness by night. And I will go according to thy command, and pay the last tribute of wine to the Lamanites, and they will be drunken; and we will pass through the secret pass on the left of the camp, when they are drunken and asleep: thus we will depart with our women and our children, our flocks and our herds, into the wilderness; and we will travel around the land of Shilom. And it came to pass that the king hearkened unto the words of Gideon. And it came to pass that king Limhi caused that his people should gather their flocks together; and he sent the tribute of wine to the Lamanites; and he also sent more wine, as a present unto them: and they did drink freely of the wine which king Limhi did send unto them.

And it came to pass that the people of king Limhi did depart by night into the wilderness with their flocks and their herds; and they went round about the land of Shilom in the wilderness, and bent their course towards the land of Zarahemla, being led by Ammon and his brethren. And they had taken all their gold, and silver, and their precious things, which they could carry; and also their provisions with them, into the wilderness; and they pursued their journey. And after being many days in the wilderness, they arrived in the land of Zarahemla, and joined his people, and became his subjects. And it came to pass that Mosiah received them with joy; and he also received their records, and also the records which had been found by the people of Limhi. And now it came to pass when the Lamanites had found that the people of Limhi had departed out of the land by night, that they sent an army into the wilderness to pursue them; and after they had pursued them two days, they could no longer follow their tracks; therefore they were lost in the wilderness.

Mosiah 11
Modernly Mosiah 23
CHAPTER XI An account of Alma and the people of the Lord, which was driven into the wilderness by the people of king Noah.

Now Alma, having been warned of the Lord that the armies of king Noah would come upon them, and had made it known to his people, therefore they gathered together their flocks and took of their grain, and departed into the wilderness before the armies of king Noah. And the Lord did strengthen them, that the people of king Noah could not overtake them, to destroy them. And it came to pass that they fled eight days' journey into the wilderness. And they came to a land, yea, even a very beautiful and pleasant land; a land of pure water. And it came to pass that they pitched their tents, and began to till the ground, and began to build buildings, &c; yea, they were industrious, and did labor exceedingly. And it came to pass that the people were desirous that Alma should be their king, for he was beloved by his people. But he saith unto them, Behold, it is not expedient that we should have a king; for thus saith the Lord: Ye shall not esteem one flesh above another; or one man shall not think himself above another; therefore I say unto you, It is not expedient that ye should have a king. Nevertheless, if it were possible that ye could always have just men to be your kings, it would be well for you to have a king. But remember the iniquity of king Noah and his priests: and I myself was caught in a snare, and did many things which was abominable in the sight of the Lord, which caused me sore repentance; nevertheless, after much tribulation, the Lord did hear my cries, and did answer my prayers, and hath made me an instrument in his hands, in bringing so many of you to a knowledge of his truth. Nevertheless, in this I do not glory, for I am unworthy to glory of myself. And now I say unto you, As ye have been oppressed by king Noah, and have been in bondage to him and his priests, and have been brought into iniquity by them; therefore ye were bound with the hands of iniquity. And now as ye have been delivered, by the power of God, out of these bonds; yea, even out of the hands of king Noah and his people, and also from the bonds of iniquity, even so I desire that ye should stand fast in this liberty wherewith ye have been made free, and that ye trust no man to be king over you; and also trusting no one to be your teachers nor your ministers, except he be a man of God, walking in his ways and keeping his commandments. Thus did Alma teach his people, that every man should love his neighbor as himself; that there should be no contention among them. And now Alma was their high priest, he being a founder of their Church. And it came to pass that none received authority to preach or to teach, except it were by him from God. Therefore he consecrated all their priests, and all their teachers, and none were consecrated except it were just men. Therefore they did watch over their people, and did nourish them with things pertaining to righteousness. And it came to pass that they began to prosper exceedingly in the land; and they called the land Helam. And it came to pass that they did multiply and prosper exceedingly in the land of Helam; and they built a city, which they called Helam. Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith. Nevertheless, whosoever puteth his trust in him, the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people. For behold, I will shew unto you that they were brought into bondage, and none could deliver them but the Lord their God; yea, even the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. And it came to pass that he did deliver them, and he did shew forth his mighty power unto them, and great was their rejoicings. For behold, it came to pass that while they were in the land of Helam, yea, in the city of Helam, while tilling the land round about, behold an army of the Lamanites were in the borders of the land. Now it came to pass that the brethren of Alma fled from the fields, and gathered themselves together into the city of Helam; and they were much frightened because of the appearance of the Lamanites. But Alma went forth and stood among them, and exhorted them that they should not be frightened, but they should remember the Lord their God, and he would deliver them; therefore they hushed their fears, and began to cry unto the Lord, that he would soften the hearts of the Lamanites, that they would spare them, and their wives, and their children. And it came to pass that the Lord did soften the hearts of the Lamanites. And Alma and his brethren went forth and delivered themselves up into their hands; and the Lamanites took possession of the land of Helam. Now the armies of the Lamanites which had followed after the people of king Limhi, had been lost in the wilderness for many days. And behold, they had found those priests of king Noah, in a place called Amulon; and they began to possess the land of Amulon, and had began to till the ground. Now the name of the leader of those priests was Amulon. And it came to pass that Amulon did plead with the Lamanites; and he also sent forth their wives, which was the daughters of the Lamanites, to plead with their brethren, that they should not destroy their husbands. And it came to pass that the Lamanites had compassion on Amulon and his brethren, and did not destroy them, because of their wives. And Amulon and his brethren did join the Lamanites, and they were travelling in the wilderness in search of the land of Nephi, when they discovered the land of Helam, which was possessed by Alma and his brethren.

And it came to pass that the Lamanites promised unto Alma and his brethren, that if they shewed them the way which led to the land of Nephi, that they would grant unto them their lives and their liberty. But it came to pass that after Alma had shewn them the way that led to the land of Nephi, the Lamanites would not keep their promise; but they set guards round about the land of Helam, over Alma and his brethren. And the remainder of them went to the land of Nephi, and a part of them returned to the land of Helam, and also brought with them the wives and the children of the guards which had been left in the land. And the king of the Lamanites had granted unto Amulon that he should be a king and a ruler over his people, which was in the land of Helam; nevertheless he should have no power to do any thing contrary to the will of the king of the Lamanites.

And it came to pass that Amulon did gain favor in the eyes of the king of the Lamanites; therefore the king of the Lamanites granted unto him and his brethren, that they should be appointed teachers over his people; yea, even over the people which was in the land of Shemlon, and in the land of Shilom, and in the land of Amulon: for the Lamanites had taken possession of all these lands; therefore the king of the Lamanites had appointed kings over all these lands. And now the name of the king of the Lamanites was Laman, being called after the name of his father; and therefore he was called king Laman. And he was king over a numerous people; and he appointed teachers of the brethren of Amulon, in every land which was possessed by his people: and thus the language of Nephi began to be taught among all the people of the Lamanites. And they were a people friendly one with another; nevertheless they knew not God; neither did the brethren of Amulon teach them any thing concerning the Lord their God, neither the law of Moses; nor did they teach them the words of Abinadi; but they taught them that they should keep their record, and that they might write one to another. And thus the Lamanites began to increase in riches, and began to trade one with another, and wax great, and began to be a cunning and a wise people, as to the wisdom of the world; yea, a very cunning people; delighting in all manner of wickedness and plunder, except it were among their own brethren.

And now it came to pass that Amulon began to exercise authority over Alma and his brethren, and began to persecute him and cause that his children should persecute their children: for Amulon knew Alma, that he had been one of the king's priests, and that it was he that believed the words of Abinadi, and was driven out before the king; and therefore he was wroth with him, for he was subject to king Laman; yet he exercised authority over them, and put tasks upon them, and put task-masters over them. And it came to pass that so great was their afflictions, that they began to cry mightily to God. And it came to pass that Amulon commanded them that they should stop their cries; and he put guards over them to watch them, that whosoever should be found calling upon God, should be put to death. And it came to pass that Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.

And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying, Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people, and deliver them out of bondage. And I will also ease the burdens which is put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do, that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions. And now it came to pass that the burdens which was laid upon Alma and his brethren, were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience, that the voice of the Lord came unto them saying, Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver thee out of bondage. And he saith unto Alma, Thou shalt go before this people, And I will go with thee, and deliver this people out of bondage. And he saith unto Alma: Thou shalt go before this people, and I will go with thee, and deliver this people out of bondage.

Now it came to pass that Alma and his people, in the night time, gathered their flocks together, and also their grain; yea, even all the night time were they gathering their flocks together. And in the morning the Lord caused a deep sleep to come upon the Lamanites, yea, and all their task-masters were in a profound sleep. And it came to pass that Alma and his people departed into the wilderness; and when they had travelled all day, they pitched their tents in a valley, and they called the valley Alma, because he led their way in the wilderness; yea, and in the valley of Alma they poured out their thanks to God because he had been merciful unto them, and eased their burdens, and had delivered them out of bondage; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them, except it were the Lord their God. And they gave thanks to God, yea, all their men, and all their women, and all their children, that could speak, lifted their voices in the praises of their God.

And now the Lord said unto Alma, Haste thee and get thou and this people out of this land, for the Lamanites have awoke and doth pursue thee; therefore get thee out of this land, and I will stop the Lamanites in this valley, that they come no further in pursuit of this people. And it came to pass that they departed out of the valley, and took their journey into the wilderness. And it came to pass that after they had been in the wilderness twelve days, they arrived to the land of Zarahemla; and king Mosiah did also receive them with joy. And now king Mosiah caused that all the people be gathered together. Now there were not so many of the children of Nephi, or so many of those descendants of Nephi, as they were of the people of Zarahemla, which was a descendant of Mulok, and those which came with him into the wilderness; and there were not so many of the people of Nephi and of the people of Zarahemla as there was of the Lamanites; yea, they were not half so numerous. And now all the people of Nephi was assembled together, and also all the people of Zarahemla, and they were gathered together in two bodies.

And it came to pass that Mosiah did read, and caused to be read, the records of Zeniff to his people; yea, he read the records of the people of Zeniff, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla until the time they returned again. And he also read the account of Alma and his brethren, and all their afflictions, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla, until the time they returned again. And now when Mosiah had made an end of reading the records, his people which had tarried in the land was struck with wonder and amazement, for they knew not what to think; for when they beheld those that had been delivered out of bondage, they were filled with exceeding great joy. And again, when they thought of their brethren which had been slain by the Lamanites, they were filled with sorrow, and even shed many tears of sorrow. And again, when they thought of the immediate goodness of God, and his power in delivering Alma and his brethren out of the hands of the Lamanites, and of bondage, they did raise their voices, and gave thanks to God. And again when they thought upon the Lamanites, which was their brethren, of their sinful and polluted state, they were filled with pain and anguish, for the welfare of their souls.

And it came to pass that when those which were the children of Amulon and his brethren, which had taken to wife the daughters of the Lamanites, they were displeased with the conduct of their fathers, and they would no longer be called by the names of their fathers; therefore they took upon themselves the name of Nephi, that they might be called the children of Nephi, and be numbered among those which were called Nephites. And now all the people of Zarahemla were numbered with the Nephites, and this because the kingdom had been conferred upon none but those which were the descendants of Nephi.

And now it came to pass that when Mosiah had made an end of speaking and reading to the people, he desired that Alma should also speak to the people. And it came to pass that Alma did speak unto them, when they were assembled together in large bodies, and he went from one body to another, preaching unto the people repentance and faith on the Lord. And he did exhort the people of Limhi and his brethren, all these that had been delivered out of bondage, that they should remember that it was the Lord that did deliver them. And it came to pass that after Alma had taught the people many things, and had made an end of speaking to them, the king Limhi was desirous that he might be baptized; and all his people were desirous that they might be baptized also. Therefore Alma did go forth into the water, and did baptize them; yea, he did baptize them after the manner he did his brethren in the waters of Mormon; yea, and as many as he did baptize did belong to the Church of God; and this because of their belief on the words of Alma.

And it came to pass that king Mosiah granted unto Alma, that he might establish Churches throughout all the land of Zarahemla; and gave him power to ordain priests and teachers over every Church. Now this was done because there was so many people that they could not all be governed by one teacher; neither could they all hear the word of God in one assembly; therefore they did assemble themselves together in different bodies, being called Churches; every Church having their priests and their teachers, and every priest preaching the word according as it was delivered to him by the mouth of Alma: and thus, notwithstanding there being many Churches, they were all one Church; yea, even the Church of God: for there was nothing preached in all the Churches except it were repentance and faith in God. And now there was seven Churches in the land of Zarahemla. And it came to pass that whosoever was desirous to take upon them the name of Christ, or of God, they did join the churches of God; and they were called the people of God. And the Lord did pour out his spirit unto them, and they were blest, and prospered in the land.

Now it came to pass that there was many of the rising generation that could not understand the words of king Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did not believe the tradition of their fathers. They did not believe what had been said concerning the resurrection of the dead; neither did they believe concerning the coming of Christ. And now because of their belief, they could not understand the word of God; and their hearts were hardened. And they would not be baptized; neither would they join the church. And they were a separate people as to their faith, and remained so ever after, even in their carnal and sinful state: for they would not call upon the Lord their God. -- And now in the reign of Mosiah, they were not half so numerous as the people of God but because of the dissentions among the brethren, they became more numerous. For it came to pass that they did deceive many with their flattering words, which were in the church, and did cause them to commit many sins; therefore it became expedient that those who committed sin that was in the church, should be admonished by the church.

And it came to pass that they were brought before the priests, and delivered up unto the priests by the teachers; and the priests brought them before Alma, which was the high priest. Now king Mosiah had given Alma the authority over the church. And it came to pass that Alma did not know concerning them, for there were many witnesses against them; yea, the people stood and testified of their iniquity in abundance. Now there had not any such thing happened before, in the church; therefore Alma was troubled in his spirit, and he caused that they should be brought before the king. And he saith unto the king, Behold, here are many which we have brought before thee, which are accused of their brethren; yea, and they have been taken in divers iniquities. And they do not repent of their iniquities; therefore we have brought them before thee, that thou may judge them according to their crimes. But king Mosiah saith unto Alma, Behold, I judge them not; therefore I deliver them into thy hands to be judged. And now the spirit of Alma was again troubled; and he went and inquired of the Lord what he should do concerning this matter, for he feared that he should do wrong in the sight of God.

And it came to pass that after he had poured out his whole soul to God, the voice of the Lord came to him, saying, Blessed art thou, Alma; and blessed are they which were baptized in the waters of Mormon. Thou art blessed because of thy exceeding faith in the words alone of my servant Abinadi. And blessed are they, because of their exceeding faith in the words alone which thou hast spoken unto them. And blessed are thou because thou hast established a church among this people; and they shall be established, and they shall be my people. Yea, blessed is this people, which is willing to bear my name: for in my name shall they be called; and they are mine. And because thou hast inquired of me concerning the transgressor, thou art blessed. Thou art my servant; And I covenant with thee, that thou shall have eternal life; and thou shalt serve me, and go forth in my name, and shall gather together my sheep. And he that will hear my voice, shall be my sheep; and him shall ye receive into the church; and him will I also receive. For behold, this is my church; whosoever that is baptized, shall be baptized unto repentance. And whosoever ye receive, shall believe in my name; and him will I freely forgive: for it is I that taketh upon me the sins of the world; for it is I that hath created them; and it is I that granteth unto him that believeth in the end, a place at my right hand. For behold, in my name are they called; and if they know me, they shall come forth, and shall have a place eternally at my right hand. And it shall come to pass that when the second trump shall sound, then shall they that never knew me come forth, and shall stand before me; and then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, that I am their Redeemer; but they would not be redeemed. And then will I confess unto them, that I never knew them; and they shall depart into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels. Therefore I say unto you, That he that will not hear my voice, the same shall ye not receive into my church, for my voice, the same shall ye not receive into my church, for him I will not receive at the last day; therefore I say unto you, Go; and whosoever transgresseth against me, him shall ye judge according to the sins which he hath committed; and if he confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him shall ye forgive, and I will forgive him also; yea, and as often as my people repent, will I forgive them their trespasses against me. And ye shall also forgive one another your trespasses: for verily I say unto you, He that forgiveth not his neighbor's trespasses, when he saith that he repenteth, the same hath brought himself under condemnation. Now I say unto you, Go; and whosoever will not repent of his sins, the same shall not be numbered among my people; and this shall be observed from this time forward.

And it came to pass when Alma had heard these words, he wrote them down, that he might have them, and that he might judge the people of that church, according to the commandments of God.

And it came to pass that Alma went and judged those that had been taken in iniquity, according to the word of the Lord. And whosoever repenteth of their sins and did confess them, them he did number among the people of the church; and them that would not confess their sins and repent of their iniquity, the same were not numbered among the people of the church, and their names were blotted out. And it came to pass that Alma did regulate all the affairs of the church; and they began to have peace, and to prosper exceedingly in the affairs of the church; walking circumspectly before God; receiving many and baptizing many. And now all these things did Alma and his fellow-laborers do, which were over the church; walking in all diligence; teaching the word of God in all things; suffering all manner of afflictions; being persecuted by all those who did not belong to the church of God. And they did admonish their brethren; and they were also admonished, everyone, by the word of God, according to his sins, or to the sins which he had committed; being commanded of God to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in all things. And now it came to pass that the persecutions which was inflicted on the church by the unbelievers, became so great, that the church began to murmur, and complain to their leaders concerning the matter; and they did complain to Alma. And Alma laid the case before their king, Mosiah. And Mosiah consulted with his priests.

And it came to pass that king Mosiah sent a proclamation throughout the land round about, that there should not any unbeliever persecute any of those which belonged to the church of God; and there was a strict command throughout all the churches, that there should be no persecutions among them; that there should be an equality among all men; that they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb their peace; that every man should esteem his neighbor as himself, laboring with their own hands for their support; yea, and all their priests and teachers should labor with their own hands for their support, in all cases save it were in sickness, or in much want: and doing these things, they did abound in the grace of God. And there began to be much peace again in the land; and the people began to be very numerous, and began to scatter abroad upon the face of the earth; yea, on the north and on the south, on the east and on the west, building large cities and villages in all quarters of the land. And the Lord did visit them and prosper them, and they became a large and a wealthy people.

Now the sons of Mosiah was numbered among the unbelievers; and also one of the sons of Alma was numbered among them, he being called Alma, after his father; nevertheless he became a very wicked and idolatrous man. And he was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people; therefore he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities. And he became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God; stealing away the hearts of the people; causing much dissention among the people; giving a chance for the enemy of God to exercise his power over them.

And now it came to pass that while he was going out about to destroy the church of God: for he did go about secretly with the sons of Mosiah, seeking to destroy the church, and to lead astray the people of the Lord, contrary to the commandments of God, or even the king; and as I said unto you, as they were going about rebelling against God, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto them; and he descended as it were in a cloud; and he spake as it were with a voice of thunder, which caused the earth to shake upon which they stood; and so great was their astonishment, that they fell to earth, and understood not the words which he spake unto them. Nevertheless he cried again, saying, Alma, arise, and stand forth, for why persecuteth thou the church of God? For the Lord hath said, This is my church, and I will establish it; and nothing shall overthrow it, save it is the transgression of my people. And again: The angel saith, Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people and also the prayers of his servant Alma, which is thy father: for he hath prayed with much faith concerning thee, that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith. And now behold, can ye dispute the power of God? For behold, doth not my voice shake the earth? And can ye not also behold me before you? And I am sent from God. -- Now I say unto thee, Go, and remember the captivity of thy fathers in the land of Helam, and in the land of Nephi; and remember how great things he hath done for them: for they were in bondage, and he hath delivered them. And now I say unto thee, Alma, Go thy way, and seek to destroy the church no more, that their prayers may be answered, and this even if thou wilt of thyself be cast off.

And now it came to pass that these were the last words which the angel spake unto Alma, and he departed. And now Alma, and those that were with him, fell again to the earth, for great was their astonishment: for with their own eyes they had beheld an angel of the Lord; and his voice was as thunder, which shook the earth; and they knew that there was nothing save the power of God, that should shake the earth and cause it to tremble, as though it would part asunder. And now the astonishment of Alma was so great, that he became dumb, that he could not open his mouth; yea, and he became weak, even that he could not move his hands; therefore he was taken by those that were with him, and carried helpless, even until he was laid before his father. And they rehearsed unto his father all that had happened unto them; and his father rejoiced, for he knew that it was the power of God. And he caused that a multitude should be gathered together, that they might witness what the Lord had done for his son, and also for those that were with him. And he caused that the priests should assemble themselves together; and they began to fast, and to pray to the Lord their God, that he would open the mouth of Alma, that he might speak; and also that his limbs might receive their strength, that the eyes of the people might be opened to see and know of the goodness and glory of God.

And it came to pass after that they fasted and prayed for the space of two days and two nights, the limbs of Alma received their strength, and he stood up and began to speak unto them, bidding them to be of good comfort: for, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold, I am born of the spirit. And the Lord said unto me, Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men, and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters; and thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in no wise inherit the kingdom of God. I say unto you, unless this be the case, they must be cast off: and this I know, because I was like to be cast off. Nevertheless, after wandering through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God; my soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvellous light of God. My soul was wrecked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more. I rejected my Redeemer, and denied that which had been spoken of by our fathers; but now that they may foresee that he will come, and that he remembereth every creature of his creating, and he will make himself manifest unto all; yea, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess before him. Yea, even at the last day, when all men shall stand to be judged of him, then shall they confess that he is God; then shall they confess, who live without God in the world, that the judgment of an everlasting punishment is just upon them; and they shall quake, and tremble, and shrink beneath the glance of his all-searching eye.

And now it came to pass that Alma began from this time forward, to teach the people, and those which were with Alma at the time the angel appeared unto them; travelling round about through all the land, publishing to all the people the things which they had heard and seen, and preaching the word of God in much tribulation, being greatly persecuted by those which were unbelievers, being smitten by many of them; but notwithstanding all this, they did impart much consolation to the church, confirming their faith, and exhorting them with long suffering and much travail, to keep the commandments of God. And four of them were sons of Mosiah; and their names were Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni: these were the names of the sons of Mosiah. And after they had travelled throughout all the land of Zarahemla, and among all the people which was under the reign of king Mosiah, zealously striving to repair all the injuries which they had done to the church; confessing all their sins, and publishing all the things which they had seen, and explaining the prophecies and the scriptures to all who desired to hear them: and thus they were instruments in the hands of God, in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their redeemer. And how blessed they are! For they did publish peace; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth.

Mosiah 12
Modernly Mosiah 28
CHAPTER XII. Now it came to pass that after the sons of Mosiah had done all these things, they took a small number with them, and returned to their father, the king, and desired of him that he would grant unto them, that they might, with these whom they had selected, go up to the land of Nephi, that they might preach the things which they had heard, and that they might impart the word of God to their brethren, the Lamanites, that perhaps they might bring them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and convince them of the iniquity of their fathers; and that perhaps they might cure them of their hatred towards the Nephites, that they might also be brought to rejoice in the Lord their God, that they might become friendly to one another, and that there should be no more contentions in all the land which the Lord their God hath given them. Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment, did cause them to quake and tremble. And thus did the spirit of the Lord work upon them, for they were the very vilest of sinners. And the Lord saw fit in his infinite mercy to spare them; nevertheless they suffered much anguish of soul, because of their iniquities; and suffering much, fearing that they should be cast off forever.

And it came to pass that they did plead with their father many days, that they might go up to the land of Nephi. And it came to pass that king Mosiah went and inquired of the Lord, if he should let his sons go up among the Lamanites to preach the word. And the Lord said unto Mosiah, Let them go up, for many shall believe on their words, and they shall have eternal life; and I will deliver thy sons out of the hands of the Lamanites.

And it came to pass that Mosiah granted that they might go, and do according to their request; and they took their journey into the wilderness, to go up to preach the word among the Lamanites: and I shall give an account of their proceedings hereafter. Now king Mosiah had no one to confer the kingdom upon, for there was not any of his sons which would accept of the kingdom; therefore he took the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, and also the plates of Nephi, and all the things which he had kept and preserved, according to the commandments of God, and after having translated and caused to be written the records which were on the plates of gold, which had been found by the people of Limhi, which was delivered to him by the hand of Limhi: and this he done, because of the great anxiety of his people, for they were desirous beyond measure, to know concerning those people which had been destroyed. And now he translated them by the means of those two stones which was fastened into the rims of a bow. Now these things was prepared from the beginning, and was handed down from generation to generation, for the purpose of interpreting languages; and they have been kept and preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he should discover to every creature which should possess the land, the iniquities and abominations of his people: and whosoever has these things, is called seer, after the manner of old times.

Now after Mosiah had finished translating these records, behold, it gave an account of the people which was destroyed, from the time they were destroyed, back to the building of the great tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people; and they were scattered abroad upon the face of all the earth, yea, and even from that time until the creation of Adam. Now this account did cause the people of Mosiah to mourn exceedingly; yea, they were filled with sorrow; nevertheless it gave them much knowledge in the which they did rejoice. And this account shall be written hereafter: for behold, it is expedient that all people should know these things which are written in this account.

Mosiah 13
Modernly Mosiah 28
CHAPTER XIII. And now I said unto you, that after king Mosiah had done these things, he took the plates of brass, and all the things which he had kept, and conferred them upon Alma, which was the son of Alma; yea, all the records, and also the interpreters, and conferred them upon him, and commanding him that he should keep and preserve them, and also keep a record of the people, handing them down from one generation to another, even as they had been handed down from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem. Now when Mosiah had done this, he sent out throughout all the land, among all the people, desiring to know their will concerning who should be their king. And it came to pass that the voice of the people came, saying: We are desirous that Aaron, thy son, should be our king, and our ruler. Now Aaron had gone up to the land of Nephi, therefore the king could not confer the kingdom upon him; neither would Aaron take upon him the kingdom; neither was any of the sons of Mosiah willing to take upon them the kingdom; therefore king Mosiah sent again among the people, yea, even a written word sent he among the people. And these were the words that were written, saying: Behold, O ye my people, or my brethren for I esteem you as such; for I desire that ye should consider the cause which ye are called to consider; for ye are desirous to have a king. Now I declare unto you, that he to whom the kingdom doth rightly belong, hath declined, and will not take upon him the kingdom. And now if there should be another appointed to his stead, behold I fear there would rise contentions among you; and who knoweth but what my son, to whom the kingdom doth belong, should turn to be angry, and draw away a part of this people after him, which would cause wars and contentions among you; which would be the cause of shedding much blood, and perverting the way of the Lord; yea, and destroy the souls of much people. Now I say unto you, let us be wise and consider these things, for we have no right to destroy my son, neither should we have any right to destroy another, if he should be appointed in his stead. And if my son should turn again to his pride and vain things, he would recall the things which he had said, and claim his right to the kingdom, which would cause him and also this people to commit much sin. And now let us be wise, and look forward to these things, and do that which will make for the peace of this people. Therefore I will be your king the remainder of my days; nevertheless, let us appoint judges to judge this people according to our law, and we will newly arrange the affairs of this people; for we will appoint wise men to be judges, that will judge this people according to the commandments of God. Now it is better that a man be judged of God than of man, for the judgments of God are always just; therefore, if it were possible that ye could have just men to be your kings, which would establish the laws of God, and judge this people according to his commandments; yea, if ye could have men for kings, which would do even as my father Benjamin did for this people; I say unto you, if this could always be the case, then it would be expedient that ye should always have kings to rule over you. And even I, myself have labored with all the power and faculties which I have possessed, to teach you the commandments of God, and to establish peace throughout the land, that there should be no wars nor contentions, no stealing, nor plundering, nor murdering, nor no manner of iniquity; and whosoever hath committed iniquity, him have I punished according to the crime which he hath committed, according to the law which hath been given to us by our fathers.

Now I say unto you, that because all men are not just, it is not expedient that ye should have a king or kings to rule over you. For behold, how much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed! yea, and what great destruction! -- Yea, remember king Noah, his wickedness and abominations of his people. Behold what great destruction did come upon them; and also because of their iniquities, they were brought into bondage. And were it not for the interposition of their all-wise Creator, and this because of their sincere repentance, they must unavoidably remained in bondage until now. But behold, he did deliver them because they did humble themselves before him; and because they cried mightily unto him, he did deliver them out of bondage: and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases among the children of men, extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him. And behold, now I say unto you, Ye cannot dethrone an iniquitous king, save it be through much contention and the shedding of much blood. For behold, he hath his friends in iniquity, and he keepeth his guards about him; and he teareth up the laws of these which have reigned in righteousness before him; and he trampleth under his feet the commandments of God; and he enacted laws, and sendeth them forth among his people; yea, laws after the manner of his own wickedness; and whosoever doth not obey his laws, he causeth to be destroyed; and whosoever doth rebel against him, he will send his armies against them in war, and if he can, he will destroy them: and thus an unrighteous king doth pervert the ways of all righteousness. And now behold I say unto you, It is expedient that such abominations should come upon you; therefore choose you by the voice of this people, judges, that ye may be judged according to the laws which hath been given you by our fathers, which are correct, and which was given them by the hand of the Lord. Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth any thing contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe, and make it your law to do business by the voice of the people. And if the time cometh that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction, even as he hath hitherto visited this land. And now if ye have judges, and they do not judge you according to the law which has been given, ye can cause that they may be judged of a higher judge; if your higher judges doth not judge righteous judgments, ye shall cause that a small number of your lower judges should be gathered together, and they shall judge your higher judges, according to the voice of the people. And I command you to do these things in the fear of the Lord; and I command you to do these things, and that ye have no king: that if these people commit sins and iniquities, they shall be answered upon their own heads. For behold I say unto you, The sins of many people have been caused by iniquities of their kings; therefore iniquities are answered upon the heads of their kings. And now I desire that this inequality should be no more in this land, especially among this my people; but I desire that this land be a land of liberty, and every man may enjoy his rights and privileges alike, so long as the Lord seeth fit, that we may live and inherit the land; yea, even as long as any of our posterity remaineth upon the face of the land. And many more things did king Mosiah write unto them, unfolding unto them all the trials and troubles of a righteous king; yea, all the travails of soul for their people, and also all the murmurings of the people to their king; and he explained it all unto them. And he told them that these things had not ought to be; but that the burdens should come upon all the people, that every man might bear his part. And he also unfolded unto them all the disadvantages they labored under, by having an unrighteous king to rule over them; yea, all his iniquities and abominations, and all the wars, and contentions, and blood-shed, and the stealing, and the plundering, and the committing of whoredoms, and all manner of iniquities, which cannot be enumerated; telling them that these things ought not to be; that they was expressly repugnant to the commandments of God.

And now it came to pass, after king Mosiah had sent these things forth among the people, they were convinced of the truth of his words; therefore they relinquished their desire for a king, and became exceedingly anxious that every man should have an equal chance throughout all the land; yea, and every man expressed a willingness to answer for his own sins. Therefore it came to pass that they assembled themselves together in bodies throughout the land, to cast in their voices concerning who should be their judges, to judge them according to the law which had been given them; and they were exceedingly rejoiced, because of the liberty which had been granted unto them. And they did wax strong in love towards Mosiah; yea, they did esteem him more than any other man: for they did not look upon him as a tyrant, who was seeking for gain, yea, for that lucre which doth corrupt the soul, for he had not exacted riches of them, neither did he delight in the shedding of blood; but he had established peace in the land, and he had granted unto his people that they should be delivered from all manner of bondage; therefore they did esteem him, yea, exceedingly, beyond measure. And it came to pass that they did appoint judges to rule over them, or to judge them according to the law; and this they done throughout all the land.

And it came to pass that Alma was appointed to be the chief judge; he being also the high priest; his father having conferred the office upon him, and had given him the charge concerning all the affairs of the church. And now it came to pass that Alma did walk in the ways of the Lord, and he did keep his commandments, and he did judge righteous judgments; and there was continual peace through the land; and thus commenced the reign of the judges throughout all the land of Zarahemla, among all the people which was called the Nephites: and Alma was the first and chief judge. And now it came to pass that his father died, being eighty and two years old, having lived to fulfil the commandments of God.

And it came to pass that Mosiah died also, in the thirty and third year of his reign, being sixty and three years old; making in the whole, five hundred and nine years from the time Lehi left Jerusalem; and thus ended the reign of the kings over the people of Nephi; and thus ended the days of Alma, who was the founder of their church.

Alma

THE BOOK OF ALMA. THE SON OF ALMA.

Alma 1
Modernly Alma 1-3
CHAPTER I.

The account of Alma, who was the son of Alma the First, and Chief Judge over the people of Nephi, and also the High Priest over the Church. An account of the reign of the Judges, and the wars and contentions among the people. And also an account of a war between the Nephites and the Lamanites, according to the record of Alma the First, and Chief Judge.

Now it came to pass that in the first year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi, from this time forward, king Mosiah having gone the way of all the earth, having warred a good warfare, walking uprightly before God, leaving none to reign in his stead; nevertheless he established laws, and they were acknowledged by the people; therefore they were obliged to abide by the laws which he had made.

And it came to pass that in the first year of the reign of Alma in the judgment seat, there was a man brought before him to be judged; a man which was large, and was noted for his much strength; and he had gone about among the people, preaching to them that which he termed to be the word of God, bearing down against the church; declaring unto the people that every priest and teacher had ought to become popular; and they ought not to labor with their own hands, but they had ought to be supported by the people; and he also testified unto the people that all mankind should be saved at the last day, and that they need not fear or tremble, but they might lift up their heads and rejoice: for the Lord had created all men, and had also redeemed all men; and in the end, all men should have eternal life. And it came to pass that he did teach these things so much, that many did believe on his words, even so many that they began to support him and give him money; and he began to be lifted up in the pride of his heart, and to wear very costly apparel; yea, and even began to establish a church, after the manner of his preaching.

And it came to pass as he was going to preach to those who believed on his word, he met a man which belonged to the church of God, yea, even one of their teachers; and he began to contend with him sharply, that he might lead away the people of the church; but the man withstood him, admonishing him with the words of God. Now the name of the man was Gideon; and it was him that was an instrument in the hands of God, in delivering the people of Limhi out of bondage. -- Now because Gideon withstood him with the words of God, he was wroth with Gideon, and drew his sword and began to smite him. Now Gideon being stricken with many years, therefore he was able to withstand his blows, therefore he was slain by the sword; and the man who slew him was taken by the people of the church, and was brought before Alma, to be judged according to the crime which he had committed. And it came to pass that he stood before Alma, and plead for himself with much boldness. But Alma said unto him, Behold, this is the first time that priestcraft has been introduced among this people. And behold, thou art not only guilty of priestcraft, but hast endeavored to enforce among this people, it would prove their entire destruction. And thou hast shed the blood of a righteous man, yea, a man which has done much good among this people; and were we to spare thee, his blood would come upon us for vengeance; therefore thou art condemned to die, according to the law which has been given us by Mosiah, our last king; and they have been acknowledged by this people; therefore this people must abide by the law.

And it came to pass that they took him; and his name was Nehor; and they carried him upon the top of the hill Manti, and there he was caused, or rather did acknowledge, between the heavens and the earth, that what we had taught to the people was contrary to the word of God; and there he suffered an ignominious death. Nevertheless this did not put an end to the spreading of priestcraft through the land: for there was many which loved the vain things of the world, and they went forth preaching false doctrines; and this they did for the sake of riches and honor. Nevertheless they durst not lie, if it were known, for fear of the law, for liars were punished; therefore they pretended to preach according to their belief: and now the law could have no power on any man for their belief. And they durst not steal, for fear of the law; for such were punished; neither durst they rob, nor murder: for he that murdered was punished unto death.

But it came to pass that whosoever did not belong to the Church of God, began to persecute those that did belong to the Church of God, and had taken upon them the name of Christ; yea, they did persecute them, and afflict them with all manner of words, and this because of their humility; because they were not proud in their own eyes, and because they did impart the word of God, one with another, without money and without price. Now there was a strict law among the people of the Church, that there should not any man, belonging to the Church, arise and persecute those that did not belong to the Church, and that there should be no persecution among themselves. Nevertheless, there were many among them who began to be proud, and began to contend warmly with their adversaries, even unto blows; yea, they would smite one another with their fists. Now this was in the second year of the reign of Alma, and it was a cause of much affliction to the Church; yea, it was the cause of much trial with the Church; for the hearts of many were hardened, and their names were blotted out, that they were remembered no more among the people of God. And also many withdrew themselves from among them. Now this was a great trial to those that did stand fast in faith; nevertheless, they were steadfast and immoveable in keeping the commandments of God, and they bore with patience the persecution which was heaped upon them. And now when the priests left their labor, to impart the word of God unto the people, the people also left their labors to hear the word of God. And when the priest had imparted unto them the word of God, they all returned again diligently unto their labors; and the priest, not esteeming himself above his hearers; for the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner: and thus they were all equal and they did all labor, every man according to his strength; and they did impart of their substance every man according to that which he had, to the poor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted; and they did not wear costly apparel, yet they were neat and comely: and thus they did establish the affairs of the Church: and thus they began to have continual peace again, notwithstanding all their persecutions. And now because of the steadiness of the Church, they began to be exceeding rich; having abundance of all things whatsoever they stood in need; an abundance of flocks, and herds, and fatlings of every kind, and also abundance of grain, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things; and abundance of silk and fine twined linen, and all manner of good homely cloth. And thus in their prosperous circumstances they did not send away any which was naked, or that was hungry, or that was athirst, or that was sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the Church or in the Church, having no respects to persons as to those who stood in need; and thus they did prosper and become far more wealthy, than those who did not belong to their Church. For those who did not belong to their Church, did indulge themselves in sorceries, and in idolatry or idleness, and in bablings, and in envyings and strife; wearing costly apparel; being lifted up in the pride of their own eyes; lying, thieving, robbing, commiting whoredoms, and murdering, and all manner of wickedness; nevertheless, the law was put in force upon all those who did transgress it, inasmuch as it were possible.

And it came to pass that by thus exercising the law upon them, every man suffering according to that which he had done, they became more still, and durst not commit any wickedness, if it were known; therefore, there was much peace among the people of Nephi, until the fifth year of the reign of the judges. And it came to pass in the commandment of the fifth year of their reign, there began to be a contention among the people, for a certain man, being called Amlici; he being a very cunning man, yea, a wise man, as to the wisdom of the world; he being after the order of the man that slew Gideon by the sword, who was executed according to the law. Now this Amlici had, by his cunning, drawn away much of the people after him; even so much that they began to be very powerful; and they began to endeavor to establish Amlici to be a king over the people. Now this was alarming to the people of the Church, and also to all those that had not been drawn away after the persuasions of Amlici: for they knew that according to their law that such things must be established by the voice of the people; therefore, if it were possible that Amlici should gain the voice of the people, he being a wicked man, would deprive them of their rights and privileges of the Church, &c: for it was his intent to destroy the Church of God.

And it came to pass that the people assembled themselves together throughout all the land, every man according to his mind, whether it were for or against Amlici, in separate bodies, having much dispute and wonderful contentions one with another: and thus they did assemble themselves together, to cast their voices concerning the matter: and they were laid before the judges. And it came to pass that the voice of the people came against Amlici, that he was not made king over the people. Now this did cause much joy in the hearts of those which were against him; but Amlici did stir up those which were in his favor, to anger against those which were not in his favor.

And it came to pass that they gathered themselves together, and did consecrate Amlici to be their king. Now when Amlici was made king over them, he commanded them that they should take up arms against their brethren; and this he done, that he might subject them to him. Now the people of Amlici were distinguished by the name of Amlici, being called Amlicites; and the remainder were called Nephites, or the people of God; therefore the people of the Nephites was aware of the intent of the Amlicites, and therefore they did prepare for to meet them; yea, they did arm themselves with swords, and with cimeters, and with bows, and with arrows, and with stones, and with slings, and with all manner of weapons of war, of every kind; and thus they were prepared to meet the Amlicites at the time of their coming. And there was appointed captains, and higher captains, and chief captains, according to their numbers.

And it came to pass that Amlici did arm his men with all manner of weapons of war, of every kind; and he also appointed rulers and leaders over his people, to lead them to war against their brethren. And it came to pass that the Amlicites came up upon the hill Amnihu, which was east of the river Sidon, which ran by the land of Zarahemla, and there they began to make war with the Nephites. Now Alma, he being the chief judge, and the governor of the people of Nephi therefore he went up with his people, yea, with his captains, and chief captains, yea, at the head of his armies, against the Amlicites to battle; and they began to slay the Amlicites upon the hill east of Sidom. And the Amlicites did contend with the Nephites with great strength, insomuch that many of the Nephites did fall before the Amlicites; nevertheless the Lord did strengthen the hand of the Nephites, that they slew the Amlicites with a great slaughter, that they began to flee before them. And it came to pass that the Nephites did pursue the Amlicites all that day, and did slay them with much slaughter, insomuch that there was slain of the Amlicites twelve thousand five hundred thirty two souls; and there was slain of the Nephites, six thousand five hundred sixty and two souls.

And it came to pass that when Alma could pursue the Amlicites no longer, he caused that his people should pitch their tents in the valley of Gideon, the valley being called after that Gideon, which was slain by the hand of Nehor with the sword; and in this valley the Nephites did pitch their tents for the night. And Alma sent spies to follow the remnant of the Amlicites, that he might know of their plans and their plots, whereby he might guard himself against them, that he might prepare his people from being destroyed. Now those which he had sent out to watch the camp of the Amlicites, were called Zeram, and Amnor, and Manti, and Limher; these were they which went out with their men to watch the camp of the Amlicites.

And it came to pass that on the morrow they returned into the camp of the Nephites, in great haste, being greatly astonished, and struck with much fear, saying, Behold, we followed the camp of the Amlicites, and to our great astonishment, in the land of Minon, above the land of Zarahemla, in the course of the land of Nephi, we saw numerous hosts of the Lamanites; and behold the Amlicites have joined them, and they are upon our brethren in that land; and they are fleeing before them with their flocks, and their wives, and their children, towards our city; and except we make haste, they obtain possession of our city; and our fathers, and our wives, and our children be slain.

And it came to pass that the people of Nephi took their tents, and departed out of the valley of Gideon towards their city, which was the city of Zarahemla. And behold, as they were crossing the river Sidon, the Lamanites and the Amlicites being as numerous almost, as it were, as the sands of the sea, came upon them to destroy them; nevertheless the Nephites being strengthened by the hand of the Lord, having prayed mightily to him that he would deliver them out of the hands of their enemies; therefore the Lord did hear their cries, and did strengthen them, and the Lamanites and the Amlicites did fall before them. And it came to pass that Alma fought with Amlici with the sword, face to face; and they did contend mightily, one with another.

And it came to pass that Alma, he being a man of God, being exercised with much faith, and he cried, saying, O Lord, have mercy and spare my life, that I may be an instrument in thy hands, to save and preserve this people. Now when Alma had said these words, he contended with Amlici; and he was strengthened, insomuch that he slew Amlici with the sword. And he also contended with the king of the Lamanites; but the king of the Lamanites fled back from before Alma, and sent his guards to contend with Alma. But Alma, with his guards, contended with the guards of the king of the Lamanites, until he slew and drove them back; and thus he cleared the ground, or rather the bank, which was on the west side of the river Sidon, throwing bodies of the Lamanites which had been slain, into the waters of Sidon, that thereby his people might have room to cross and contend with the Lamanites and the Amlicites, on the west side of the river Sidon.

And it came to pass that when they had all crossed the river Sidon, that the Lamanites and the Amlicites began to flee before them, notwithstanding they were so numerous that they could not be numbered; and they fled before the Nephites, towards the wilderness which was west and north, away beyond the borders of the land; and the Nephites did pursue them with their might, and did slay them; yea, they were met on every hand, and slain, and driven, until they were scattered on the west, and on the north, until they had reached the wilderness, which was called Hermounts, and it was that part of the wilderness which was infested by wild and ravenous beasts. And it came to pass that many died in the wilderness of their wounds, and were devoured by those beasts, and also the vultures of the air; and their bones have been found, and have been heaped up on the earth.

And it came to pass that the Nephites, which were not slain by the weapons of war, after having buried those which had been slain: now the number of the slain were not numbered because of the greatness of their number; and after they had finished burying their dead, they all returned to their lands, and to their houses, and their wives, and their children. Now many women and children had been slain with the sword, and also many of their flocks and their herds; and also many of their fields of grain were destroyed, for they were trodden down by the hosts of men. And now as many of the Lamanites and the Amlicites which had been slain upon the bank of the river Sidon, were cast into the waters of Sidon; and behold, their bones are in the depths of the sea, and they are many. And the Amlicites were distinguished from the Nephites, for they had marked themselves with red in their foreheads, after the manner of the Lamanites; nevertheless they had not shorn their heads like unto the Lamanites. Now the heads of the Lamanites were shorn; and they were naked, save it were skin, which was girded about their loins, and also their armour, which was girded about them, and their bows, and their arrows, and their stones, and their slings, &c. And the skins of the Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them because of their transgression and their rebellion against their brethren, which consisted of Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph, and Sam, which were just and holy men. And their brethren sought to destroy them; therefore they were cursed; and the Lord God set a mark upon them, yea, upon Laman and Lemuel, and also the sons of Ishmael, and the Ismaelitish women: and this was done, that their seed might be distinguished from the seed of their brethren, that thereby the Lord God might preserve his people, that they might not mix and believe in incorrect traditions, which would prove their destruction.

And it came to pass that whosoever did mingle his seed with that of the Lamanites, did bring the same curse upon his seed; therefore whomsoever suffered himself to be led away by the Lamanites, were called under the head, and there was a mark set upon him. And it came to pass that whosoever would not believe in the tradition of the Lamanites, but believed those records which were brought out of the land of Jerusalem, and also the tradition of their fathers, which were correct, which believed in the commandments of God, and kept them, were called the Nephites, or the people of Nephi, from that time forth; and it is they which have kept the records which are true of their people, and also the people of Lamanites. Now we will return again to the Amlicites, for they also had a mark set upon them; yea, they set the mark upon themselves, yea, even a mark of red upon their foreheads. Thus the word of God is fulfilled, for these are the words which he saith to Nephi: Behold, the Lamanites have I cursed; and I will set a mark upon them, that they and their seed may be separated from thee and thy seed, from this time henceforth and forever, except thy repent of their wickedness and turn to me, that I may have mercy upon them. And again: I will set a mark upon him that mingleth his seed with thy brethren, that they may be cursed also. And again: I will set a mark upon them that fighteth against thee and thy seed. And again I say, He that departeth from thee, shall no more be called thy seed, henceforth and forever: and these were the promises of the Lord unto Nephi, and to his seed. Now the Amlicites knew not that they were fulfilling the words of God, when they began to mark themselves in their foreheads; nevertheless they had come out in open rebellion against God; therefore it was expedient that the curse should fall upon them. -- Now I would that ye should see that they brought upon themselves the curse; and even so doth every man that is cursed, bring upon himself his own condemnation.

Now it came to pass that not many days after the battle which was fought in the land of Zarahemla, by the Lamanites and the Amlicites, that there was another army of the Lamanites came in upon the people of Nephi, in the same place where the first army met the Amlicites. And it came to pass that there was an army sent to drive them out of their lands. -- Now Alma himself being afflicted with a wound, did not go up to battle at this time against the Lamanites; but he sent up a numerous army against them; and they went up and slew many of the Lamanites, and drove the remainder of them out of the borders of their land; and then they returned again, and began to establish peace in the land, being troubled no more for a time with their enemies. Now all these things were done, yea, all these wars and contentions was commenced and ended, in the fifth year of the reign of the Judges; and in one year was thousands of souls sent to the eternal world, that they might reap their rewards according to their works, whether they were good or whether they were bad, to reap eternal happiness or eternal misery, according to the spirit which he listed to obey, whether it be a good spirit or a bad one, for every man receiveth wages of him who listeth to obey, and according to the words of the spirit of prophecy; therefore let it be according to the truth. And thus ended the fifth year of the reign of the Judges.

Alma 2
Modernly Alma 4
CHAPTER II. Now it came to pass in the sixth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi, there was no contentions nor wars in the land of Zarahemla; and the people being afflicted, yea greatly afflicted for the loss of their brethren, and also for the loss of their flocks and herds, and also for the loss of their fields of grain, which was trodden under foot and destroyed by the Lasmanites, and so great was their afflictions, that every soul had cause to mourn; and they believed that it was the judgment of God sent upon them, because of their wickedness and their abominations; therefore they were awakened to a remembrance of their duty. And they began to establish the church more fully; yea, and many were baptized in the water of Sidon, and were joined to the church of God; yea, they were baptized by the hand of Alma, who had been consecrated the high priest over the people of the church by the hand of his father Alma.

And it came to pass in the seventh year of the reign of the Judges, there was about three thousand five hundred souls that united themselves to the church of God, and were baptized. And thus ended the seventh year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi; and there was continual peace in all that time.

And it came to pass in the eighth year of the reign of the Judges, that the people of the church began to wax proud, because of their exceeding riches, and their fine silks, and their fine twined linen, and because of many flocks and herds, and their gold, and their silver, and all manner of precious things, which they had obtained by their industry; and in all these things were they lifted up in pride of their eyes, for they began to wear costly apparel. Now this was the cause of much affliction to Alma, yea, and to many of the people which Alma had consecrated to be teachers, and priests, and elders, over the church; yea, many of them were sorely grieved for the wickedness which they saw had begun to be among their people. For they saw and beheld with great sorrow, that the people of the church began to be lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and to set their hearts upon riches and upon vain things of the world; that they began to be scornful, one towards another, and they began to persecute those that did not believe according to their own will and pleasure. And thus in this eighth year of the reign of the Judges, there began to be great contentions among the people of the church; yea, there were envyings, and strife, and malice, and persecutions, and pride, even to exceed the pride of those who did not belong to the church of God. And thus ended the eighth year of the reign of Judges; and the wickedness of the church was a great stumbling block to those who did not belong to the church; and thus the church began to fail in its progress. And it came to pass in the commencement of the ninth year, Alma seeking the wickedness of the church, and seeing also that the example of the church began to lead those who were unbelievers, on from one piece of iniquity to another, thus bringing on the destruction of the people; yea, seeing great inequality among the people, some lifting themselves up with their pride, despising others, turning their backs upon the needy, and the naked, and those which were hungry, and those which are athirst, and those which were sick and afflicted. Now this was a great cause for lamentations among the people, while others were abasing themselves, succoring those who stood in need of their succor, such as imparting their substance to the poor and the needy; feeding the hungry; and suffering all manner of afflictions, for Christ's sake, which should come according to the spirit of prophecy, looking forward to that day, thus retaining a remission of their sins; being filled with great joy, because of the resurrection of the dead, according to the will, and power, and deliverance of Jesus Christ from the bands of death.

And now it came to pass that Alma, having seen the afflictions of the humble followers of God, and the persecutions which was heaped upon them by the remainder of his people, and seeing all their inequality, he began to be very sorrowful; nevertheless the spirit of the Lord did not fail him. And he selected a wise man which was among the elders of the church, and gave him power according to the voice of the people, that he might have power to enact laws according to the laws which had been given, and to put them in force, according to the wickedness and the crimes of the people. Now this man's name was Nephihah, and he was appointed Chief Judge; and he sat in the judgment seat, to judge and to govern the people. Now Alma did not grant unto him the office of being High Priests over the church, but he retained the office of High Priest unto himself; but he delivered the judgment seat unto Nephihah: and this he did, that he himself might go forth among his people, or among the people of Nephi, that he might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty, and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness, and all the contentions which was among his people, seeing no way that he might reclaim them, save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them. And thus in the commencement of the ninth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi, Alma delivered up the judgment seat to Nephihah, and confined himself wholly to the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to the testimony of the word, according to the spirit of revelation and prophecy.

Alma 3
Modernly Alma 5
CHAPTER III. The words which Alma, the High Priest, according to the holy order of God, delivered to the people in their cities and villages throughout the land.

Now it came to pass that Alma began to deliver the word of God unto the people, first in the land of Zarahemla, and from thence throughout all the land. And these are the words which he spake to the people in the Church which was established in the city of Zarahemla, according to his own record, saying: I, Alma, having been consecrated by my father Alma, to be a High Priest over the Church of God, he having power and authority from God to do these things, behold, I say unto you, that he began to establish a Church in the land which was in the borders of Nephi; yea, the land which was called the land of Mormon; yea, and he did baptize his brethren in the waters of Mormon. And behold, I say unto you, they were delivered out of the hands of the people of king Noah, by the mercy and power of God. And behold, after that, they were brought into bondage by the hands of the Lamanites, in the wilderness; yea, I say unto you, they were in captivity, and again the Lord did deliver them out of bondage by the power of his word; and we were brought into this land and here we began to establish the Church of God throughout this land, also. And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, you that belong to this Church, have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? Yea, and have you sufficiently retained in remembrance of his mercy and long-suffering towards them? And moreover, have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance that he hath delivered their souls from hell? Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he awaked them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were in the midst of darkness, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word; yea, they were encircled about by the bands of death, and the chains of hell, and an everlasting destruction did await them. And now I ask you my brethren, were they destroyed? Behold, I say unto you, nay, they were not. And again I ask, was the bands of death broken, and the chains of hell which encircled them about, were they loosed? I say unto you, yea, they were loosed, and their souls did expand, and they did sing redeeming love. And I say unto you, that they are saved. And now I ask of you on what conditions are they saved? Yea, what grounds had they to hope for salvation? Yea, and also, the chains of hell? Behold, I can tell you: did not my father Alma believe in the words which was delivered by the mouth of Abinadi? And was he not a holy prophet? Did he not speak the word of God, and my father Alma believe them? And according to his faith there was a mighty change wrought in his heart. Behold I say unto you, that this is all true. -- And behold, he preached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts; and they humbled themselves, and put their trust in the true and living God. And behold, they were faithful until the end; therefore they were saved. And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the Church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God, to be judged according to the deeds which hath been done in the mortal body? I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day. Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth? Or do ye imagine to yourselves that ye can lie unto the Lord in that day, and say, Lord, Our works have been righteous works upon the face of the earth, and that he will save you? Or otherwise, can ye imagine yourselves brought before the tribunal of God, with your souls filled with guilt and remorse; having a remembrance of all your guilt; yea, a perfect remembrance of all your wickedness; yea, a remembrance that ye have set at defiance the commandments of God? I say unto you, can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands? I say unto you, can you look up, having the image of God engraven upon your countenances? I say unto you, can ye think of being saved when you have yielded yourselves to become subjects to the Devil? I say unto you, ye will know at that day, that ye cannot be saved: for there can no man be saved except his garments are washed white; yea, his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of whom it hath been spoken by our fathers which should come to redeem his people from sins. And now I ask of you, my brethren, how will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained with blood, and all manner of filthiness? Behold, what will these things testify against you? Behold, will they not testify that ye are murderers, yea, and also that ye are guilty of all manner of wickedness? Behold, my brethren, do ye suppose that such an one can have a place to sit down in the Kingdom of God, with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, and also all the holy prophets, whose garments are cleansed, and are spotless, pure and white? I say unto you, nay, except ye make our creator a liar from the beginning, or suppose that he is a liar from the beginning; or also, ye cannot suppose that such an one can have a place in the kingdom of heaven, but they shall be cast out, for they are the children of the kingdom of the Devil. And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now? Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white, through the blood of Christ, which will come to redeem his people from their sins? Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not, ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold, ye must prepare quickly, for the Kingdom of Heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life. Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped of envy? I say unto you, that such an one is not prepared, and I would that he should prepare quickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when the time shall come: for such an one is not found guiltless. And again I say unto you, is there one among you that doth make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions? Wo unto such an one, for he is not prepared, and the time is at hand that he must repent, or he cannot be saved; yea, even wo unto all ye workers of iniquity; repent, repent, for the Lord hath spoken it. Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men; for the arms of mercy is extended toward them, and he saith, Repent, and I will receive you; yea, he saith, Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink, of the bread and the waters of life freely; come unto me and bring forth works of righteousness, and ye shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire: for behold, the time is at hand that whosoever bringeth forth not good fruit, or whosoever doeth not the works of righteousness, the same hath cause to wail and mourn. O ye workers of iniquity, ye that are puffed up in the vain things of the world; ye that have professed to have known the ways of righteousness; nevertheless ye have gone astray, as sheep having no shepherd, notwithstanding a shepherd hath called after you, and art still calling after you, but ye will not hearken unto his voice. Behold, I say unto you, that the good shepherd doth call you; yea, and in his own name he doth call you, which is the name of Christ; and if ye will not hearken unto the voice of the good shepherd, to the name by which you are called, behold, ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd. And now if ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd, of what fold are you? Behold, I say unto you, that the Devil is your shepherd, and ye are of his fold; and now who can deny this? Behold, I say unto you, whoever denieth this, is a liar and a child of the Devil; for I say unto you, that whosoever is good, cometh from God, and whatsoever is evil, cometh from the Devil; therefore, if a man bringeth forth good works, he hearkeneth unto the voice of the good shepherd, and he doth follow him; but whosoever bringeth forth evil works, the same becometh a child of the Devil: for he hearkeneth unto his voice, and doth follow him. And whosoever doeth this must receive the wages of him; therefore, for his wages he receiveth death, as to the things pertaining unto righteousness, being dead unto all good works. -- And now my brethren, I would that ye should hear me, for I speak in the energy of my soul; for behold, I have spoken unto you plain, that ye cannot err, or have spoken according to the commandments of God. For I am called to speak after this manner, according to the holy order of God, which is in Christ Jesus; yea, I am commanded to stand and testify unto this people the things which have been spoken by our fathers, concerning the things which is to come. And this is not all. Do ye suppose that I know not of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you, that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken, are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety? Behold, I say unto you, they are made known unto me by the holy spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days, that I might know these things myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his holy spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me. And moreover, I say unto you, that as it has thus been revealed unto me, that the words which have been spoken by our fathers, are true, even so according to the spirit of prophecy, which is in me, which is also by the manifestation of the spirit of God, I say unto you, that I know of myself that whatsoever I shall say unto you concerning that which is to come, is true; and I say unto you, that I know that Jesus Christ shall come; yea, the Son of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth. And behold, it is he that cometh to take away the sins of the world; yea, the sins of every man which steadfastly believeth on his name.

And now I say unto you, that this is the order after which I am called; yea, to preach unto my beloved brethren; yea, and every one that dwelleth in the land; yea, to preach unto all, both old and young, both bond and free; yea, I say unto you, the aged, and also the middle aged, and the rising generation; yea, to cry unto them they must repent and be born again; yea, thus saith the spirit, Repent all ye ends of the earth, for the Kingdom of Heaven is soon at hand; yea, the Son of God cometh in his glory, in his might, majesty, power and dominion. Yea, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, that the spirit saith, Behold, the glory of the King of all the earth; and also the King of Heaven shall very soon shine forth among all the children of men; and also the spirit saith unto me, yea, crieth unto me with a mighty voice, saying, Go forth and say unto this people, repent, for except ye repent ye can in no wise inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. And again I say unto you, the spirit saith, Behold, the axe is laid at the root of the tree; therefore every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be hewn down and cast into the fire; yea, a fire which cannot be consumed; even an unquenchable fire. Behold, and remember, the holy one hath spoken it. And now my beloved brethren, I say unto you, can ye withstand these sayings; yea, can ye lay aside these things, and trample the holy one under your feet; yea, can ye be puffed up in the pride of your hearts; yea, will ye still persist in the wearing of costly apparel, and setting your hearts upon the vain things of the world, upon your riches; yea, will ye persist in supposing that ye are better one than another; yea, will ye persist in the persecutions of your brethren, who humble themselves, and do walk after the holy order of God, wherewith they have been brought into this Church, having been sanctified by the holy spirit; and they do bring forth works which is meet for repentance; yea, and will you persist in turning your backs upon the poor, and the needy, and in withholding your substance from them? And finally, all ye that will persist in your wickedness, I say unto you, that these are they which shall be hewn down and cast into the fire, except they speedily repent.

And now I say unto you, all you that are desirous to follow the voice of the good shepherd, come ye out from the wicked, and be ye separate, and touch not their unclean things; and behold, their names shall be blotted out, that the names of the wicked shall not be numbered among the names of the righteous, that the sword of God may be fulfilled, which saith, The name of the wicked shall not be mingled with the names of my people. For the names of the righteous shall be written in the Book of Life; and unto them will I grant an inheritance at my right hand. And now my brethren, what have ye to say against this? I say unto you, if ye speak against it, it matters not, for the word of God must be fulfilled. For what shepherd is there among you having many sheep, doth not watch over them, that the wolves enter not and devour his flock? And behold, if a wolf enter his flock, doth he not drive him out? Yea, and at the last, if he can he will destroy him. And now I say unto you, that the good shepherd doth call after you; and if you will hearken unto his voice, he will bring you into his fold, and ye are his sheep; and he commandeth you that ye suffer no ravenous wolf to enter among you, that ye may not be destroyed.

And now I, Alma, do command you in the language of him who hath commanded me, that ye observe to do the words which I have spoken unto you. I speak by way of command unto you that belong to the church; and unto those which do not belong to the church, I speak by way of invitation, saying, Come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye also may be partakers of the fruit of the tree of life.

Alma 4
Modernly Alma 6
CHAPTER IV. And now it came to pass that after Alma had made an end of speaking unto the people of the church, which was established in the city of Zarahemla, he ordained priests and elder, by laying on his hands according to the order of God, to preside and watch over the church. And it came to pass that whomsoever did not belong to the church who repented of their sins, was baptized unto repentance, and was received into the church. And it also came to pass that whomsoever did belong to the church, that did not repent of their wickedness, and humble themselves before God; I mean those which were lifted up in the pride of their hearts; the same were rejected, and their names were blotted out, that their names were not numbered among those of the righteous; and thus began to establish the order of the church in the city of Zarahemla. Now I would that ye should understand that the word of God was liberal unto all; that no one was deprived of the privilege of assembling themselves together to hear the word of God; nevertheless the children of God were commanded that they should gather themselves together oft and join in fasting and mighty prayer, in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God.

And now it came to pass that when Alma had made those regulations, he departed from them, yea, from the church which was in the city of Zarahemla, and went over upon the east of the river Sidon, into the valley of Gideon, there having been a city built which was called the city of Gideon, which was in the valley that was called Gideon, being called after the man which was slain by the hand of Nehor with the sword. And Alma went and began to declare the word of God unto the church which was established in the valley of Gideon, according to the revelation of the truth of the word which had been spoken by his fathers, and according to the spirit of prophecy which was in him, according to the testimony of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, which should come for to redeem his people from their sins, and by the holy order by which he was called. And thus it is written. Amen.

Alma 5
Modernly Alma 7
CHAPTER V. The words of Alma which he delovered to the people in Gideon, according to his own record.

Behold my beloved brethren, seeing that I have been permitted to come unto you, therefore I attempt to address you in my language; yea, by my own mouth, seeing that it is the first time that I have spoken unto you by the words of my mouth, I having been wholly confined to the judgment seat, having had much business that I could not have come unto you; and even I could not have come now at this time, were it not that the judgment seat hath been given to another, to reign in my stead; and the Lord in much mercy hath granted that I should come unto you. And behold, I have come, having great hopes and much desire that I should find that ye had humbled yourselves before God, and that ye have continued in the supplicating of his grace, that I should find that ye were blameless before him; that I should find that ye were not in the awful dilemma that our brethren were in at Zarahemla; but blessed be the name of God that he hath given me to know, yea, hath given unto me the exceeding great joy of knowing that they are established again in the way of his righteousness. And I trust according to the spirit of God which is in me, that I shall also have joy over you; nevertheless I do not desire that my joy over you, should come by the cause of so much afflictions and sorrow which I have had for the brethren at Zarahemla: for behold, my joy cometh over them after wading through much afflictions and sorrow. But behold, I trust that ye are not in a state of so much unbelief as were your brethren; I trust that ye are not lifted up in the pride of your hearts; yea, I trust that ye have not set your hearts upon riches, and the vain things of the world; yea, I trust that you do not worship idols, but that ye do worship the true and the living God, and that ye look forward for the remission of your sins with an everlasting faith which is to come. For behold, I say unto you, there be many things to come; and behold, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all: for behold, the time is not far distant, that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people. Behold, I do not say that he will come among us at the time of his dwelling in his mortal tabernacle; for behold, the spirit hath not said unto me that this should be the case. Now as to this thing I do not know, but this much I do know, that the Lord God hath the power to do all things which is according to his word. But behold, the spirit hath said this much unto me, saying: Cry unto this people, saying, Repent ye, and prepare the way of the Lord, and walk in his paths, which are straight: for behold, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, and the Son of God cometh upon the face of the earth. And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem, which is the land of our forefathers, she being a Virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed, and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God; and he shall go forth, suffering pains, and afflictions, and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith, He will take upon him the pains and the sickness of his people; and he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which binds his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to suffer his people according to their infirmities. Now the spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh, that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions, according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me. Now I say unto you, that ye must repent, and be born again: for the spirit saith, If ye are not born again, ye cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven; therefore come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may have faith on the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world, which is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness; yea, I say unto you, Come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction; yea, come and go forth, and shew unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins, and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day, by going into the waters of baptism; and whosoever doeth this, and keepeth the commandments of God from thenceforth, the same will remember that I say unto him, yea, he will remember that I have said unto him, he shall have eternal life, according to the testimony of the Holy Spirit, which testifieth in me. And now my beloved brethren, do you believe these things? Behold, I say unto you, yea, I know that you believe them; and the way that I know that ye believe them, is by the manifestation of the spirit which is in me. And now because your faith is strong concerning that, yea, concerning the things which I have spoken, great is my joy. For as I said unto you from the beginning, that I had much desire that ye was not in the state of dilemma like your brethren, even so I have found that my desires have been gratified. For I perceive that ye are in the paths of righteousness; I perceive that ye are in the path which leads to the kingdom of God; yea, I perceive that ye are making his paths straight; I perceive that it hath been made known unto you by the testimony of his word, that he cannot walk in crooked paths; neither doth he vary from that which he hath said; neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left, or from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one eternal round. And he doth not dwell in unholy temples; neither can filthiness, or any thing which is unclean be received into the kingdom of God; therefore I say unto you, the time shall come, yea, and it shall be at the last day, that he which is filthy, shall remain in his filthiness.

And now my beloved brethren, I have said these things unto you, that I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God, that ye may walk blameless before him; that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received. And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive, and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive, and see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works; and may the Lord bless you, and keep your garments spotless, that ye may at last be brought to sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the Holy Prophets, which have been ever since the world began, having your garments spotless, even as their garments are spotless in the kingdom of Heaven, to go no more out.

And now my beloved brethren, I have spoken these words unto you, according to the spirit which testifieth in me; and my soul doth exceedingly rejoice, because of the exceeding diligence and heed which ye have given unto your word. And now, may the peace of God rest upon you, and upon your houses and land, and upon your flocks and herds, and all that you possess; your women and your children, according to your faith and good works, for this time forth and forever. And thus I have spoken. Amen.

Alma 6
Modernly Alma 8
CHAPTER VI. And now it came to pass that Alma returned from the land of Gideon, after having taught the people of Gideon many things which cannot be written, having established the order of the church, according as he had before done in the land of Zarahemla; yea, he returned to his own house at Zarahemla, to rest himself from the labors which he had performed. And thus ended the ninth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi.

And it came to pass in the commencement of the tenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi, that Alma departed from thence, and took his journey over into the land of Melek, on the west of the river Sidon, on the west, by the borders of the wilderness; And he began to teach the people in the land of Melek, according to the holy order of God by which he had been called; and he began to teach the people throughout all the land of Melek.

And it came to pass that the people came to him throughout all the borders of the land which was by the wilderness side. And it came to pass that they were baptized throughout all the land, so that when he had finished his work at Melek, he departed thence, and travelled three days' journey on the north of the land of Melek; and he came to a city which was called Ammonihah. Now it was the custom of the people of Nephi, to call their lands, and their cities, and their villages, yea, even all their small villages, after the name of him, who first possessed them; and thus it was with the land of Ammonihah.

And it came to pass that when Alma came to the city of Ammonihah, he began to preach the word of God unto them. Now Satan had gotten great hold upon the hearts of the people of the city of Ammonihah; therefore they would not hearken unto the words of Alma. Nevertheless Alma labored much in the spirit, wrestling with God in mighty prayer, that he would pour out his spirit upon the people which was in the city; that he would also grant that he might baptize them unto repentance; nevertheless, they hardened their hearts, saying unto him, Behold, we know that thou art Alma; and we know that thou art High Priest over the church which thou hast established in many parts of the land, according to your tradition; and we are not of the church, and we do not believe in such foolish traditions. And now we know that because we are not of thy church, we know that thou hast no power over us; and thou hast delivered up the judgment seat unto Nephihah; therefore thou art not the Chief Judge over us. Now when the people had said this, and had withstood all his words, and reviled him, and spit upon him, and caused that he should be cast out of their city, he departed thence and took his journey towards the city which was called Aaron.

And it came to pass that while he was journeying thither, being weighed down with sorrow, wading through much tribulation and anguish of souls, because of the wickedness of the people which was in the city of Ammonihah. And it came to pass that while Alma was weighed down with sorrow, behold, and angel of the Lord appeared unto him saying, Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou received thy first message from him. Behold, I am he that delivered it into you; and behold, I am sent to command thee that thou return to the city of Ammonihah, and preach again unto the people of the city; yea, preach unto them. -- Yea, say unto them, except they repent, the Lord God will destroy them. For behold, they do study at this time that they may destroy the liberty of thy people, (for thus saith the Lord,) which is contrary to the statutes, and judgments, and commandments which he hath given unto his people.

Now it came to pass that after Alma had received his message from the angel of the Lord, he returned speedily to the land of Ammonihah. And it came to pass that he entered the city by another way, yea, by the way which was on the south of the city of Ammonihah. And it came to pass that as he entered the city, he was an hungered, and he saith to a man, Will ye give to an humble servant of God something to eat? And the man saith unto him, I am a Nephite, and I know that thou art a Holy Prophet of God, for thou art the man which an angel saith in a vision, Thou shalt receive; therefore go with me into my house, and I will impart unto thee of my food; and I know that thou will be a blessing unto me and my house. And it came to pass that the man received him into his house; and the man was called Amulek; and he brought forth bread and meat, and sat before Alma.

And it came to pass that Alma ate bread and was filled; and he blessed Amulek and his house, and he gave thanks unto God. And after he had eat and was filled, he said unto Amulek, I am Alma, and am the High Priest over the church of God throughout the land. And behold, I have been called to preach the word of God among all this people, according to the spirit of revelation and prophecy; and I was in this land, and they would not receive me, but they cast me out, and I was about to set my back towards this land forever. But behold, I have been commanded that I should turn again and prophesy unto this people, yea, and to testify against them concerning their iniquities. And now Amulek, because thou hast fed me and took me in, thou art blessed: for I was an hungered, for I had fasted many days. And it came to pass that Alma tarried many days with Amulek, before he began to preach unto the people.

And it came to pass that the people did wax more gross in their iniquities. And the word came to Alma, saying, Go; and also say unto my servant Amulek, Go forth and prophesy unto this people, saying: Repent ye, for thus saith the Lord: Except ye repent, I will visit this people in mine anger; yea, and I will not turn my fierce anger away. And it came to pass that Alma went forth, and also Amulek, among the people, to declare the words of God unto them; and they were filled with the Holy Ghost; and they had power given unto them, insomuch that they could not be confined in dungeons; neither were it possible that any man could slay them; nevertheless they did not exercise their power until they were bound in bands and cast into prison. Now this was done that the Lord might show forth his power in them.

And it came to pass that they went forth and began to preach and to prophesy unto the people, according to the spirit and power which the Lord had given them.

Alma 7
Modernly Alma 9
CHAPTER VII. The words of Alma, and also the words of Amulek, which was declared unto the people which was in the land of Ammonihah. And also they are cast into prison, and delivered by the miraculous power of God which was in them, according to the record of Alma. And again: I Alma, having been commanded of God that I should take Amulek and go forth and preach again unto this people, or the people which was in the city of Ammonihah. -- And it came to pass as I began to preach unto them, they began to contend with me, saying: Who art thou? Suppose ye that we shall believe the testimony of one man, although he should preach unto us that the earth should pass away? Now they understood not the words which they spake, for they knew not that the earth should pass away. And they sayeth also, We will not believe thy words, if thou shouldst prophesy that this great city should be destroyed in one day. Now they knew not that God could do such marvellous works, for they were a hard hearted and a stiffnecked people. And they sayeth, Who is God, that sendeth no more authority than one man among this people, to declare unto them the truth of such great and marvellous things? And they stood forth to lay their hands on me; behold, they did not. And I stood with boldness to declare unto them, yea, I did boldly testify unto them, saying: Behold, O ye wicked and perverse generation, how have ye forgotten the tradition of your fathers; yea, how soon ye have forgotten the commandments of God. Do ye not remember that our father Lehi was brought out of Jerusalem by the hand of God? Do ye not remember that they were all led by him through the wilderness? And have ye forgotten so soon how many times he delivered our fathers out of the hands of their enemies, and preserved them from being destroyed, even by the hands of their own brethren? Yea, and if it had not been for his matchless power, and his mercy, and his long suffering towards us, we should unavoidably have been cut off from the face of the earth, long before this period of time, and perhaps been consigned to a state of endless misery and wo. Behold, now I say unto you, that he commandeth you to repent; and except ye repent, ye can in no wise inherit the kingdom of God. But behold, this is not all: he hath commanded you to repent, or he will utterly destroy you from off the face of the earth; yea, he will visit you in his anger, and in his fierce anger he will not turn away. Behold, do ye not remember the words which he spake unto Lehi, saying, That inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land? And again it is said, That inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments, ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. Now I would that ye should remember, that inasmuch as the Lamanites have not kept the commandments of God, they have been cut off from the presence of the Lord. Now we see that the word of the Lord hath been verified in this thing, and the Lamanites have been cut off from his presence, from the beginning of their transgressions in the land. Nevertheless I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for them in the day of judgment, than for you, if ye remain in your sins; yea, and even more tolerable for them in this life, than for you, except ye repent, for there are many promises which is extended to the Lamanites: for it is because of the traditions of their fathers that causeth them to remain in their state of ignorance; therefore the Lord will be merciful unto them, and prolong their existence in the land. And at some period of time they will be brought to believe in his word, and to know of the incorrectness of the traditions of their fathers; and many of them will be saved, for the Lord will be merciful unto all who call on his name. But behold, I say unto you, that if ye persist in your wickedness, that your days shall not be prolonged in the land, for the Lamanites shall be sent upon you; and if ye repent not, they shall come in a time when you know not, and ye shall be visited with utter destruction; and it shall be according to the fierce anger of the Lord; for he will not suffer you that ye shall live in you iniquities, to destroy his people. I say unto you, Nay; he would rather suffer that the Lamanites might destroy all this people which is called the people of Nephi, if it were possible that they could fall into sins and transgressions, after having so much light and so much knowledge given unto them of the Lord their God; yea, after having been such a highly favored people of the Lord; yea, after having been favored above every other nation, kindred, tongue, or people; after having had all things made known unto them, according to their desires, and their faith, and prayers, of that which has been, and which is, and which is to come; having been visited by the spirit of God; having conversed with angels, and having been spoken unto by the voice of the Lord; and having the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and also many gifts: the gift of speaking with tongues, and the gift of preaching, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the gift of translation; yea, and after having been delivered of God out of the land of Jerusalem, by the hand of the Lord; having been saved from famine, and from sickness, and all manner of diseases of every kind; and they having been waxed strong in battle, that they might not be destroyed; having been brought out of bondage time after time, and having been kept and preserved until now; and they have been prospered until they are rich in all manner of things. And now behold I say unto you, that if this people, who have received so many blessings from the hand of the Lord, should transgress, contrary to the light and knowledge which they do have; I say unto you, that if this be the case; that if they should fall into transgression, that it would be far more tolerable for the Lamanites than for them. For behold, the promises of the Lord, are extended to the Lamanites, but they are not unto you, if ye transgress: for hath not the Lord expressly promised and firmly decreed, that if ye will rebel against him, that ye shall utterly be destroyed from off the face of the earth? And now for this cause, that ye may not be destroyed, the Lord hath sent his angel to visit many of his people, declaring unto them that they must go forth and cry mightily unto this people, saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of Heaven is nigh at hand; and not many days hence, the Son of God shall come in his glory; and his glory shall be the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace, equity and truth, full of patience, mercy, and long suffering, quick to hear the cries of his people, and to answer their prayers. And behold, he cometh to redeem those who will be baptized unto repentance, through faith on his name; therefore prepare ye the way of the Lord, for the time is at hand that every man shall reap a reward of their works, according to that which they have been: if they have been righteous, they shall reap the salvation of their souls, according to the power and deliverance of Jesus Christ; and if they have been evil, they shall reap the damnation of their souls, according to the power and captivation of the Devil. -- Now behold, this is the voice of the angel, crying unto the people. And now my beloved brethren, for ye are my brethren, and ye had ought to be loved, and ye had ought to bring forth works which is mete for repentance, seeing that your hearts have been grossly hardened against the word of God, and seeing that ye are a lost and fallen people.

Now it came to pass that when I, Alma, had spoken these words, behold, the people were wroth with me, because I said unto them that they were a hardhearted and a stiffnecked people; and also because I had said unto them that they were a lost and a fallen people,

And it came to pass that Amulek went and stood forth, and began to preach unto them also. And now the words of Amulek are not all written; nevertheless a part of his words are written in this book.

Alma 8
Modernly Alma 10
CHAPTER VIII. Now these are the words that Amulek preached unto the people which was in the land of Ammonihah, saying: I am Amulek; I am the son of Giddonah, who was the son of Ishmael, who was a descendant of Aminadi: and it was that same Aminadi which interpreted the writing which was upon the wall of the temple, which was written by the finger of God. -- And Aminadi was a descendant of Nephi, who was the son of Lehi, who came out of the land of Jerusalem, who was a descendant of Manasseh, who was the son of Joseph, which was sold into Egypt by the hands of his brethren. And behold, I am also a man of no small reputation among all those who know me; yea, and behold, I have many kindred and friends, and I have also acquired much riches by the hand of my industry; nevertheless, after all this, I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his mysteries and marvellous power. I said I never had known much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvellous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people; nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times, and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on unbelieving against God, in the wickedness of my heart, even until the fourth day of this seventh month, which is in the tenth year of the reign of our Judges. As I was a journeying to see a very near kindred, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto me, and said, Amulek, return to thine own house, for thou shalt feed a prophet of the Lord; yea, a holy man , which art a chosen man of God; for he hath fasteth many days because of the sins of this people, and he is an hungered, and thou shalt receive him into thy house and feed him, and he shall bless thee and thy house; and the blessing of the Lord shall rest upon thee and thy house.

And it came to pass that I obeyed the voice of the angel, and returned towards my house. And as I was a going thither, I found the man which the angel said unto me, Thou shalt receive into thy house; and behold it was this same man which hath been speaking unto you concerning the things of God. -- And the angel said unto me, He is a holy man; wherefore I know he is a holy man, because it was said by an angel of God. And again: I know that the things whereof he hath testified are true; for behold, I say unto you, that as the Lord liveth, even so he hath sent his angel to make these things manifest unto me; and this he hath done while this Alma hath dwelt at my house; for behold, he hath blessed mine home, he hath blessed me, and my woman, and my children, and my father, and my kinsfolks; yea, even all my kindred hath he blessed, and the blessings of the Lord hath rested upon us according to the words which he spake.

And now when Amulek had spoken these words, the people began to be astonished, seeing there was more than one witness which testifieth of the things whereof they were accused, and also of the things which was to come, according to the spirit of prophecy which was in them; nevertheless, there were some among them which thought to question them, that by their cunning devices they might catch them in their words, that they might find witness against them, that they might deliver them to the Judges, that they might be judged according to the law, and that they might be slain or cast into prison, according to the crime which they could make appear, or witness against them. Now it was those men which sought to destroy them, which were Lawyers, which were hired or appointed by the people to administer the law at their times of trials, or at trials of the crimes of the people, before the Judges. Now these Lawyers were learned in all the arts and cunning of the people; and this was to enable them that they might be skilful in their profession. And it came to pass that they began to question Amulek, that thereby they might make him cross his words, or contradict the words which he should speak. Now they knew not that Amulek could know of their designs. But it came to pass as they began to question him, he perceived their thoughts, and he saith unto them, O ye wicked and perverse generation; ye Lawyers and hypocrites; for ye are laying the foundation of the Devil; for ye are laying traps and snares to catch the holy ones of God; ye are laying plans to pervert the ways of the righteous, and to bring down the wrath of God upon your heads, even to the utter destruction of this people; yea, well did Mosiah say, who was our last king, when he was about to deliver up the kingdom, having no one to confer it upon, causing that this people should be governed by their own voices; yea, well did he say, that if the time should come that the voice of this people should choose iniquity; that is, if the time should come that this people should fall into transgression, they would be ripe for destruction. And now I say unto you, that well doth the Lord judge your iniquities; well doth he cry unto this people, by the voice of his angels, Repent ye, repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Yea, well doth he cry, by the voice of his angels, that I will come down among my people with equity and justice in my hands. Yea, and I say unto you, that if it were not for the prayers of the righteous, which are now in the land, that ye would even now be visited with utter destruction; yet it would not be by flood, as were the people in the days of Noah, but it would be by famine, and by pestilence, and the sword. Now it is by the prayers of the righteous that ye are spared; now therefore if ye will cast out the righteous from among you, then will not the Lord stay his hand, but in his fierce anger he will come down against you; then ye shall be smitten by famine, and by pestilence, and by the sword; and the time is soon at hand, except ye repent.

And now it came to pass that the people were more angry with Amulek, and they cried out saying: This man doth revile against our laws, which are just, and our wise Lawyers, which we have selected. But Amulek stretched forth his hand, and cried the mightier unto them, saying: O ye wicked and perverse generation; why hath Satan got such great hold upon your hearts? Why will ye yield yourselves unto him, that he may have power over you, to blind your eyes, that ye will not understand the words which are spoken, according to their truth? For behold, have I testified against your law? Ye do not understand; ye say that I have spoken against your law; but have I not; but I have spoken in favor of your law, to your condemnation. And now behold, I say unto you, that the foundation of the destruction of this people is a beginning to be laid by the unrighteousness of your lawyers and your Judges.

And now it came to pass that when Amulek had spoken these words, the people cried out against him, saying, Now we know that this man is a child of the Devil, for he hath lied unto us; for he hath spoken against our law. And now he saith that he hath not spoken against it. And again: he hath reviled against our Lawyers, and our Judges, &c. And it came to pass that the Lawyers put it into their hearts that they should remember these things against him. And it came to pass that there was one among them whose name was Zeezrom. Now he being the foremost to accuse Amulek and Alma, he being one of the most expert among them, having much business to do among the people. Now the object of these Lawyers were to get gain; and they got gain according to their employ.

Now it was in the law of Mosiah that every man which was a Judge of the law, or which was appointed to be Judges, should receive wages according to the time which they labored to judge those which were brought before them to be judged. Now if a man oweth another, and he would not pay that which he owe, he was complained of to the Judge; and the Judge executed authority, and sent forth officers that the man should be brought before him; and he judgeth the man according to the law and the evidence which are brought against him; and thus the man was compelled to pay that which he oweth, or be striped, or be cast out from among the people, as a thief and a robber. And the Judge receiveth for his wages according to his time: a senine of gold for a day, or a senum of silver, which is equal to a senine of gold; and this is according to the law which was given. Now these are the names of the different pieces of their gold, and of their silver, according to their value. And the names are given by the Nephites; for they did not reckon after the manner of the Jews which were at Jerusalem; neither did they measure after the manner of the Jews, but they altered their reckoning and their measure, according to the minds of the circumstances of the people, in every generation, until the reign of the Judges; they having been established by king Mosiah. Now the reckoning is thus: A senine of gold, a seon of gold, a shum of gold, and a limnah of gold. A senum of silver, an amnor of silver, an ezrom of silver, and an onti of silver. A senum of silver was equal to a senine of gold; and either for a measure of barley, and also for a measure of every kind of grain. Now the amount of a seon of gold, was twice the value of a senine; and a shum of gold was twice the value of a seon; and a limnah of gold was the value of them all; and an amner of silver was as great as two senums; and an ezrom of silver was as great as four senums; and an onti was as great as them all. Now this is the value of the lesser numbers of their reckoning: A shiblon is half of a senum: therefore a shiblon for half a measure of barley; and a shiblum is a half of shiblon; and a leah is the half of a shiblum. Now this is their number, according to their reckoning. Now an antion of gold is equal to three shublons.

Now it was for the sole purpose for to get gain, because they received wages according to their employ; therefore they did stir up the people to riotings, and all manner of disturbances and wickedness, that they might have more employ; that they might get money according to the suits which was brought before them; therefore they did stir up the people against Alma and Amulek. And this Zeezrom began to question Amulek, saying: Will ye answer me a few questions which I shall ask you? Now Zeezrom was a man which was expert in the devises of the Devil, that he might destroy that which was good; therefore he saith unto Amulek, Will ye aaswer the questions which I shall put unto you? And Amulek saith unto him, Yea, if it be according to the spirit of the Lord, which is in me; for I shall say nothing contrary to the spirit of the Lord. And Zeezrom saith unto him, Behold, here is six onties of silver, and all these will I give to thee if thou wilt deny the existence of a Supreme Being. Now Amulek saith, O thou child of Hell, why tempt ye me? Knowest thou that the righteous yieldeth to no such temptations? Believest thou that there is no God? I say unto you, nay: thou knowest that there is a God, but thou lovest that lucre more than him. And now thou hast lied unto God before me. Thou saidst unto me, Behold these six onties, which are of great worth, I will give unto thee, when thou had it in thy heart to retain them from me; and it was only thy desire that I should deny the true and living God, that thou mightest have cause to destroy me. And now behold, for this great evil thou shalt have thy reward. And Zeezrom saith unto him, Thou sayest there is a true and living God? And Amulek saith, Yea, there is a true and living God. Now Zeezrom saith, Is there more than one God? And he answered No. Now Zeezrom saith unto him again: How knowest thou these things? And he saith An angel hath made them known unto me. And Zeezrom saith again: Who is he that shall come? Is it the Son of God? And he said unto him, Yea. And Zeezrom saith again: Shall he save his people in their sins? And Amulek answered and said unto him, I say unto you he shall not, for it is impossible for him to deny his word.

Now Zeezrom saith unto the people, See that ye remember these things; for he saith there is but one God; yet he saith that the Son of God shall come, but he shall not save his people, as though he had authority to command God. Now Amulek saith again unto him, Behold thou hast lied, for thou sayest that I spake as though I had authority to command God, because I said he shall not save his people in their sins. And I say unto you again, that he cannot save them in their sins; for I cannot deny his word, and he hath said that no unclean thing can inherit the Kingdom of Heaven? -- Therefore ye cannot be saved in your sins. Now Zeezrom saith again unto him: Is the Son of God the very Eternal Father? And Amulek saith unto him, Yea, he is the very Eternal Father of Heaven and of Earth, and all things which in them is; he is the beginning and the end, the first and the last; and he shall come into the world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else; therefore the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made, except it be the loosing of the bands of death; for behold, the day cometh that all shall rise from the dead and stand before God, and be judged according to their works. Now there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death; the spirit and the body shall be re- united again, in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt. Now this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked, and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but all things shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son of God, the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil.

Now behold I have spoken unto you, concerning the death of the mortal body, and also concerning the resurrection of the mortal body. I say unto you, that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body; that is from death; even from the first death, unto life, that they can die no more; their spirits uniting with their bodies, never to be divided; thus the whole becoming spiritual and immortal, that they can no more see corruption.

Now when Amulek had finished these words, the people began to be astonished, and also Zeezrom began to tremble. And thus ended the words of Amulek, or this is all that I have written.

Alma 9
Modernly Alma 12
CHAPTER IX. Now Alma, seeing that the words of Amulek had silenced Zeezrom, for he beheld that Amulek had caught him in his lying and deceiving, to destroy him, and seeing that he began to tremble under the consciousness of his guilt, he opened his mouth and began to speak unto him, and to establish the words of Amulek, and to explain things beyond, or to unfold the Scriptures beyond that which Amulek had done. Now the words that Alma spake unto Zeezrom, was heard by the people round about: for the multitude was great, and he spake on this wise: Now Zeezrom, seeing that thou hast been taken in thy lying and craftiness, for thou hast not lied unto men only, but thou hast lied unto God. For behold, he knows all thy thoughts; and thou seest that thy thoughts are made known unto us by his spirit; and thou seest that we know that thy plan was a very subtle plan, as to the subtlety of the Devil, for to lie and to deceive this people, that thou mightest set them against us, to revile us and to cast us out. Now this was a plan of thine adversary, and he hath exercised his power in thee. Now I would that ye should remember that what I say unto thee, I say unto all. And behold, I say unto you all, that this was a snare of the adversary, which he hath laid to catch this people, that he might bring you into subjection unto him, that he might encircle you about with his chains, that he might chain you down to everlasting destruction, according to the power of his captivity.

Now when Alma had spoken these words, Zeezrom began to tremble more exceedingly, for he was convinced more and more of the power of God; and he was also convinced that Alma and Amulek had a knowledge of him, for he was convinced that they knew the thoughts and intents of his heart: for power was given unto them that they might know of these things, according to the spirit of prophecy. And Zeezrom began to inquire of them diligently, that he might know more concerning the kingdom of God. And he saith unto Alma, What does this mean which Amulek hath spoken concerning the resurrection of the dead, that all shall rise from the dead, both the just and the unjust, and are brought to stand before God, to be judged according to their works? And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying, It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command, that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word, which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him; and therefore he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God, until they know them in full; and he that will harden his heart, to him is given the lesser portion of the word, until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the Devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of Hell; and Amulek hath spoken plainly concerning death, and being raised from this mortality to a state of immortality, and being brought before the bar of God, to be judged according to our works. Then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch that it hath not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for then we shall be condemned: for our words will condemn us, yea, all our work will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state, we shall not durst look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us, to hide us from his presence. But this cannot be; we must come forth and stand before him in his glory, and in his power, and in his might, majesty, and dominion, and acknowledge to the everlasting shame, that all his judgments are just; that he is just in all his works, and that he is merciful unto the children of men, and that he hath all power to save every man that believeth on his name, and bringeth forth mete for repentance.

And now behold I say unto you, then cometh a death, even a second death, which is a spiritual death; then is a time whosoever dieth in his sins, as to the temporal death, shall also die a spiritual death; yea, he shall die as to things pertaining unto righteousness; then is the time when their torments shall be as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames ascendeth up forever and ever; and then is the time that they shall be chained down to an everlasting destruction, according to the power and captivity of Satan; he having subjected them according to his will. Then I say unto you, they shall be as though there had been no redemption made; for they cannot be redeemed according to God's justice; and they cannot die, seeing there is no more corruption.

Now it came to pass that when Alma had made an end of speaking these words, the people began to be more astonished; but there was one Antionah, who was a chief ruler among them, come forth and said unto him, What is this that thou hast said, that man should rise from the dead and be changed from this mortal to an immortal state, that the soul can never die? What does this Scripture mean, which saith that God placed Cherubims and a flaming sword on the east of the garden of Eden, lest our first parents should enter and partake of the fruit of the tree of life, and live forever? And thus we see that there was no possible chance that they should live forever. Now Alma saith unto him, This is the thing which I was about to explain. Now we see that Adam did fall by partaking of the forbidden fruit, according to the word of God; and thus we see that by his fall, that all mankind became a lost and a fallen people. And now behold, I say unto you, that if it had been possible for Adam for to have partaken of the fruit of the tree of life at that time, that there would have been no death, and the word would have been void, making God a liar: for he said, If thou eat, thou shalt surely die. -- And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man, in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state, which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead. Now if it had not been for the plan of redemption, which was laid from the foundation of the world, there could have been no resurrection of the dead; but there was a plan of redemption laid, which shall bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, of which has been spoken. And now behold, if it were possible that our first parents could have went forth and partaken of the tree of life, they would have been forever miserable, having no preparatory state; and thus the plan of redemption would have been frustrated, and the word of God would have been void, taking none effect. But behold, it was not so; but it was appointed unto man that they must die; and after death, they must come to judgment; even that same judgment of which we have spoken, which is the end. And after God had appointed that these things should come unto man, behold, then he saw that it was expedient that man should know concerning the things whereof he had appointed unto them; therefore he sent angels to converse with them, which caused men to behold of his glory. And they began from the time forth to call on his name; therefore God conversed with men, and made known unto them the plan of redemption, which had been prepared from the foundation of the world; and this he made known unto them, according to their faith and repentance, and their holy works; wherefore he gave commandments unto men, they having first transgressed the first commandments as to things which were temporal, and becoming as Gods, knowing good from evil, placing themselves in a state to act, or being placed in a state to act, according to their wills and pleasures, whether to do evil or to do good; therefore God gave unto them commandments, after having made known unto them the plan of redemption, that they should not do evil, the penalty thereof being a second death, which was an everlasting death as to things pertaining unto righteousness; for on such the plan of redemption could have no power, for the works of justice could not be destroyed, according to the Supreme goodness of God. But God did call on men, in the name of his Son, (this being the plan of redemption which was laid,) saying: if ye will repent, and harden not your hearts, then I will have mercy upon you, through mine only begotten Son; therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine only begotten Son, unto a remission of their sins; and these shall enter into my rest. And whosoever will harden his heart, and will do iniquity, behold, I swear in my wrath that they shall not enter into my rest. And now my brethren, behold I say unto you, That if ye will harden your hearts, ye shall not enter into the rest of the Lord; therefore your iniquity provoketh him, that he sendeth down his wrath upon you as in the first provocation, yea, according to this word in the last provocation, as well as in the first, to the everlasting destruction of your souls; therefore, according to his word, unto the last death, as well as the first.

And now my brethren, seeing we know these things, and they are true, let us repent, and harden not our hearts, that we provoke not the Lord our God to pull down his wrath upon us in these his second commandments which he hath given unto us; but let us enter into the rest of God, which is prepared according to his word. And again: My brethren, I would cite your minds forward to the time which the Lord God gave these commandments unto his children; and I would that ye should remember that the Lord God ordained Priests, after his holy order, which was after the order of his Son, to teach these things unto the people; and those Priests were ordained after the order of his Son, in a manner that thereby the people might know in what manner to look forward to his Son for redemption. And this is the manner after which they were ordained, being called and prepared from the foundation of the world, according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they being chosen good, and exercising exceeding great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such; and thus they having been called to this holy calling on account of their faith, while others would reject the spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and blindness of their minds, while, if it had not been for this, they might had as great privilege as their brethren. Or in fine: In the first place they were on the same standing with their brethren; thus this holy calling being prepared from the foundation of the world for such as would not harden their hearts, being in and through the atonement of the only begotten Son, which was prepared; and thus being called by this holy calling, and ordained unto the High Priesthood of the holy order of God, to teach us his commandments unto the children of men, that they also might enter into his rest, this High Priesthood being after the order of his Son, which order was from the foundation of the world; or in other words, being without beginning of days or end of years, being prepared from eternity to all eternity, according to his foreknowledge of all things. Now they were ordained after this manner: Being called with a holy calling, and ordained with a holy ordinance, and taking upon them the High Priesthood of the holy order, which calling, and ordinance, and High Priesthood, is without beginning or end; thus they become High Priests forever, after the order of the Son of the only begotten of the Father, which is without beginning of days or end of years, which is full of grace, equity and truth. And thus it is. Amen.

Alma 10
Modernly Alma 13:10
CHAPTER X. Now as I said concerning the holy order of this High Priesthood: There were many which were ordained and became High Priests of God; and it was on account of the exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness before God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness, rather than to perish; therefore they were called after this holy order, and were sanctified, and their garments were washed white, through the blood of the Lamb. Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin, saving it were with abhorrence; and there were many, exceeding great many, which were made pure, and entered into the rest of the Lord their God. And now, my brethren, I would that ye should humble yourselves before God, and bring forth fruit mete for repentance, that ye may also enter into that rest; yea, humble yourselves even as the people in the days of Melchizedek, who was also a High Priest after this same order which I have spoken, who also took upon him the High Priesthood forever. And it was this same Melchizedek to whom Abraham paid tithes; yea, even our father Abraham paid tithes of one tenth part of all he possessed. Now these ordinances were given after this manner, that thereby the people might look forward on the Son of God, it being a type of his order, or it being his order; and this, that they might look forward to him for a remission of their sins, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord.

Now this Melchizedek was a king over the land of Salem; and his people had waxed strong in iniquity and abominations; yea, they had all gone astray: they were full of all manner of wickedness; but Melchizedek having exercised mighty faith, and received the office of the High Priesthood, according to the holy order of God, did preach repentance unto his people. -- And behold, they did repent; and Melchizedek did establish peace in the land in his days; therefore he was called the Prince of Peace, for he was the king of Salem; and he did reign under his father. Now there were many before him, and also there were many afterwards, but none were greater; therefore of him they have more particularly made mention. Now I need not rehearse the matter; what I have said, may suffice. Behold, the Scriptures are before you; if ye will arrest them, it shall be to your own destruction.

And now it came to pass that when Alma had said these words unto them, he stretched forth his hand unto them and cried with a mighty voice, saying, Now is the time to repent, for the day of salvation draweth nigh; yea, and the voice of the Lord, by the mouth of angels, doth declare it unto all nations; yea, doth declare it, that they may have glad tidings of great joy; yea, and he doth sound these glad tidings among all his people, yea, even to them that are scattered abroad upon the face of the earth; wherefore they have come unto us. -- And they are made known unto us in plain terms, that we may understand, that we cannot err; and this because of our being wanderers in a strange land; therefore we are thus highly favored, for we have these glad tidings declared unto us in all parts of our vineyard. For behold, angels are declaring it unto many at this time in our land; and this is for the purpose of preparing the hearts of the children of men for to receive his word, at the time of his coming in his glory. And now we only wait to hear the joyful news declared unto us by the mouth of angels, of his coming: for the time cometh, we know not how soon. Would to God that it might be in my day; but let it be sooner or later, in it I will rejoice. And it shall be known unto just and holy men, by the mouth of angels, at the time of his coming, that the words of our fathers might be fulfilled, according to that which they have spoken concerning him, which was according to the spirit of prophecy which was in them.

And now my brethren, I wish from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great anxiety, even unto pain, that ye would hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not procrastinate the day of your repentance; that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the holy spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long suffering; having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day, and enter into his rest; and may the Lord grant unto you repentance, that ye may not bring down his wrath upon you, that ye may not be bound down by the chains of hell, that ye may not suffer the second death. And it came to pass that Alma spake many more words unto the people, which are not written in this book.

And it came to pass that after he had made an end of speaking unto the people, many of them did believe on his words, and began to repent, and to search the Scriptures; but the more part of them were desirous that they might destroy Alma and Amulek: for they were angry with Alma, because of the plainness of his words unto Zeezrom; and they also said that Amulek had lied unto them, and had reviled against their law, and also against their Lawyers and Judges. And they were also angry with Alma and Amulek; and because they had testified so plainly against their wickedness, they sought to put them away privily. But it came to pass that they did not; but they took them and bound them with strong cords, and took them before the Chief Judge of the land. And the people went forth and witnessed against them, testifying that they had reviled against the law, and their Lawyers and Judges of the land, and also all the people that were in the land; and also testified that there was but one God, and that he should send his Son among the people, but he should not save them; and many such things did the people testify against Alma and Amulek. And it came to pass that it was done before the Chief Judge of the land. And it also came to pass that Zeezrom was astonished at the words which had been spoken; and he also knew concerning the blindness of the minds which he had caused among the people, by his lying words; and his soul began to be harrowed up, under a consciousness of his own guilt; yea, he began to be encircled about by the pains of hell.

And it came to pass that he began to cry unto the people, saying: Behold, I am guilty, and these men are spotless before God. And it came to pass that he began to plead for them, from that time forth; but they reviled him, saying: Art thou also possessed with the Devil? And it came to pass that they spit upon him, and cast him out from among them, and also all those that believed in the words which had been spoken by Alma and Amulek; and they cast them out, and sent men to cast stones at them. And they brought their wives and children together, and whosoever believed or had been taught to believe in the word of God, they caused that they should be cast into the fire; and they also brought forth their records which contained the Holy Scriptures, and cast them into the fire also, that they might be burned and destroyed by fire.

And it came to pass that they took Alma and Amulek, and carried them forth to the place of martyrdom, that they might witness the destruction of those which were consumed by fire. And it came to pass that when Amulek saw the pains of the women and children which were consuming in the fire, he was also pained; and he saith unto Alma, How can we witness this awful scene? Therefore let us stretch forth our hands, and exercise the power of God which is in us, and save them from the flames. But Alma saith unto him, The spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand; for behold, the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth not suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness if their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath, may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day. Now Amulek saith unto Alma, Behold, perhaps they will burn us also. And Alma saith, Be it according to the will of the Lord. But behold, our work is not finished; therefore they burn us not.

Now it came to pass that when the bodies of those which had been cast into the fire, were consumed, and also the records which were cast in with them, the Chief Judge of the land came and stood before Alma and Amulek, as they were bound; and he smote them with his hand upon their cheeks, and saith unto them, After what ye have seen, will ye preach again unto this people, that they shall be cast into a lake of fire and brimstone? Behold, ye see that ye had not power to save these which had been cast into the fire; neither hath God saved them because they were of thy faith. And the Judge smote them again upon their cheeks, and asked, What say ye for yourselves? Now this Judge was after the order and faith of Nehor, which slew Gideon. And it came to pass that Alma and Amulek answered him nothing; and he smote them again, and delivered them to the officers to be cast into prison. And it came to pass that when they had been cast into prison three days, there came many Lawyers, and Judges, and Priests, and teachers, which were of the profession of Nehor; and they came in unto the prison to see them, and they questioned them about many words; but they answered them nothing.

And it came to pass that the Judge stood before them, and saith, Why do ye not answer the words of this people? Know ye not that I have the power to deliver ye up unto the flames? And he commanded them to speak; but they answered nothing. And it came to pass that they departed and went their ways, but came again on the morrow; and the Judge also smote them again on their cheeks. And many came forth also, and smote them, saying: Will ye stand again and Judge this people, and condemn our law? If ye have such great power, why do ye not deliver yourselves? And many such things did they say unto them, gnashing their teeth upon them, and spitting upon them, and saying, How shall ye look when we are damned? And many such things, yea, all manner of such things did they say unto them; and thus they did mock them, for many days. And they did withhold food from them. that they might hunger, and water, that they might thirst; and they also did take from them their clothes, that they were naked; and thus they were bound with strong cords, and confined in prison.

And it came to pass after they had thus suffered for many days, (and it was on the twelfth day, in the tenth month, in the tenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi,) that the Chief Judge over the land of Ammonihah, and many of their teachers and their Lawyers, went in unto the prison where Alma and Amulek was bound with cords. And the Chief Judge stood before them, and smote them again, and saith unto them, If ye have the power of God, deliver yourselves from these bands, and then we will believe that the Lord will destroy this people according to your words. And it came to pass that they all went forth and smote them, saying the same words, even until the last; and when the last had spoken unto them, the power of God was upon Alma and Amulek, and they arose and stood upon their feet; and Alma cried, saying, How long shall we suffer these great afflictions, O Lord? O Lord, give us strength according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance; and they break the cords with which they were bound; and when the people saw this, they began to flee, for the fear of destruction had come upon them.

And it came to pass that so great was their fear, that they fell to the earth, and did not obtain the outer door of the prison; and the earth shook mightily, and the walls of the prison were wrent in twain, so that they fell to the earth; and the Chief Judge, and the Lawyers, and Priests, and teachers which smote upon Alma and Amulek, were slain by the fall thereof. And Alma and Amulek came forth out of the prison, and they were not hurt; for the Lord had granted unto them power, according to their faith which was in Christ. And they straightway came forth out of the prison; and they were loosed from their bands; and the prison had fallen to the earth, and every soul which was within the walls thereof, save it were Alma and Amulek, were slain; and they straightway came forth into the city. Now the people having heard a great noise, came running together by multitudes, to know the cause of it; and when they saw Alma and Amulek coming forth out of the prison, and the walls thereof had fallen to the earth, they were struck with great fear, and fled from the presence of Alma and Amulek, even as a goat fleeth with her young from two lions; and thus they did flee from the presence of Alma and Amulek.

And it came to pass that Alma and Amulek were commanded to depart out of the city; and they departed, and came out even into the land of Sidom; and behold, there they found all the people which had departed out of the land of Ammonihah, who had been cast out and stoned, because they believed in the words of Alma. And they related unto them all that had happened unto their wives and children, and also concerning themselves, and of their power of deliverance. And also Zeezrom lay sick at Sidom, with a burning fever, which was caused by the great tribulations of his mind, on account of his wickedness, for he supposed that Alma and Amulek was no more; and he supposed that they had been slain, by the cause of his iniquity. And this great sin, and his many other sins, did harrow up his mind until it did become exceeding sore, having no deliverance; therefore he began to be scorched with a burning heat. Now when he heard that Alma and Amulek was in the land of Sidom, his heart began to take courage; and he sent a message immediately unto them, desiring them to come unto him.

And it came to pass that they went immediately, obeying the message which he had sent unto them; and they went in unto the house unto Zeezrom; and they found him upon his bed sick, being very low with a burning fever; and his mind also was exceeding sore, because of his iniquities; and when he saw them, he stretched forth his hand, and besought them that they would heal him.

And it came to pass that Alma said unto him, taking him by the hand, Believest thou in the power of Christ unto salvation? And he answered and said, Yea, I belive all the words that thou hast taught. And Alma saith, If thou believest in the redemption of Christ, thou canst be healed. And he saith, Yea, I believe according to thy words. And then Alma cried unto the Lord, saying, O Lord our God, have mercy on this man, and heal him according to his faith which is in Christ. And it came to pass that when Alma said these words, that Zeezrom leaped upon his feet, and began to walk; and this was done to the great astonishment of all the people; and the knowledge of this went forth throughout all the land of Sidom. And Alma baptized Zeezrom unto the Lord; and he began from that time forth to preach unto the people. And Alma established a Church in the land of Sodom, and consecrated Priests and teachers in the land to baptize unto the Lord whosoever were desirous to be baptized.

And it came to pass that they were many; for they did flock in from all the region round about Sidom, and were baptized; but as to the people that were in the land of Ammonihah, they yet remained a hardhearted and a stiffnecked people; and they repented not of their sins, ascribing all the power of Alma and Amulek to the Devil: for they were of the profession of Nehor, and did not believe in the repentance of their sins.

And it came to pass that Alma and Amulek, Amulek having forsaken all his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, which was in the land of Ammonihah, for the word of God, he being rejected by those which were once his friends, and also by his father and his kindred; therefore, after Alma having established the Church at Sidom, seeing a great check, yea, seeing that the people were checked as to the pride of their hearts, and began to humble themselves before God, and began to assemble together at their sanctuaries to worship God before the alter, watching and praying continually, that they might be delivered from Satan, and from death, and from destruction: Now as I said, Alma having seen all these things, therefore he took Amulek and came over to the land of Zarahemla, and took him to his own house, and did administer unto him in his tribulations, and strengthened him in the Lord. And thus ended the tenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi.

Alma 11
Modernly Alma 16
CHAPTER XI. And it came to pass in the eleventh year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi, on the fifth day of the second month, there having been much peace in the land of Zarahemla; there having been no wars nor contentions for a certain number of years; even until the fifth day of the second month, in the eleventh year, there was a cry of war heard throughout the land; for behold, the armies of the Lamanites had come in on the wilderness side, into the borders of the land, even into the city of Ammonihah, and began to slay the people, and to destroy the city.

And now it came to pass before the Nephites could raise a sufficient army to drive them out of the land, they had destroyed the people which were in the city of Ammonihah, and also some around the borders of Noah, and taking others captive into the wilderness.

Now it came to pass that the Nephites were desirous to obtain those which had been carried away captive into the wilderness; therefore he that had been appointed Chief Captain over the armies of the Nephites, (and his name was Zoram, and he had two sons, Lehi and Aha:) Now Zoram and his two sons, knowing that Alma was High Priest over the Church, and having heard that he had the spirit of Prophecy, therefore they went unto him and desired of him to know whether the Lord would that they should go into the wilderness in search of their brethren, who had been captive by the Lamanites.

And it came to pass that Alma inquired of the Lord concerning the matter. And Alma returned and said unto them, Behold the Lamanites will cross the river Sidon in the south wilderness, away up beyond the borders of the land of Manti. -- And behold there shall ye meet them, on the east of the river Sidon, and there the Lord will deliver unto thee thy brethren which have been taken captive by the Lamanites.

And it came to pass that Zoram and his sons crossed over the river Sidon, with their armies, and marched away beyond the borders of Manti, into the south wilderness, which was on the east side of the river Sidon. And they came upon the armies of the Lamanites, and the Lamanites were scattered and driven into the wilderness; and they took their brethren which had been taken captive by the Lamanites, and there was not one soul of them which had been lost, that were taken captive. And they were brought by their brethren to possess their own lands. And thus ended the eleventh year of the Judges, the Lamanites having been driven out of the land, and the people of Ammonihah were destroyed; yea, every living soul of the Ammonihahites were destroyed , and also their great city, which they said God could not destroy, because of its greatness. -- But behold, in one day it was left desolate; and their carcases were mangled by dogs and wild beasts of the wilderness; nevertheless, after many days, their dead bodies were heaped up upon the face of the earth, and they were covered with a shallow covering. And now so great was the scent thereof, that the people did not go in to possess the land of Ammonihah for many years. And it was called desolation of Nehors; for they were of the profession of Nehor, which were slain; and their lands remained desolate. And it came to pass that the Lamanites did not come again to war against the Nephites until the fourteenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi. And thus for three years did the people of Nephi have continual peace in all the land.

And Alma and Amulek went forth preaching repentance unto the people in their temples, and in their sanctuaries, and also in their synagogues, which was built after the manner of the Jews. And as many as would hear their words, unto them they did impart the word of God, without any respects of persons continually. And thus did Alma and Amulek go forth, and also many more which had been chosen for the work, to preach the word throughout the land. And the establishment of the Church became general throughout all the land, in all the region round about, among all the people of the Nephites.

And there was no inequality among them, for the Lord did pour out his spirit on all the face of the land, for to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming, that they might not be hardened against the word,, that they might not be unbelieving, and go on to destruction, but that they might receive the word with joy, and as a branch be grafted into the true vine, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord their God.

Now those priests which did go forth among the people, did preach against all lyings, and deceivings, and envyings, and strifes, and malice, and revilings, and stealing, robbing, plundering, murdering, committing adultery, and all manner of lasciviousness, crying that these things ought not so to be; holding forth things which must shortly come; yea, holding forth the coming of the Son of God, his sufferings and death, and also the resurrection of the dead. And many of the people did inquire concerning the place where the Son of God should come; and they were taught that he would appear unto them after his resurrection; and this the people did hear with great joy and gladness. And now after the Church having been established throughout the land, having got the victory over the Devil, and the word of God being preached in its purity in all the land; and the Lord pouring out his blessings upon the people; and thus ended the fourteenth year of the reign of the Judges, over the people of Nephi.

Alma 12
Modernly Alma 17
CHAPTER XII. An account of the sons of Mosiah, which rejected their rights to the kingdom, for the word of God, and went up to the land of Nephi, to preach to the Lamanites. -- Their sufferings and deliverance, accorsing to the record of Alma.

And now it came to pass that as Alma was journeying from the land of Gideon, southward, away to the land of Manti, behold, to his astonishment, he met with the sons of Mosiah, a journeying towards the land of Zarahemla. Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly, to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding, and they had searched the Scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God. But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting, therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority, even as with the power and authority of God. And they had been teaching the word of God for the space of fourteen years, among the Lamanites, having had much success in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth; yea, by the power of their words, many were brought before the altar of God, to call on his name, and confess their sins before him. Now these are the circumstances which attended them in their journeyings, for they had many afflictions; they did suffer much, both in body and in mind; such as hunger, thirst and fatigue, and also much labor in the spirit. Now these were their journeyings, having taken leave of their father Mosiah, in the first year of the reign of the Judges; having refused the kingdom which their father was desirous to confer upon them; and also this was the minds of the people; nevertheless they departed out of the land of Zarahemla, and took their swords, and their spears, and their bows, and their arrows, and their slings; and this they done that they might provide food for themselves while in the wilderness: and thus they departed into the wilderness, with their numbers which they had selected, to go up to the land of Nephi, to preach the word of God unto the Lamanites.

And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much, and prayed much, that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God, to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth; to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct.

And it came to pass that the Lord visit them with his spirit, and said unto them, Be comforted; and they were comforted. And the Lord said unto them also, Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long suffering and afflictions, that ye may shew forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands, unto the salvation of many souls.

And it came to pass that the hearts of the sons of Mosiah, and also those which were with them, took courage to go forth unto the Lamanites, to declare unto them the word of God. And it came to pass when they had arriven in the borders of the land of the Lamanites, that they separated themselves, and departed one from another, trusting in the Lord, that they should meet again at the close of their harvest: for they supposed that great was the work which they had undertaken. -- And assuredly it was great, for they had undertaken to preach the word of God to a wild, and a hardened, and a ferocious people; a people which delighted in the murdering the Nephites, and robbing, and plundering them; and their hearts were set upon riches, or upon gold, and silver, and precious stones; yet they sought to obtain these things by murdering and plundering, that they might not labor for them with their own hands: thus they were a very indolent people, many of whom did worship idols, and the curse of God had fell upon them because of the traditions of their fathers; notwithstanding, the promises of the Lord were extended unto them, on the conditions of repentance; therefore this was the cause for which the sons of Mosiah had undertaken the work, that perhaps they might bring them unto repentance; that perhaps they might bring them to know of the plan of redemption; therefore they separated themselves one from another; and went forth among them every man alone, according to the word and power of God, which was given unto him.

Now Ammon being the chief among them, or rather he did administer unto them; and he departed from them, after having blessed them according to their several stations, having imparted the word of God unto them, or administered unto them before his departure; and thus they took their several journeys throughout the land. And Ammon went to the land of Ishmael, the land being called after the sons of Ishmael, which also became Lamanites. And as Ammon entered the land of Ishmael, the Lamanites took him and bound him, as was their custom, to bind all the Nephites which fell into their hands, and carry them before the king; and thus it was left to the pleasure of the king to slay them, or to retain them in captivity, or to cast them into prison, or to cast them out of his land, according to his will and pleasure; and thus Ammon was carried before the king which was over the land of Ishmael; and his name was Lamoni; and he was a descendant of Ishmael. And the king inquired of Ammon if it were desirous to dwell in the land among the Lamanites, or among his people? And Ammon said unto him, Yea, I desire to dwell among this people for a time; yea, and perhaps until the day I die.

And it came to pass that king Lamoni was much pleased with Ammon, and caused that his bands should be loosed; and he would that Ammon should take one of his daughters to wife. But Ammon saith unto him, Nay, but I will be thy servant; therefore Ammon became a servant to king Lamoni. And it came to pass that he was set, among other servants, to watch the flocks of Lamoni, according to the custom of the Lamanites. And it came to pass that after he had been in the service of the king three days, that as he was, with the Lamanitish servants, a going forth with their flocks, to the place of water, which was called the water of Sebus; (and all the Lamanites drive their flocks hither, that they might have water;) therefore as Ammon and the servants of the king were driving forth their flocks to this place of water, behold, a certain number of the Lamanites who had been with their flocks to water, stood and scattered the flocks of Ammon, and the servants of the king, and they scattered them insomuch that they fled many ways.

Now the servants of the king began to murmur, saying: Now the king will slay us, as he has our brethren, because their flocks were scattered by the wickedness of these men. And they began to weep exceedingly, saying, Behold our flocks are scattered already. Now they wept because of the fear of being slain. Now when Ammon saw this, his heart was swollen within him, with joy, for, said he, I will shew forth my power unto these my fellow servants, or the power which is in me, in restoring these flocks unto the king, that I may win the hearts of these my fellow servants, that I may lead them to believe in my words. Now these were the thoughts of Ammon, when he saw the afflictions of those which he termed to be his brethren.

And it came to pass that he flattered them by his words, saying: My brethren, be of good cheer and let us go in search of the flocks, and we will gather them together, and bring them back unto the place of water; and thus we will reserve the flocks unto the king, and he will not slay us.

And it came to pass that they went in search of the flocks, and they did follow Ammon, and they rushed forth with much swiftness, and did head the flocks of the king, and did gather them together again, to the place of water. And those men again stood to scatter their flocks; but Ammon saith unto his brethren, Encircle the flocks round about, that they flee not; and I go and contend with these men which do scatter our flocks. Therefore they did as Ammon commanded them, and he went forth and stood to contend with those which stood by the waters of Sebus; and they were not in number a very few; therefore they did not fear Ammon, for they supposed that one of their men could slay him, according to their pleasure, for they knew not that the Lord had promised Mosiah that he would deliver his sons out of their hands; neither did they know any thing concerning the Lord; therefore they delighted in the destruction of their brethren; and for this cause they stood to scatter the flocks of the king.

But Ammon stood forth and began to cast stones at them with his sling; yea, with mighty power he did sling stones amongst them; and thus he slew a certain number of them, insomuch that they began to be astonished at his power; nevertheless they were angry because of the slain of their brethren, and they were determined that he should fall; therefore, seeing that they could not hit him with their stones, they came forth with clubs to slay him. But behold, every man that lifted his club to smite Ammon, he smote off their arms with his sword; for he did withstand their blows by smiting their arms with the edge of his sword, insomuch that they began to be astonished, and began to flee before him; yea, and they were not few in number; and he caused them to flee by the strength of his arm. Now six of them had fallen by the sling, but he slew none save it were their leader; and he smote off as many of their arms as was lifted against him, and they were not a few. And when he had driven them afar off, he returned, and they watered their flocks and returned them to the pasture of the king, and then went in unto the king, bearing the arms which had been smote off by the sword of Ammon, of those who sought to slay him; and they were carried in unto the king, for a testimony of the things which they had done.

And it came to pass that king Lamoni caused that his servants should stand forth and testify to all the things which they had seen concerning the matter. And when they had all testified to the things which they had seen, and he had learned of the faithfulness of Ammon in preserving his flocks, and also of his great power in contending against those who sought to slay him, he was astonished exceedingly, and saith, Surely, this is more than a man. Behold, is not this the Great Spirit which doth send such great punishments upon his people, because of their murders? And they answered the king, and said, Whether he be the Great Sprit or a man, we know not; but this much we do know, that he cannot be slain by the enemies of the king; neither can they scatter the king's flocks when he is with us, because of his expertness and great strength; therefore, we know that he is a friend to the king. And now, O king, we do not believe that a man hath such great power, for we know that he cannot be slain. And now when the king heard these words, he said unto them, Now I know that it is the Great Spirit; and he hath come down at this time to preserve your lives, that I might not slay you as I did your brethren. Now this is the Great Spirit of which our fathers have spoken. Now this was the tradition of Lamoni, which he had received from his father, that there was a Great Spirit. Notwithstanding they believed in a Great Spirit, they supposed that whatsoever they did, was right; nevertheless, Lamoni began to fear exceedingly, with fear lest he had done wrong in slaying his servants: for he had slew many of them, because their brethren had scattered their flocks at the place of water; and thus because they had their flocks scattered, they were slain. Now it was the practice of the Lamanites, to stand by the waters of Sebus, to scatter the flocks of the people, that thereby they might drive away many that were scattered, unto their own land, it being a practice of plunder among them.

And it came to pass that king Lamoni inquired of his servants, saying: Where is this man that hath such great power?

And they said unto him, Behold, he is feeding thy horses. -- Now the king had commanded his servants previous to the time of the watering of their flocks, that they should prepare his horses and chariots, and conduct him forth to the land of Nephi: for their had been a great feast appointed at the land of Nephi, by the father of Lamoni, who was king over all the land. Now when king Lamoni heard that Ammon was preparing his horses and his chariots, he was more astonished, because of the faithfulness of Ammon, saying: Surely, there has not been any servant among all my servants, that has been so faithful as this man; for even he doth remember all my commandments to execute them. Now I surely know that this is the Great Spirit; and I would desire him that he come in unto me, but I durst not.

And it came to pass that when Ammon had made ready the horses and the chariots for the king and his servants, he went in unto the king, and he saw that the countenance of the king was changed; therefore he was about to return out of his presence; and one of the king's servants said unto him, Rabbanah, which is, being interpreted, powerful, or great king, considering their kings to be powerful; and thus he said unto him, Rabbanah, the king desireth thee to stay; therefore, Ammon turned himself unto the king, and saith unto him, What will thou that I should do for thee, O king? And the king answered him not for the space of an hour, according to their time, for he knew not what he should say unto him. And it came to pass that Ammon said unto him again, What desireth thou of me? But the king answered him not.

And it came to pass that Ammon, being filled with the spirit of God, therefore he perceived the thoughts of the king. And he saith unto him, It is because that thou hast heard that I defended thy servants and thy flocks, and slew seven of their brethren with the sling, and with the sword, and smote off the arms of others, in order to defend thy flocks and thy servants; behold, is it this that causeth thy marvellings? I say unto you, what is it, that thy marvellings are so great? Behold, I am a man, and am thy servant; therefore, whatsoever thou desirest which is right, that will I do. Now when the king had heard these words, he marvelled again, for he beheld that Ammon could discern his thoughts; notwithstanding this, king Lamoni did open his mouth, and said unto him, Who art thou ? Art thou that Great Spirit, which knows all things? Ammon answered and said unto him, I am not. And the king saith,

How knowest thou the thoughts of my heart? Thou mayest speak boldly, and tell me concerning these things; and also tell me by what power ye slew and smote off the arms of my brethren, that scattered my flocks. And now if thou wilt tell me concerning these things, whatsoever thou desirest, I will give unto thee; and if it were needed, I would guard thee with my armies; but I know that thou art more powerful than all they; nevertheless, whatsoever thou desirest of me, I will grant it unto thee. Now Ammon being wise, yet harmless, he saith unto Lamoni, Wilt thou hearken unto my words, if I tell thee by what power I do these things? and this is the thing that I desire of thee. And the king answered him, and said, Yea, I will believe all thy words; and thus he was caught with guile. And Ammon began to speak unto him with boldness, and said unto him, Believest thou that there is a God? And he answered, and said unto him, I do not know what that meaneth. And the Ammon saith, Believest thou that there is a Great Spirit? And he saith, Yea. And Ammon saith, This is God. And Ammon saith unto him again, Believest thou that this Great Spirit, which is God, created all things, which is in Heaven and the Earth? And he saith, Yea, I believe that he created all things which is in the earth; but I do not know the Heavens. And Ammon saith unto him, The Heavens is a place where God dwells, and all his holy angels. And king Lamoni saith, Is it above the earth? And Ammon saith, Yea, and he looketh down upon all the children of men; and he knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart: for by his hand were they all created, from the beginning. And king Lamoni saith, I believe all these things which thou hast spoken. Art thou sent from God? Ammon saith unto him, I am a man; and man in the beginning, was created after the image of God; and I am called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true; and a portion of that Spirit dwelleth in me, which giveth me knowledge, and also power, according to my faith and desires which is in God. Now when Ammon had said these words, he began to the creation of the world, and also to the creation of Adam, and told him all the things concerning the fall of man, and rehearsed and laid before him the records and the Holy Scriptures of the people, and which had been spoken by the prophets, even down to the time that their father Lehi left Jerusalem; and he also rehearsed unto them (for it was unto the king and to his servants,) all the journeyings of their fathers in the wilderness, and all their sufferings with hunger and thirst, and their travel, &c; and he also rehearsed unto them concerning the rebellions of Laman and Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael, yea, all their rebellions did he relate unto them, and he expounded unto them all the records and Scriptures, from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem, down to the present time; but this is not all, for he expounded unto them the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world; and he also made known unto them concerning the coming of Christ; and all the works of the Lord did he make known unto them.

And it came to pass that after he said all these things, and expounded them to the king, that the king believed all his words. And he began to cry unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, have mercy; according to thy abundant mercy which thou hast had upon the people of Nephi, have upon me and my people. And now when he had said this, he fell unto the earth, as if he were dead. And it came to pass that his servants took him and carried him in unto his wife, and laid him upon a bed; and he lay as if he were dead, for the space of two days and two nights; and his wife, and his sons, and his daughters mourned over him, after the manner of the Lamanites, greatly lamenting his loss.

And it came to pass that after two days and two nights, they were about to take his body and lay it in a sepulchre which they had made for the purpose of burying their dead. Now the queen having heard of the fame of Ammon, therefore she sent and desired that he should come unto her. And it came to pass that Ammon did as he was commanded, and went in unto the queen, and desired to know what she would that he should do. And she saith unto him, The servants or my husband have made it known unto me, that thou art a prophet of a Holy God., and that thou hast the power to do many mighty works in his name; therefore, if this is the case, I would that ye should go in and see my husband, for he has been laid upon his bed for the space of two days and two nights; and some say that he is not dead, but others say that he is dead, and that he stinketh, and that he ought to be placed in the sepulchre; but as for myself, to me he doth not stink. Now this was what Ammon desired, for he knew that king Lamoni was under the power of God; he knew that the dark veil of unbelief being cast away from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind, which was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvellous light of his goodness; yea, this light had infused such joy into his soul, the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and the light of everlasting light was lit up in his soul; yea, he knew that this had overcame his natural frame, and he was carried away in God; therefore, what the queen desired of him, was his only desire. Therefore he went in to see the king, according as the queen desired him; and he saw the king, and he knew that he was not dead. And he saith unto the queen, He is not dead, but he sleepeth in God, and on the morrow he shall rise again; therefore bury him not. And Ammon saith unto her, Believest thou this? And she asid unto him, I have had no witness, save thy word, and the word of our servants; nevertheless, I believe that it shall be according as thou hast said. And Ammon said unto her, Blessed art thou, because of thy exceeding faith; I say unto thee, woman, there has not been such great faith among all the people of the Nephites.

And it came to pass that she watched over the bed of her husband, from that time, even until that time on the morrow which Ammon had appointed that he should rise. And it came to pass that he arose, according to the words of Ammon; and as he arose, he stretched forth his hand unto the woman, and said, Blessed be the name of God, and blessed art thou: for as sure as thou livest, behold, I have seen my Redeemer; and he shall come forth, and be born of a woman, and he shall redeem all mankind who believe on his name. Now when he had said these words , his heart was swollen within him, and he sunk again with joy; and the queen also sunk down, being overpowered by the spirit. Now Ammon seeing the spirit of the Lord poured out according to his prayers upon the Lamanites, his brethren, which had been the cause of so much mourning among the Nephites, or among all the people of God, because of their iniquities and their traditions; and Ammon fell upon his knees, and began to pour out his soul in prayer and thanksgiving to God, for what he had done for his brethren; and he was also overpowered with joy; and thus they all three had sunk to the earth. Now when the servants of the king had seen that they had fallen, they also began to cry unto God, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them also: for it was they which had stood before the king, and testified unto him concerning the great power of Ammon. And it came to pass that they did call on the name of the Lord in their might, even until they had fallen to the earth, save it were one of the Lamanitish women, whose name was Abish, she having been converted unto the Lord for many years, on account of a remarkable vision of her father; thus having been converted to the Lord, never had made it known; therefore when she saw that all the servants of Lamoni had fallen to the earth, and also her mistress, the queen, and the king, and Ammon lay prostrate upon the earth, she knew that it was the power of God; and supposing that this opportunity, by making known unto the people what had happened among them, that by beholding this scene, it would cause them to believe in the power of God, therefore she ran forth from house to house, making it known unto the people; and they began to assemble themselves together unto the house of the king. And there came a multitude, and to their astonishment, they beheld the king, and the queen, and their servants, prostrate upon the earth, and they all lay there as though they were dead; and they also saw Ammon, and behold, he was a Nephite. And now the people began to murmur among themselves; some saying, That it was a great evil that had come upon them, or upon the king and his house, because he had suffered that the Nephite should remain in the land. But others rebuked them, saying, The king hath brought this evil upon his house, because he slew his servants who had their flocks scattered by those men which had stood at the waters of Sebus, and scattered the flocks which belonged to the king, for they were angry with Ammon because of the number which he had slain of their brethren at the waters of Sebus, while defending the flocks of the king. Now one of them, whose brother had been slain with the sword of Ammon, being exceeding angry with Ammon, drew his sword and went forth that he might let it fall upon Ammon, to slay him; and as he lifted the sword to smite him, behold, he fell dead. Now we see that Ammon could not be slain, for the Lord had said unto Mosiah, his father, I will spare him, and it shall be unto him according to thy faith; therefore Mosiah trusted him unto the Lord.

And it came to pass that when the multitude beheld the man had fell dead, who lifted the sword to slay Ammon, fear came upon them all, and they durst not put forth their hands to touch him, or any of those which had fallen; and they began to marvel again among themselves, what could be the cause of this great power, or what all these things could mean.

And it came to pass that there was many among them, who said that Ammon was the Great Spirit, and others said he was sent by the Great Spirit; but others rebuked them all, saying, That he was a monster, which hath been sent from the Nephites to torment us; and there were some which said that Ammon was sent by the Great Spirit to afflict them, because of their iniquities, and that it was the Great Spirit that had always attended the Nephites, which had ever delivered them out of their hands; and they said that it was this Great Spirit which had destroyed so many of their brethren, the Lamanites; and thus the contention began to be exceeding sharp among them. And while they were thus contending, the woman servant which had caused the multitude to be gathered together came; and when she saw the contention which was among the multitude, she was exceeding sorrowful, even unto tears.

And it came to pass that she went and took the queen by the hand, that perhaps she might raise her from the ground; and as soon as she touched her hand, she arose and stood upon her feet, and cried with a loud voice, saying: O blessed Jesus, who has saved me from the awful hell! O blessed God, have mercy on this people. And when she had said this, she clasped her hands, being filled with joy, speaking many words which were not understood; and when she had done this, she took the king, Lamoni, by the hand, and behold, he arose and stood upon his feet; and he immediately, seeing the contention among his people, went forth and began to rebuke them, and to teach them the words which he had heard from the mouth of Ammon; and as many as heard his words, believed, and were converted unto the Lord. But there were many among them which would not hear his words; therefore they went their way.

And it came to pass that when Ammon arose, he also administered unto them, and also did all the servants of Lamoni; and they did all declare unto the people the self-same thing: and their hearts had been changed; that they had no more desire to do evil. And behold, many did declare unto the people that they had seen angels, and had conversed with them; and thus they had told them things of God, and of his righteousness, And it came to pass that there was many that did believe in their words; and as many as did believe, were baptized; and they became a righteous people, and they did establish a church among them: and thus the work of the Lord did commence among the Lamanites; thus the Lord did begin to pour out his spirit upon them; and we see that his arm is extended to all people who will repent and believe on his name.

And it came to pass that when they established a church in that land, that king Lamoni desired that Ammon should go with him to the land of Nephi, that he might show unto his father. And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to Ammon, saying: Thou shalt not go up to the land of Nephi, for behold, the king will seek thy life; but thou shalt go to the land of Middoni; for behold, thy brother Aaron, and also Muloki and Ammah are in prison.

Now it came to pass that when Ammon had heard this, he saith unto Lamoni, Behold, my brother and brethren are in prison at Middoni, and I go that I may deliver them. Now Lamoni saith unto Ammon, I know, in the strength of the Lord, thou canst do all things. But behold, I will go with thee to the land of Middoni; for the king of the land of Middoni, whose name is Antiomno, is a friend unto me; therefore I go to the land of Middoni, that I may flatter the king of the land; and he will cast thy brethren out of prison. Now Lamoni saith unto him, Who told thee that my brethren were in prison? And Ammon saith unto him, No one hath told me, save it be God: and he said unto me, Go and deliver thy brethren, for they are in prison in the land of Middoni. Now when Lamoni had heard this, he caused that his servants should make ready his horses, and his chariots. And he saith unto Ammon, Come, I will go with thee down to the land of Middoni, and there I will plead with the king, that he will cast thy brethren out of prison.

And it came to pass that as Ammon and Lamoni was a journeying thither, that they met the father of Lamoni, who was king over all the land. And behold, the father of Lamoni saith unto him, Why did ye not come to the feast, on that great day when I made feast unto my sons, and unto my people? And he also saith, Whither art thou going with this Nephite, which is one of the children of a liar? And it came to pass that Lamoni rehearst unto him whither he was going, for he feared to offend him. And he also told him all the cause of his tarrying in his own kingdom, that he did not go unto his father, to the feast which he had prepared. And now when Lamoni had rehearsed unto him all these things, behold, to his astonishment, his father was angry with him, and saith, Lamoni, thou art going to deliver these Nephites, which are the sons of a liar. Behold, he robbed our fathers; and now his children are also come amongst us, that they may, by their cunning and lyings, deceive us, that they again may rob us of our property. Now the father of Lamoni commanded him that he should slay Ammon, with the sword. And he also commanded him that he should not go to the land of Middoni, but that he should return with him, to the land of Ishmael. But Lamoni saith unto him, I will not slay Ammon, neither will I return to the land of Ishmael, but I go to the land of Middoni, that I may release the brethren of Ammon, for I know that they are just men, and holy prophets of the true God. Now when his father heard these words, he was angry with him, and he drew his sword that he might smite him to the earth. But Ammon stood forth and saith unto him, Behold, thou shalt not slay thy son; nevertheless, it were better that he should fall than thee: for behold, he hath repented of his sins; but if thou shouldst fall at this time, in thine anger, thy soul could not be saved. And again: It is expedient that thou shouldst forbear; for if thou shouldst slay thy son, (he being and innocent man,) his blood would cry from the ground, to the Lord his God, for vengeance to come upon thee; and perhaps thou wouldst lose thy soul. Now when Ammon had said these words unto him, he answered him, saying: I know that if I should slay my son, that I should shed innocent blood; for it is thou that hast sought to destroy him: and he stretched forth his hand to slay Ammon. But Ammon withstood his blows, and also smote his arm that he could not use it. Now when the king saw that Ammon could slay him, he began to plead with Ammon, that he would spare his life. But Ammon raised his sword, and said unto him, Behold, I will smite thee, except thou wilt grant unto me that my brethren may be cast out of prison. Now the king, fearing that he should lose his life, said, if thou wilt spare me, I will grant unto thee whatsoever thou wilt ask, even to the half of the kingdom.

Now when Ammon saw that he had wrought upon the old king according to his desire. he saith unto him, If thou wilt grant that my brethren may be cast out of prison, and also that Lamoni may retain his kingdom, and that ye be not displeased with him, but grant that he may according to his own desires, in whatsoever thing he thinketh, and then will I spare thee; otherwise I will smite thee to the earth. Now when Ammon had said these words, the king began to rejoice because of his life. And when he saw that Ammon had no desires to destroy him, and when he also saw the great love he had for his son Lamoni, he was astonished exceedingly, and saith, Because this is all that thou hast desired, that I would release thy brethren, and suffer that my son Lamoni should retain his kingdom, behold, I will grant unto you that my son retain his kingdom from this time and forever; and I will govern him no more. And I will also grant unto thee that thy brethren may be cast out of prison, and thou and thy brethren may come unto me, in my kingdom; for I shall greatly desire to see thee; for the king was greatly astonished at the words which had been spoken, and also at the words which had been spoken by his son Lamoni; therefore he was desirous to learn them.

And it came to pass that Ammon and Lamoni proceeded on their journey towards the land of Middoni. And it came to pass that Lamoni found favor in the eyes of the king of the land; therefore the brethren of Ammon was brought forth out of prison. And when Ammon did meet them, he was exceeding sorrowful, for behold, they were naked, and their skins were worn exceedingly, because of being bound with strong cords. And they also had suffered hunger, thirst, and all kind of afflictions; nevertheless they were patient in all their sufferings. And as it happened, it was their lot to have fallen into the hands of a more hardened and a more stiffnecked people; therefore they would not hearken unto their words, and they had cast them out, and had smote them, and had driven them from house to house, and from place to place, even until they had arriven to the land of Middoni; and there they were taken and cast into prison, and bound with strong cords, and kept in prison for many days; and were delivered by Lamoni and Ammon.

Alma 13
Modernly Alma 21
CHAPTER XIII. An account of the preaching of Aaron and Muloki, and their brethren, to the Lamanites.

Now when Ammon and his brethren separated themselves in the borders of the land of the Lamanites, behold, Aaron took his journey towards the land which was called by the Lamanites, Jerusalem; calling it after the land of their fathers' nativity; and it was away joining the borders of Mormon. -- Now the Lamanites, and the Amalekites, and the people of Amulon, had built a great city, which was called Jerusalem. Now the Lamanites, of themselves, were sufficiently hardened, but the Amalekites, and the Amulonites, were still harder; therefore they did cause the Lamanites that they should harden their hearts, that they should wax stronger in wickedness, and their abominations.

And it came to pass that Aaron came to the city of Jerusalem, and firstly began to preach to the Amalekites. And he began to preach to them in their synagogues, for they had built synagogues, after the order of the Nehors; for many of the Amalekites and the Amulonites were after the order of the Nehors. Therefore, as Aaron entered into one of their synagogues to preach unto the people, and as he was speaking unto them, behold there arose an Amalekite, and began to contend with him, saying: What is that that thou hast testified? Hast thou seen an angel? Why do not angels appear unto us? Behold, art not this people as good as thy people? -- Thou also sayest, Except ye repent, we shall perish. How knowest thou the thought and intent of our hearts? How knowest thou that we have cause to repent? How knowest thou that we are not a righteous people? Behold, we have built sanctuaries, and we do assemble ourselves together to worship God. We do believe that God will save all men.

Now Aaron said unto him, Believest thou that the Son of God shall come to redeem mankind from their sins? And the man saith unto him, We do not believe that thou knowest any such thing. We do not believe in these foolish traditions. We do not believe that thou knowest of things to come, neither do we believe that thy fathers, and also that our fathers did know concerning the things which they spake, of that which is to come.

Now Aaron began to open the Scriptures unto them, concerning the coming of Christ, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and that there could be no redemption for mankind, save it were through the death and sufferings of Christ, and the atonement of his blood. And it came to pass that as he began to expound these things unto them, they were angry with him, and began to mock him; and they would not hear the words which he spake; therefore, when he saw that they would not hear his words, he departed out of the synagogue, and came over to a village which was called Ani-anti, and there he found Muloki a preaching the word unto them; and also Ammah, and his brethren. And they contended with many about the word. And it came to pass that they saw that the people would harden their hearts; therefore they departed, and came over into the land of Middoni. And they did preach the word unto many, and few believed on the words which they taught. Nevertheless, Aaron, and a certain number of his brethren, were taken and cast into prison, and the remainder of them fled out of the land of Middoni, unto the regions round about. And those which were cast into prison suffered many things, and they were delivered by the hand of Lamoni and Ammon; and they were fed and clothed. And they went forth again to declare the word; and thus they were delivered for the first time out of prison; and thus they had suffered. And they went forth whithersoever they were led by the spirit of the Lord, preaching the word of God in every synagogue of the Amalekites, or in every assembly of the Lamanites, where they could be admitted.

And it came to pass that the Lord began to bless them, insomuch that they brought many to the knowledge of the truth; yea, they did convince many of their sins, and of the tradition of their fathers, which were not correct.

And it came to pass that Ammon and Lamoni returned from the land of Middoni, to the land of Ishmael, which was the land of their inheritance. And king Lamoni would not suffer that Ammon should serve him, or be his servant; but he caused that there be synagogues built in the land of Ishmael; and he caused that his people, or the people which was under his reign, should assemble themselves together. And he did rejoice over them, and he did teach them many things. And he did also declare unto them that they were a people which was under him, and that they were a free people; that they were free from the oppressions of the king, his father; for that his father had granted unto him that he might reign over the people which were in the land of Ishmael, and in all the land round about. And he also declared unto them that they might have the liberty of worshiping the Lord their God, according to their desires, in whatsoever place they were in, if it were in the land which was under the reign of king Lamoni. And Ammon did preach unto the people of king Lamoni. --

And it came to pass that he did teach them all things concerning things pertaining to righteousness. And he did exhort them daily, with all diligence; and they gave heed unto his word, and they were zealous for keeping the commandments of God. Now as Ammon was thus teaching the people of Lamoni continually, we will return to the account of Aaron and his brethren; for after he departed from the land of Middoni, he was led by the spirit to the land of Nephi; even to the house of the king which was over all the land, save it were the land of Ishmael; and he was the father of Lamoni.

And it came to pass that he went in unto him into the king's palace, with his brethren, and bowed himself before the king, and said unto him, Behold, O king, we are the brethren of Ammon, whom thou hast delivered out of prison. And now, O king, if thou wilt spare our lives, we will be thy servants. And the king saith unto them, Arise, for I will grant unto you your lives, and I will not suffer that ye shall be my servants; but I will insist that ye shall administer unto me; for I have been somewhat troubled in mind, because of the generosity, and the greatness of the words of thy brother Ammon; and I desire to know the cause why he has not come up out of Middoni, with thee. And Aaron saith unto the king, Behold, the spirit of the Lord hath called him another way: he hath gone to the land of Ishmael, to teach the people of Lamoni. Now the king saith unto them, What is this that ye have said concerning the spirit of the Lord? Behold, this is the thing which doth trouble me. And also, what is this that Ammon said -- if ye will repent ye shall be saved, and if ye will not repent, ye shall be cast off at the last day? And Aaron answered him and said unto him, Believest thou that there is a God? And the king saith, I know that the Amalekites say that there is a God, and I have granted unto them that they should build sanctuaries, that they might assemble themselves together, to worship him. And if now thou sayest there is a God, behold, I will believe.

And now when Aaron heard this, his heart began to rejoice, and he saith, Behold, assuredly, as thou livest, O king, there is a God. And the king saith, Is God that Great Spirit that brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem? And Aaron said unto him, Yea, he is that Great Spirit, and he created all things, both in Heaven and in earth: believest thou this? -- And he saith Yea, I believe that the Great Spirit created all things, and I desire that ye should tell me concerning all these things, and I will believe thy words.

And it came to pass that when Aaron saw that the king would believe his words, he began from the creation of Adam, reading the Scriptures unto the king; how God created man after his own image, and that God gave him commandments, and that because of transgression, man had fallen. And Aaron did expound unto him the Scriptures, from the creation of Adam, laying the fall of man before him, and their carnal state, and also the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would believe on his name. And since man had fallen, he could not merit any thing of himself; but the sufferings and the death of Christ atoneth for their sins, through faith and repentance, &c; and that he breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory: and Aaron did expound all these things unto the king. And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king saith, What shall I do, that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, saith he, I will give up all that I possess; yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy. But Aaron saith unto him, if thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.

And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying, O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead.

And it came to pass that his servants ran and told the queen all that had happened unto the king. And she came in unto the king; and when she saw him lay as if he were dead, and also Aaron and his brethren standing as though they had been the cause of his fall, she was angry with them, and commanded that her servants, or the servants of the king, should take them and slay them. Now the servants had seen the cause of the king's fall, therefore they durst not lay their hands on Aaron and his brethren; and they plead with the queen, saying, Why commandest thou that we should slay these men, when behold, one of them is mightier than us all? Therefore we shall fall before them. Now when the queen saw the fear of the servants, she also began to fear exceedingly, lest there should some evil come upon her. And she commanded her servants that they should go and call the people, that they might slay Aaron and his brethren. Now when Aaron saw the determination of the queen, and he also knowing the hardness of the hearts of the people, feared lest that a multitude should assemble themselves together, and there should be a great contention, and a disturbance among them; therefore he put forth his hand and raised the king from the earth, and said unto him, Stand: and he stood upon his feet, receiving his strength. Now this was done in the presence of the queen, and many of the servants. And when they saw it, they greatly marvelled, and began to fear. And the king stood forth and began to minister unto them. And he did minister unto them insomuch that his whole household were converted unto the Lord. Now there was a multitude gathered together because of the commandment of the queen, and there began to be great murmurings among them, because of Aaron and his brethren. But the king stood forth among them, and administered unto them. And it came to pass that they were pacified towards Aaron, and those which were with him.

And it came to pass that when the king saw that the people were pacified, he caused that Aaron and his brethren should stand forth in the midst of the multitude, and that they should preach the word unto them. And it came to pass that the king sent a proclamation throughout all the land, amongst all his people which was in all his land, which was in all the regions round about, which was bordering even to the sea, on the east, and on the west, and which was divided from the land of Zarahemla by a narrow strip of wilderness, which ran from the sea, east, even to the sea west, and round about on the borders of the sea shore, and the borders of the wilderness which was on the north, by the land of Zarahemla, through the borders of Manti, by the head of the river Sidon, running from the east towards the west; and thus were the Lamanites and the Nephites divided. Now the more idle part of the Lamanites lived in the wilderness, and dwelt in tents; and they were spread through the wilderness, on the west, in the land of Nephi; yea, and also on the west of the land of Zarahemla, in the borders, by the seashore, and on the west, in the land of Nephi, in the place of their fathers' first inheritance; and thus bordering along the seashore. And also there was many Lamanites on the east by the seashore, whither the Nephites had driven them. And thus the Nephites were nearly surrounded by the Lamanites; nevertheless the Nephites had taken possession of all the northern parts of the land, bordering on the wilderness, at the head of the river Sidon, from the east to the west, round about on the wilderness side; on the north, even until they came to the land which they called Bountiful. And it bordered upon the land which they called Desolation; it being so far northward that it came into the land which had been peopled, and had been destroyed of whose bones we have spoken, which was discovered by the people of Zarahemla; it being the place of their first landing. And they came from there up into the south wilderness. Thus the land on the northward was called Desolation, and the land on the southward was called Bountiful; it being the wilderness which was filled with all manner of wild animals of every kind; a part of which had come from the land northward, for food. And now it was only the distance of a day and a half's journey for a Nephite, on the line Bountiful, and the land Desolation, from the East to the West sea; and thus the land of Nephi, and the land of Zarahemla, was surrounded by water; there being a small, neck of land between the land northward, and the land southward.

And it came to pass that the Nephites had inhabited the land Bountiful, even from the East unto the West sea, and thus the Nephites in their wisdom, with their guards and their armies, had hemmed in the Lamanites on the south, that thereby they should have no more possession on the north, that they might overrun the land northward; therefore the Lamanites could have no more possessions only in the land of Nephi, and the wilderness round about. Now this was wisdom in the Nephites, as the Lamanites were an enemy to them, they would not suffer their afflictions on every hand, and also that they might have a country whither they might flee, according to their desires. And now I, after having said this, return again to the account of Ammon, and Aaron, Omner and Himni, and their brethren.

Alma 14
Modernly Alma 23
CHAPTER XIV. Behold, now it came to pass that the king of the Lamanites sent a proclamation among all his people, that they should not lay their hands on Ammon or Aaron, or Omner, or Himni, nor neither of their brethren which should go forth preaching the word of God, in whatsoever place they should be, in any part of the land; yea, he sent a decree among them, that they should not lay their hands on them to bind them, or to cast them into prison; neither should they spit upon them, nor smite them, nor cast them out of their synagogues, nor scourge them; neither should they cast stones at them, but that they should have free access to their houses, and also their temples, and their sanctuaries; and thus they might go forth and preach the word according to their desires, for the king had been converted unto the Lord, and all his household; therefore he seat this proclamation throughout the land unto his people, that the word of God might have no obstruction, but that it might go forth throughout all the land, that his people might be convinced concerning the wicked traditions of their fathers, and that they might be convinced that they were all brethren, and that they had not ought to murder, nor to plunder, nor to steal, nor to commit adultery, not to commit any manner of wickedness. And now it came to pass that when the king had sent forth this proclamation, that Aaron and his brethren went forth from city to city, and from one house of worship to another, establishing churches, and consecrating priests and teachers throughout the land among the Lamanites, to preach and to teach the word of God among them; and thus they began to have great success. And thousands were brought to the knowledge of the Lord, yea, thousands were brought to believe in the traditions of the Nephites; and they were taught the records and the prophecies which were handed down, even to the present time; and as sure as the Lord liveth, so sure as many as believed, or as many as were brought to the knowledge of the truth, through the preaching of Ammon and his brethren, according to the spirit of revelation and of prophecy, and the power of God, working miracles in them; yea, I say unto you, as the Lord liveth, as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away, for they became a righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God no more, neither against any of their brethren. -- Now these are they which were converted unto the Lord: The people of the Lamanites which were in the land of Ishmael, and also the people of the Lamanites which were in the land of Middoni, and also of the people of the Lamanites which were in the city of Nephi, and also of the people of the Lamanites which were in the land of Shilom, and which were in the land of Shemlon, and in the city of Lemuel, and the city of Shimnilom; and these are the names of the cities of the Lamanites which were converted unto the Lord; and these are they that laid down the weapons of their rebellion, yea, all their weapons of war; and they were all Lamanites. And the Amalekites were not converted, save only one; neither was any of the Amulonites; but they did harden their hearts, and also the hearts of the Lamanites in that part of the land whithersoever they dwelt; yea, and all their villages and all their cities; therefore we have named all the cities of the Lamanites in which they did repent and come to the knowledge of the truth, and were converted.

And now it came to pass that the king and those people which were converted, were desirous that they might have a name, that thereby they might be distinguished from their brethren; therefore the king consulted with Aaron and many of their priests, concerning the name that they should take upon them, that they might be distinguished. And it came to pass that they called their name Anti-Nephi-Lehies; and they were called by this name, and were no more called Lamanites. And they began to be a very industrious people; yea, and they were friendly with the Nephites; therefore they did open a correspondence with them, and the curse of God did no more follow them.

And it came to pass that the Amalekites, and the Amulonites, and the Lamanites which were in the land of Amulon, and also in the land of Helam, and which was in the land of Jerusalem, and in fine, in all the land round about, which had not been converted, and had not taken upon them the name of Anti-Nephi-Lehi, were stirred up by the Amalekites, and by the Amulonites, to anger against their brethren; and their hatred became exceeding sore against them, even insomuch that they began to rebel against their king, insomuch that they would not that he should be their king; therefore they took up arms against the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi.

Now the king conferred the kingdom upon his son; and he called his name Anti-Nephi-Lehi. And the king died in that self-same year that the Lamanites began to make preparation for war against the people of God. Now when Ammon and his brethren, and all those which had come up with him, saw the preparations of the Lamanites to destroy their brethren, they came forth to the land of Midian, and there Ammon met all his brethren; and from thence they came to the land of Ishmael, that they might hold a council with Lamoni, and also with his brother Anti-Nephi-Lehi, what they should do to defend themselves against the Lamanites. Now there was not one soul among all the people which had been converted unto the Lord, that would take up arms against their brethren; nay, they would not even make any preparations for war; yea, and also their king commanded them that they should not. Now these are the words which he said unto the people concerning the matter: I thank my God, my beloved people, that our great God has in goodness sent these our brethren, the Nephites, unto us to preach unto us, and to convince us of the traditions of our wicked fathers. And behold, I thank my great God that he has given us a portion of his spirit to soften our hearts, that we have opened a correspondence with these brethren, the Nephites; and behold, I also thank my God that by opening this correspondence, we have been convinced of our sins, and of the many murders which we have committed; and I also thank my God, yea, my great God, that he hath granted unto us that we might repent of these things, and also that he hath forgiven us those many sins and murders which we have committed, and took away the guilt from our hearts, through the merits of his Son. And now behold, my brethren, since it has been all that we could so, (as we were the most lost of all mankind,) to repent of all our sins and the many murders which we have committed, and to get God to take them away from our hearts, for it was all we could do to repent sufficiently before God, that he would take away our stain. Now my best beloved brethren, since God hath taken away our stains, and our swords have become bright, and let us stain our swords no more with the blood of our brethren. Behold, I say unto you, Nay, let us retain our swords, that they be not stained with the blood of our brethren: for perhaps, if we should stain our swords again, they can no more be washed bright through the blood of the Son of our great God, which shall be shed for the atonement of our sins. And the great God has had mercy on us, and made these things known unto us, that we might not perish; yea, and he hath made these things known unto us beforehand, because he loveth our souls as well as he loveth our children; therefore in his mercy he doth visit us by his angels, that the plan of salvation might be made known unto us as well as unto future generations. O how merciful is our God! And now behold, since it has been as much as we could do to get our stains taken away from us, and our swords are made bright, let us hide them away that they may be kept bright, as a testimony to our God at the last day, or at the day that we shall be brought to stand before him to be judged, that we have not stained our swords in the blood of our brethren since he imparted his word unto us, and has made us clean thereby. And now my brethren, if our brethren seek to destroy us, behold, we will hide away our swords, yea, even we will bury them deep in the earth, that they may be kept bright, as a testimony that we have never used them, at the last day; and if our brethren destroy us, behold, we shall go to our God, and shall be saved.

And now it came to pass that when the king had made an end of these sayings, and all the people were assembled together, they took their swords, and all the weapons which were used for the shedding of man's blood, and they did bury them up deep in the earth; and this they did, it being in their view a testimony to God, and also to men, that they never use weapons again for the shedding of man's blood; and this they did, vouching and covenanting with God, that rather than to shed the blood of their brethren, they would give up their own lives; and rather than to take away from a brother, they would give unto him; and rather than to spend their days in idleness, they would labor abundantly with theit hands; and thus we see that when these Lamanites were brought to believe and to know the truth, that they were firm, and would suffer even unto death, rather than to commit sin; and thus we see, that they buried the weapons of peace, or they buried the weapons of war, for peace.

And it came to pass that their brethren, the Lamanites made preparations for war, and came up to the land of Nephi, for the purpose of destroying the king, and to place another in his stead, and also of destroying the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi out of the land. And it came to pass that when the people saw that they were coming against them, they went out to meet them, and prostrated themselves before them to the earth, and began to call on the name of the Lord; and thus they were in this attitude, when the Lamanites began to fall upon them, and began to slay them with the sword; and thus without meeting any resistance, they did slay a thousand and five of them; and we know that they were blessed, for they have gone to dwell with their God. Now when the Lamanites saw that their brethren would not flee from the sword neither would they turn aside to the right hand or to the left, but that they would lay down and perish, and praised God even in the very act of perishing under the sword; now when the Lamanites saw this, they did forbear from slaying them; and there were many whose hearts had swollen in them for those of their brethren who had fallen under the sword, for they repented of the things which they had done.

And it came to pass that they threw down their weapons of war, and they would not take them again, for they were stung for the murders which they had committed; and they came down even as their brethren, relying upon the mercies of those whose arms were lifted to slay them.

And it came to pass that the people of God were joined that day by more than the number which had been slain; and those which had been slain, were righteous people; therefore we have no reason to doubt but what they were saved. And there was not a wicked man slain among them; but there were more than a thousand brought to the knowledge of the truth; thus we see that the Lord worketh in many ways to the salvation of his people. Now the greatest number of those of the Lamanites which slew so many of their brethren, were Amalekites and Amulonites, the greatest number of whom were after the order of the Nehors. Now among those which joined the people of the Lord, there were none which were Amalekites or Amulonites, or which were of the order of Nehor, but they were actual descendants of Laman and Lemuel; and thus we can plainly discern, that after a people has been once enlightened by the spirit of God, and hath had great knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness, and then have fallen away into sin and transgression, they become more hardened, and thus their estate becometh worse than as though they had never known these things.

And behold, now it came to pass that those Lamanites were more angry, because they had slain their brethren; therefore they swore vengeance upon the Nephites; and they did no more attempt to slay the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi at that time; but they took their armies and went over into the borders of the land of Zarahemla, and fell upon the people which were in the land of Ammonihah, and destroyed them. And after that, they had many battles with the Nephites, in the which they were driven and slain, and among the Lamanites which were slain, were almost all the seed of Amulon and his brethren, which were the priests of Noah, and they were slain by the hands of the Nephites; and the remainder having fled into the east wilderness, and having usurped the power and authority over the Lamanites, caused that many of the Lamanites should perish by fire, because of their belief: for many of them, after having suffered much loss and so many afflictions, they began to be stirred up in remembrance of the words which Aaron and his brethren had preached to them in their land; therefore they began to disbelieve the traditions of their fathers, and to believe in the Lord, and that he gave great power unto the Nephites; and thus there were many of them converted in the wilderness.

And it came to pass that those rulers which were the remnant of the children of Amulon, caused that they should be put to death, yea, all those that believed in these things. Now this martyrdom caused that many of their brethren should be stirred up to anger; and there began to be contention in the wilderness; and the Lamanites began to hunt the seed of Amulon and his brethren, and began to slay them, and they fled into the east wilderness. And behold, they are hunted at this day, by the Lamanites: thus the words of Abinadi was brought to pass, which he said concerning the seed of the priests which caused that he should suffer by fire. For he said unto them, What ye shall do unto me, shall be a type of things to come. And now Abinadi was the first that suffered death by fire, because of his belief in God: now this is what he meant, that many should suffer death by fire, according as he had suffered. And he said unto the priests of Noah, That their seed should cause many to be put to death, in the like manner as he was, and that they should be scattered abroad and slain, even as a sheep having no shepherd is driven and slain by wild beasts: and now behold, these words were verified, for they were driven by the Lamanites, and they were hunted, and were smitten.

And it came to pass when the Lamanites saw that they could not overpower the Nephites, they returned again to their own land; and many of them came over to dwell in the land of Ishmael and the land of Nephi, and did join themselves to the people of God, which was the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi; and they did also bury their weapons of war, according as their brethren had, and they began to be a righteous people; and they did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe to keep his commandments, and his statutes, yea, and they did keep the law of Moses: for it was expedient that they should keep the law of Moses as yet, for it was not all fulfilled. But notwithstanding the law of Moses, they did look forward to the coming of Christ, considering that the law of Moses was a type of his coming, and believing that they must keep those outward performances, until the time that he should be revealed unto them. Now they did not suppose that salvation came by the law of Moses; but the law of Moses did serve to strengthen their faith in Christ; and thus they did retain a hope through faith, unto eternal salvation, relying upon the spirit of prophecy, which spake of those things to come. And now behold, Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni, and their brethren, did rejoice exceedingly, for the success which they had had among the Lamanites, seeing that the Lord granted unto them according to their prayers, and that he had also verified his word unto them in every particular. And now, these are the words of Ammon to his brethren, which sayeth thus: My brothers and my brethren, behold I say unto you, how great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed, when we started from the land of Zarahemla, that God would have granted unto us such great blessings? And now I ask, What great blessings hath he bestowed upon us? Can ye tell? Behold, I answer for you, for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss; but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvellous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God, to bring about this great work. Behold, thousands of them do rejoice, and have been brought into the fold of God. Behold, the field was ripe, and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the sickle, and did reap with your mights, yea, all the day long did ye labor; and behold the number of your sheaves, and they shall be gathered into the garners, that they are not wasted; yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm, at the last day; yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh, they shall be gathered together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds, whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them. But behold, they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest, and they are his; and he will raise them up at the last day. Blessed be the name of our God; let us sing to his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever. For if we had not come up out of the land of Zarahemla, these our dearly beloved brethren, which have so dearly loved us, would still have been racked with hatred against us, yea, and they would also have been strangers to God.

And it came to pass that when Ammon had said these words, his brother Aaron rebuked him saying: Ammon, I fear thy joy doth carry thee away unto boasting. But Ammon saith unto him, I do not boast in my own strength, or in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God; yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength, I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God; for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever. Behold, how many thousands of our brethren hath he loosed from the pains of hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love; and this because of the power of his word which is in us; therefore have we not great reason to rejoice? Yea, we have reason to praise him forever, for he is the Most High God, and has loosed our brethren from the chains of hell. Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he hath brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands, of doing this great and marvellous work; therefore let us rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long suffering towards the children of men? Behold I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel. Who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and polluted state? Behold, we went forth even in wrath, with mighty threatnings to destroy this church. O then, why did he not consign us to an awful destruction; yea, why did he not let the sword of his justice fall upon us, and doom us to eternal despair? O my soul, almost as it were, fleeth at the thought. Behold, he did not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us over that everlasting gulf of death and misery, even to the salvation of our souls. And now behold, my brethren, what natural man is there, that knoweth these things? I say unto you, There is none that knoweth these things, save it be the penitent; yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing: unto such it is given the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such, to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it hath been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance. Now do ye remember, my brethren, that we said unto our brethren in the land of Zarahemla, We go up to the land of Nephi, to preach unto our brethren, the Lamanites, and they laughed us to scorn? For they said unto us, Do ye suppose that ye can bring the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth? Do ye suppose that ye can convince the Lamanites of the incorrectness of the traditions of their fathers, as stiffnecked a people as they are; whose hearts delighteth in the shedding of blood; whose days have been spent in the grossest iniquity; whose ways have been the ways of a transgressor, from the beginning? Now my brethren, ye remember that this was their language- And moreover, they did say, Let us take up arms against them, that we destroy them and their iniquity out of the land, lest they overrun us and destroy us. But behold, my beloved brethren, we came into the wilderness not with the intent to destroy our brethren but with the intent that perhaps we might save some few of their souls. Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said, Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto the success. And now behold, we have come, and been forth amongst them; and we have been patient in our sufferings and we have suffered every privation; yea, we have travelled from house to house, relying upon the mercies of the world; not upon the mercies of the world alone, but upon the mercies of God; and we have entered into their houses and taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their temples and their synagogues and taught them; and we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon, and smote upon our cheeks; and we have been stoned, and taken and bound with cords, and cast into prison; and through the power and wisdom of God, we have been delivered again; and we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full, if perhaps we could be the means of saving some. Now behold, we can look forth and see the fruits of our labors; and are they few? I say unto you, Nay, they are many; yea, and we can witness of their sincerity, because of their love towards their brethren, and also towards us. For behold, they had rather sacrifice their lives than even to take the life of their enemy; and they have buried their weapons of war deep in the earth, because of their love towards their brethren. And now behold I say unto you, Has there been so great love in all the land? Behold, I say unto you, Nay, there has not even among the Nephites. For behold, they would take up arms against their brethren; they would not suffer themselves to be slain. But behold, how many of these have laid down their lives; and we know that they have gone to their God, because of their love, and of their hatred to sin. Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, There never was men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all the power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name. Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who hath been mindful of this people, which are a branch of the tree of Israel, and hath been lost from its body, in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who hath been mindful of us wanderers in a strange land. Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, in whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy is over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen.

Alma 15
Modernly Alma 27
CHAPTER XV. Now it came to pass that when those Lamanites which had gone to war against the Nephites, had found after their many struggles for to destroy them, that it was in vain to seek their destruction, they returned again to the land of Nephi. And it came to pass that the Amalekites, because of their loss, were exceeding angry. And when they saw that they could not seek revenge from the Nephites, they began to stir up the people in anger against their brethren, the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi; therefore they began again to destroy them. Now this people again rufused to take their arms, and they suffered themselves to be slain according to the desires of their enemies. Now when Ammon and his brethren saw this work of destruction among those who they so dearly loved, and among those who had so dearly loved them; for they were treated as though they were angels sent from God to save them from everlasting destruction; therefore, when Ammon and his brethren saw this great work of destruction, they were moved with compassion, and they said unto the king, Let us gather together this people of the Lord, and let us go down to the land of Zarahemla, to our brethren, the Nephites, and flee out of the hands of our enemies, that we be not destroyed. But the king saith unto them, Behold, the Nephites will destroy us, because of the many murders and sins we have committed against them. And Ammon saith, I will go and inquire of the Lord, and if he saith unto us, Go down unto our brethren, will ye go? And the king saith unto him Yea; if the Lord saith unto us Go, we will go down unto our brethren, and we will be their slaves until we repair unto them the many murders and sins which we have committed against them. But Ammon saith unto him, It is against the law of our brethren, which was established by my father, that there should be any slaves among them; therefore let us go down and rely upon the mercies of our brethren. But the king saith unto him, Inquire of the Lord, and if he saith unto us Go, we will go; otherwise we will perish in the land.

And it came to pass that Ammon went and inquired of the Lord, and the Lord said unto him, Get this people out of this land, that they perish not, for Satan hath great hold on the hearts of the Amalekites, which do stir up the Lamanites to anger against their brethren, to slay them; therefore get thee out of this land; and blessed art this people in this generation; for I will preserve them.

And now it came to pass that Ammon went and told the king all the words which the Lord had said unto him. And it came to pass that they gathered together all their people; yea, all the people of the Lord, and did gather together all their flocks and herds, and departed out of the land, and came into the wilderness which divided the land of Nephi from the land of Zarahemla, and came over near the borders of the land.

And it came to pass that Ammon saith unto them, Behold, I and my brethren will go forth into the land of Zarahemla, and ye shall remain here until we return; and we will try the hearts of our brethren, whether they will that ye shall come into their land.

And it came to pass that as Ammon was going forth into the land, that he and his brethren met Alma, over in the place of which has been spoken; and behold, this was a joyful meeting. Now the joy of Ammon was great, even that he was full; yea, he was swallowed up in the joy of his God, even to the exhausting of his strength; and he fell again to the earth. Now was not this exceeding joy? Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness. Now the joy of Alma in meeting his brethren was truly great, and also the joy of Aaron, of Omner, and Himni; but behold, their joy was not that to exceed their strength.

Now it came to pass that Alma conducted his brethren back to the land of Zarahemla, even to his own house. And it came to pass that they went and told the Chief Judge all the things that had happened unto them in the land of Nephi among their brethren, the Lamanites.

And it came to pass that the Chief Judge sent a proclamation throughout all the land, desiring the voice of the people concerning the admitting their brethren, which were the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi. And it came to pass that the voice of the people came saying, Behold, we will give up the land of Jershon, which is on the east by the sea, which joins the land Bountiful, which is on the south of the land of Bountiful; and this land Jershon is the land which we will give unto our brethren, for an inheritance. And behold, we will set our armies between the land of Jershon and the land of Nephi, that we may protect our brethren in the land of Jershon; and this we do for our brethren, on account of their fear to take up arms against their brethren, lest they should commit sin; and this their great fear came, because of their sore repentance which they had, on account of their many murders, and their awful wickedness. And now behold, this will we do unto out brethren, that they may inherit the land of Jershon; and we will guard them from their enemies with our armies, on conditions that they will give us a portion of their substance to assist us, that we may maintain our armies.

Now it came to pass that when Ammon heard this, he returned to the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi, and also Alma with him, into the wilderness, where they had pitched their tents, and made known unto them all these things. And Alma also related unto them his conversion with Ammon, and Aaron, and his brethren. And it came to pass that it did cause great joy among them. And it came to pass that they went down into the land of Jershon, and took possession of the land of Jershon, and they were called by the Nephites the people of Ammon; therefore they were distinguished by that name ever after; and they were among the people of Nephi, and also numbered among the people which were of the Church of God. And they were also distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end. And they did look upon shedding the blood of their brethren with the great abhorrence; and they never could be prevailed upon to take up arms against their brethren; and they never did look upon death with any degree of terror for their hope and views of Christ and the resurrection; therefore death was swallowed up to them by the victory of Christ over it; therefore they would suffer death in the most aggravating and distressing manner which could be inflicted by their brethren, before they would take the sword or the cimeter to smite them. And thus they were a zealous and beloved people, a highly favored people of the Lord.

And now it came to pass that after the people of Ammon were established in the land of Jershon, and a church also established in the land of Jershon; and the armies of the Nephites were set round about the land of Jershon; yea, in all the borders round about the land of Zarahemla; behold the armies of the Lamanites had followed their brethren into the wilderness. And thus a tremendous battle; yea, even such an one as never had been known among all the people, in the land from the time Lehi left Jerusalem; yea, and tens of thousands of the Lamanites were slain and scattered abroad. Yea, and also there was a tremendous slaughter among the people of Nephi, nevertheless, the Lamanites were driven and scattered, and the people of Nephi returned again to their land. -- And now this was a time that there was a great mourning and lamentation heard throughout all the land, among all the people of Nephi; yea, the cry of widows mourning for their husbands, and also fathers mourning for their sons, and the daughter for the brother; yea, the brother for the father: and thus the cry of mourning was heard among every one of them; mourning for their kindred which had been slain. And now surely this was a sorrowful day; yea, a time of solemnity, and a time of much fasting and prayer: and thus ended the fifteenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi; and this is the account of Ammon and his brethren, their journeyings in the land of Nephi, their sufferings in the land, their sorrows, and their afflictions, and their incomprehensible joy, and the reception and safety of the brethren in the land of Jershon. And now may the Lord, the Redeemer of all men, bless their souls forever. And this is the account of the wars and contentions among the Nephites, and also the wars between the Nephites and the Lamanites; and the fifteenth year of the reign of the Judges is ended; and from the first year to the fifteenth, has brought to pass the destruction of many thousand lives; yea, it has brought to pass an awful scene of bloodshed; and the bodies of many thousands are laid low in the earth, while the bodies of many thousands are mouldering in heaps upon the face of the earth; yea, and many thousands are mourning for the loss of their kindred, because they have reason to fear, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are consigned to a state of endless wo; while many thousands of others truly mourn for the loss of their kindred, yet they rejoice and exult in the hope, and even know, according to the promises of the Lord, that ye are raised to dwell at the right hand of God, in a state of never ending happiness: and thus we see how great the iniquity of man is because of sin and transgression, and the power of the Devil, which comes by the cunning plans which he hath devised to ensnare the hearts of men; and thus we see the great call of diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord; and thus we see the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing: sorrow because of death and destruction among men, and joy because of the light of Christ unto life. O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people; yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, Repentance, and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto God, that there might not be no more sorrow upon all the face of the earth. But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I had ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me. I had not ought to harrow up in my desires, the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desires, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills; whether it be unto salvation or unto destruction; yea, and I know that good and evil hath come before all men; or he that knoweth not good from evil, is blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires; whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience. Now seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called? Why should I desire that I was an angel, that I could speak unto all the ends of the earth? -- For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word; yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true. I know that which the Lord commanded me, and I glory in it; I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God, to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy. And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me; yea, that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me; yea, and I also remember the captivity of my fathers; for I surely do know that the Lord did deliver them out of bondage, and by this did establish his church; yea, the Lord God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, did deliver them out of bondage; yea, I have always remembered the captivity of my fathers; and that same God who delivered them out of the hands of the Egyptians, did deliver them out of bondage; yea, and that same God did establish his church among them; yea, and that same God hath called me by a holy calling, to preach the word unto his people, and hath given me much success, in the which my joy is full; but I do not joy in my own success alone, but my joy is more full because of the success of my brethren, which have been up to the land of Nephi. Behold, they have labored exceedingly, and have brought forth much fruit; and how great shall be their reward. Now when I think of the success of these my brethren, my soul is carried away, even to the separation of it from the body, as it were, so great is my joy.

And now may God grant unto these my brethren, that they may sit down in the kingdom of God; yea, and also all those which are the fruit of their labors, that they may go no more out, but that they may praise him forever. And may God grant that it may be done according to my words, even as I have spoken. Amen.

Alma 16
Modernly Alma 30
CHAPTER XVI. Behold, now it came to pass that after the people of Ammon were established in the land of Jershon, yea, and also after the Lamanites were driven out of the land, and their dead were buried by the people of the land. Now their dead were not numbered, because of the greatness of their numbers; neither were the dead of the Nephites numbered. But it came to pass that after they had buried their dead, and also after the days of fasting, and mourning, and prayer, (and it was in the sixteenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi,) there began to be continual peace throughout all the land; yea, and the people did observe to keep the commandments of the Lord; and they were strict in observing the ordinances of God, according to the law of Moses; for they were taught to keep the law of Moses, until it should be fulfilled; and thus the people did have no disturbance in all the sixteenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi.

And it came to pass in the seventeenth year of the reign of the Judges, there was continual peace. But it came to pass in the latter end of the seventeenth year, there came a man into the land of Zarahemla; and he was Anti-Christ, for he began to preach unto the people against the prophecies which had been spoken by the prophets concerning the coming of Christ. Now there was no law against a man's belief; for it was strictly contrary to the commands of God, that there should be a law which should bring men on to unequal grounds. For thus saith the Scripture: Choose ye this day, whom ye will serve. Now if a man desired to serve God, it was his privilege to serve him; but if he did not believe in him, there was no law to punish him. But if he murdered, he was punished unto death; and if he robbed, he was also punished; and if he stole, he was also punished; and if he committed adultery, he was also punished; yea, for all this wickedness, they were punished: for there was a law, that men should be judged according to their crimes. Nevertheless, there was no law against a man's belief; therefore, a man was punished only for the crimes which he had done; therefore all men were on equal grounds. And this Anti-Christ, whose name was Korihor, and the law could have no hold upon him. And he began to preach unto the people, that there should be no Christ. And after this manner did he preach, saying: O ye that are bound down under a foolish and a vain hope, why do ye yoke yourselves with such foolish things? Why do ye look for a Christ? For no man can know of any thing which is to come. Behold, these things which ye call prophecies, which ye say are handed down by the holy prophets, behold, they are foolish traditions of your fathers. How do ye know of their surety? Behold, ye cannot know of things which ye do not see; therefore ye cannot know that there shall be a Christ. Ye look forward and say, that ye see a remission of your sins. But behold, it is the effects of a phrensied mind; and this derangement of your minds comes because of the tradition of your fathers, which lead you away into a belief of things which are not so. And many more such things did he say unto them, telling them that there could be no atonement made for the sins of men, but every man fared in this life, according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did, was no crime.

And thus he did preach unto them, leading away the hearts of many, causing them to lift up their heads in their wickedness; yea, leading away many women, and also men, to commit whoredoms; telling them that when a man was dead, that was the end thereof.

Now this man went over to the land of Jershon, also, to preach these things among the people of Ammon, which were once the people of the Lamanites. But behold, they were more wise than many of the Nephites; for they took him, and bound him, and carried him before Ammon, which was a High Priest over that people.

And it came to pass that he caused that he should be carried out of the land. And it came to pass that he came over into the land of Gideon, and began to preach unto them also; and here he did not have much success, for he was taken and bound, and carried before the High Priest, and also the Chief Judge over the land.

And it came to pass that the High Priest saith unto him, Why do ye go about perverting the ways of the Lord? Why do ye teach this people that there shall be no Christ, to interrupt their rejoicings? Why do ye speak against all the prophecies of the holy prophets? Now the High Priest's name was Giddonah. And Korihor saith unto him, Because I do not teach the foolish traditions of your fathers, and because I do not teach this people to bind themselves down under the foolish ordinances and performances which are laid down by ancient priests, to usurp power and authority over them, to keep them in ignorance, that they may not lift up their heads, but be brought down according to thy words. Yea, say that this people is a free people. Behold, I say they are in bondage. Ye say that those ancient prophecies are true. Behold, I say that ye do not know that they are true. Ye say that this people is a guilty and a fallen people, because of the transgression of a parent. Behold, I say that a child is not guilty because of its parents. And ye also say that Christ shall come. But behold, I say that ye do not know that there shall be a Christ. And ye say also, that he shall be slain for the sins of the world; and thus ye lead away this people after the foolish traditions of your fathers, and according to your own desires; and ye keep them down, even as it were, in bondage that ye may glut yourselves with the labors of their hands, that they durst not look up with boldness, and that they durst not enjoy their rights and privileges; yea, they durst not make use of that which is there own, lest they should offend their priests, which do yoke them according to their desires, and hath brought them to believe by their traditions, and their dreams, and their whims, and their visions, and their pretended mysteries, that they should, if they did not do according to their words, offend some unknown being, which they say is God; a being which never hath been seen not known, which never was nor ever will be. Now when the High Priest and the Chief Judge saw the hardness of his heart; yea, when they saw that he would revile even against God, they would not make any reply to his words; but they caused that he should be bound; and they delivered him up into the hands of the officers, and sent him to the land of Zarahemla, that he might be brought before Alma, and the Chief Judge, which was governor over all the land.

And it came to pass that when he was brought before Alma and the Chief Judge, that he did go on in the same manner as he did in the land of Gideon; yea, he went on to blaspheme. And he did rise up in great swelling words before Alma, and did revile against the priests and teachers, accusing them of leading away the people after the silly traditions of their fathers, for the sake of glutting in the labors of the people. -- Now Alma saith unto him, Thou knowest that we do not glut ourselves upon the labors of this people; for behold, I have labored even from the commencement of the reign of Judges, until now, with mine own hands, for my support, notwithstanding my many travels round about the land, to declare the word of God unto my people. And notwithstanding the many labors which I have performed in the church, I have never received so much as even one senine for my labor; neither hath any of my brethren, save it were in the judgment seat; and then we have received only according to the law, for our time. And now if we do not receive any thing for our labors in the church, what doth it profit us to labor in the church, save it were to declare the truth, that we may have rejoicings in the joy of our brethren? Then why sayest thou that we preach unto this people to get gain, when thou thyself knowest that we receive no gain? And now, believest thou that we deceive this people, that causeth such joy in their hearts? -- And Korihor answered him, Yea. And then Alma saith unto him, Believest thou that there is a God? And heanswered, Nay, Now Alma saith unto him, If ye deny again that there is a God, and also deny the Christ: for behold, I say unto you, I know there is a God, and also that Christ shall come. And now, what evidence have ye that there is no God, or that Christ cometh not? I say unto you that ye have none, save it be your word only. But behold, I have all things as a testimony that these things are true; and ye also have all things as a testimony unto you that they are true; and will ye deny them? Believest thou that these things are true? Behold, I know that thou believest, but thou are possessed with a lying spirit, and ye have put off the spirit of God, that it may have no place in you; but the Devil hath power over you, and he doth carry you about, working devices, that he may destroy the children of God. And now Korihor saith unto Alma, If thou wilt shew me a sign, that I may be convinced that there is a God, yea, shew unto me that he hath power, and then I will be convinced of the truth of my words. But Alma saith unto him, Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Shew unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The Scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that is upon the face of it, yea, and its motion; yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form, doth witness that there is a Supreme Creator; and yet do ye go about, leading away the hearts of this people, testifying unto them there is no God. And yet will ye deny against all these witnesses? And he said, Yea, I will deny, except ye shall shew me a sign.

And now it came to pass that Alma said unto him, Behold, I am grieved because of the hardness of your heart; yea, that ye will resist the spirit of the truth, that thy soul may be destroyed. But behold, it is better that thy soul should be lost, than that thou shouldst be the means of bringing many souls down to destructions, by thy lying and by thy flattering words; that thou shalt become dumb, that thou shalt never open thy mouth any more, that thou shalt not deceive this people any more. Now Korihor saith unto him, I do not deny the existence of a God, but I do not believe that there is a God; and I say also, that ye do not know that there is a God; and except ye shew me a sign, I will not believe. Now Alma saith unto him, This will I give unto thee for a sign, that thou shalt be struck dumb, according to my words; and I say, that in the name of God, that ye shall be struck dumb, that ye shall no more have utterance. Now when Alma said these words, Korihor was struck dumb, that he could not have utterance, according to the words of Alma. And now when the Chief Judge saw this, he put forth his hand and wrote unto Korihor, saying: Art thou convinced of the power of a God? In whom did ye desire that Alma shew forth his sign? Would ye that he should afflict others, to shew unto thee a sign? Behold, he hath showed unto you a sign; and now, will ye dispute more? And Korihor put forth his hand, and wrote saying: I know that I am dumb, for I cannot speak; and I know that nothing, save it were the power of God could bring this upon me; yea, and I also knew that there was a God. But behold, the Devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto me in the form of an angel, and said unto me, Go and reclaim this people, for they have all gone astray after an unknown God. And he saith unto me, There is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his words; and I taught them, because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind; and I taught them, even until I had much success, insomuch that I verily believed that they were true; and for this cause, I withstood the truth, even until I have brought this great curse upon me. Now when he had said this, he besought that Alma should pray unto god, that the curse might be taken from him. But Alma said unto him, If this curse should be taken from thee thou wouldst again lead away the hearts of this people; therefore, it shall be unto thee, even as the Lord will.

And it came to pass that the curse was not taken off of Korihor; but he was cast out, and went about from house to house, a begging for his food. Now the knowledge of what had happened unto Korihor, was immediately published throughout all the land; yea, the proclamation was sent forth by the Chief Judge, to all the people in the land, declaring to those who had believed in the words of Korihor, that they must speedily repent, lest the same judgments would come unto them.

And it came to pass that they were all convinced of the wickedness of Korihor; therefore they were all converted again unto the Lord; and this put an end to the iniquity after the manner of Korihor. And Korihor did go about from house to house, a begging food for his support.

And it came to pass that as he went forth among the people, yea, among a people which had separated themselves from the Nephites, and called themselves Zoramites, being led by a man whose name was Zoram; and as he went forth amongst them, behold, he was run upon, and trodden down, even until he was dead; and thus we see the end of him who perverteth the ways of the Lord; and thus we see that the Devil will not Support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell.

Now it came to pass after the end of Korihor, Alma having received tidings that the Zoramites were perverting the ways of the Lord, and that Zoram, which was their leader, was leading the hearts of the people to bow down to dumb idols, &c., his heart again began to sicken, because of the iniquity of the people; for it was the cause of great sorrow to Alma, to know of iniquity among his people; therefore his heart was exceeding sorrowful, because of the separation of the Zoramites from the Nephites. Now the Zoramites had gathered themselves together in a land which they called Antionum, which was east of the land of Zarahemla, which lay nearly bordering upon the seashore, which was south of the land of Jershon, which also bordered upon the wilderness south, which wilderness was full of the Lamanites. Now the Nephites greatly feared that the Zoramites would enter into a correspondence with the Lamanites, and that it would be the means of a great loss on the part of the Nephites. And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just; yea, it had had more power effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or any thing else, which had happened unto them; therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God. Therefore he took Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner; and Himni he did leave in the church of Zarahemla; but the former three he took with him, and also Amulek and Zeesrom, which were at Melek; and he also took two of his sons. Now the eldest of his sons he took not with him; and his name was Helaman; but the names of those which he took with him, were Shiblon and Corianton: and these are the names of those which went with him among the Zoramites, to preach unto them the word.

Now the Zoramites were dissenters from the Nephites; therefore they had the word of God preached unto them. But they had fell into great errors, for they would not observe to keep the commandments of God, and his statutes, according to the law of Moses; neither would they observe the performances of the church, to continue in prayer and supplication to God daily, that they might not enter into temptation; yea, in fine, they did pervert the ways of the Lord in very many instances; therefore, for this cause, Alma and his brethren went into the land, to preach the word unto them.

Now when they had come into the land, behold, to their astonishment, they found that the Zoramites had built synagogues, and that they did gather themselves together on one day of the week, which they did call the day of the Lord; and they did worship after a manner which Alma and his brethren had never beheld; for they had a place built up in the centre of their synagogue, a place of standing, which was high above the head; and the top thereof would only admit one person. Therefore, whosoever desired to worship, must go forth and stand upon the top thereof, and stretch forth his hands towards heaven, and cry with a loud voice, saying: Holy, holy God; we believe that thou art God., and we believe that thou art holy, and that thou wast a spirit, and that thou art a spirit, and that thou wilt be a spirit forever. Holy God, we believe that thou hast separated us from our brethren; and we do not believe in the tradition of our brethren, which was handed down to them by the childishness of their fathers; but we believe that thou hast elected us to be thy holy children; and also thou hast made it known unto us that there shall be no Christ; but thou art the same, yesterday, to-day, and forever; and thou hast elected us, that we shall be saved, whilst all around us are elected to be cast by thy wrath down to hell; for the which holiness, O God, we thank thee; and we also thank thee that thou hast elected us, that we may not be led away after the foolish traditions of our brethren, which doth bind them down to a belief of Christ, which doth lead their hearts to wander far from thee, our God. And again: We thank thee, O God, that we are a chosen and a holy people. Amen.

Now it came to pass that after Alma and his brethren, and his sons, had heard these prayers, they were astonished beyond all measure. For behold, every man did go forth and offer up the same prayers. Now the place was called by them Rameumptom, which being interpreted is the Holy Stand. -- Now from this stand, they did offer up, every man, the self-same prayer unto God, thanking their God that they were chosen of him, and that he did not lead them away after the tradition of their brethren; and that their hearts were not stolen away to believe in things to come, which they knew nothing about.

Now after the people had all offered up thanks after this manner, they returned to their homes, never speaking of their God again, until they had assembled themselves together again, to the holy stand, to offer up thanks after their manner. Now when Alma saw this, his heart was grieved: for he saw that they were a wicked and a perverse people; yea, he saw that their hearts were set upon gold, and upon silver, and upon all manner of fine goods. Yea, and he also saw that their hearts were lifted up into great boasting, in their pride. And he lifted up his voice to Heaven, and cried, saying: O how long O Lord, wilt thou suffer that thy servants shall dwell here below in the flesh, to behold such gross wickedness among the children of men. Behold, O God, they cry unto thee, and yet their hearts are swallowed up in their pride. Behold, O God, they cry unto thee with their mouths, while they are puffed up, even to greatness, with the vain things of the world. Behold, O my God, their costly apparel, and their ringlets, and their bracelets, and their ornaments of gold, and all their precious things which they are ornamented with; and behold, their hearts are set upon them, and yet they cry unto thee and say, We thank thee, O God, for we are a chosen people unto thee, while others shall perish. Yea, and they say that thou hast made it known unto them, that there shall be no Christ. O Lord God, how long wilt thou suffer that such wickedness and iniquity shall be among this people? O Lord, wilt thou give me strength, that I may bear with mine infirmities? for I am infirm, and such wickedness among this people doth pain my soul. O Lord, my heart is exceeding sorrowful; wilt thou comfort my soul in Christ? O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may have strength, that I may suffer with patience these afflictions which shall come upon me, because of the iniquity of this people? O Lord, wilt thou comfort my soul, and give unto me success, and also my fellow-laborers which are with me; yea, Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and also Amulek, and Zeezrom, and also my two sons; yea, even all these wilt thou comfort, O Lord? Yea, wilt thou comfort their souls in Christ? Wilt thou grant unto them that they may have strength, that they may bear their afflictions which shall come upon them, because of the iniquities of this people? O Lord, wilt thou grant unto us that we may have success in bringing them again unto thee, in Christ? Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious, and many of them are our near brethren, therefore, give unto us O Lord, power and wisdom, that we may bring these, our brethren, again unto thee.

Now it came to pass, that when Alma had said these words, that he clapped his hands upon all they which were with him. And behold, as he clapped his hands upon them, they were filled with the holy Spirit. And after that, they did separate themselves one from another, taking no thoughts for themselves what they should eat, or what they should drink, or what they should put on. And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. -- Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith.

And it came to pass that they did go forth, and began to preach the word of God unto the people, entering into their synagogues, and into their houses; yea, and even they did preach the word in their streets. And it came to pass that after much labor among them, they began to have success among the poor class of people; for behold, they were cast out of the synagogues, because of the coarseness of their apparel; therefore they were not permitted to enter into their synagogues to worship God, being esteemed as filthiness; therefore they were poor; yea, they were esteemed by their brethren as dross; therefore they were poor as to things of the world; and also they were poor in heart.

Now as Alma was teaching and speaking unto the people upon the hill Onidah, there came a great multitude unto him, which were those of which we have been speaking, of which were poor in heart, because of their poverty as to the things of the world. And they came unto Alma; and the one which was the most foremost among them, saith unto him, Behold, what shall these my brethren do, for they are despised of all men, because of their poverty; yea, and more especially by our priests; for they have cast us out of our synagogues, which we have labored abundantly to build, with our own hands; and they have cast us out because of this our exceeding poverty, that we have no place to worship God; and behold, what shall we do? And now when Alma heard this, he turned him about, his face immediately towards him, and he beheld, with great joy; for he beheld that their afflictions had truly humbled them, and that they were in a preparation to hear the word; therefore he did say no more to the other multitude, but he stretched forth his hand, and cried unto those which he beheld, which were truly penitent, and saith unto them, I beheld that ye are lowly in heart; and if so, blessed are ye. Behold, thy brother hath said, What shall we do? for we are cast out of our synagogues, that we cannot worship God. Behold I say unto you, Do ye suppose that ye cannot worship God, save it be in your synagogues? And moreover, I would ask, Do ye suppose that ye must not worship God only once in a week? I say unto you, It is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues, that ye may be humbled, and that ye may learn wisdom; for it is necessary that ye should learn wisdom; for it is because ye are cast out, that ye are despised of your brethren; because of your exceeding poverty, that ye are brought to a lowliness of heart; for ye are necessarily brought to be humble, blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth, shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. And now as I said unto you, That because ye are compelled to be humble, ye were blessed, do ye suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word? Yea, he that truly humbleth himself, and repenteth of his sin, and endureth to the end, the same shall be blessed; yea, much more blessed than they who art compelled to be humble, because of their exceeding poverty; therefore blessed are they who humbleth themselves without being compelled to be humble; or rather, in other words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of God, and is baptized without stubborness of heart; yea, without being brought to know the word, or even compelled to know, before they will believe. Yea, there are many which do say, If thou wilt show unto us a sign from Heaven, then we shall know of a surety; then we shall believe. Now I ask, Is this faith? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for if a man knoweth a thing, he hath no cause to believe, for he knoweth it. And now, how much more cursed is he that only believeth, or only hath cause to believe, and falleth into transgression? Now of this thing, ye must judge. Behold, I say unto you, That it is on the one hand, even as it is on the other; and it shall be unto every man according to his work.

And now as I said concerning faith: Faith, is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith, ye hope for things which is not seen, which are true. And now, behold, I say unto you: and I would that ye should remember that God is merciful unto all who believe on his name; therefore he desireth, in the first place, that ye should believe, yea, even on his word. And now, he imparteth his word by angels, unto men; yea, not only men, but women also. Now this is not all: little children doth have words given unto them many times, which doth confound the wise and learned.

And now. my beloved brethren, as ye have desired to know of me what shall ye do because ye are afflicted and cast out: now I do not desire that ye should suppose that I mean to judge you only according to that which is true; for I do not mean that ye all of you have been compelled to humble yourselves;. for I verily believe there are some among you which would humble themselves, let them be in whatsoever circumstances they might. Now as I said concerning faith -- that it was not a perfect knowledge, even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge. But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith; yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words. Now we will compare the word unto a seed. Now if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves, It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding; yea, and it beginneth to be delicious to me. Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge. But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, and then ye must needs say, That the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own likeness; therefore. if a seed groweth, it is good, but if it groweth not, behold, it is not good; therefore it is cast away. And now behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good. And now behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know; for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls; and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand. O then, is not this real? I say unto you, yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible; therefore ye must know that it is good. And now behold, after ye have tasted this light, is your knowledge perfect? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed, that ye might try the experiment, to know if the seed was good. And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say, Let us nourish it with great care, that ii may get root, that it may grow up and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care, it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit. But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold, it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, and because it hath no root, it whithereth away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out. Now this is not because the seed was not good; neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable. But it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree; therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof. And thus if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life. But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith, with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, and it shall take root; and behold, it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life; and because of your diligence, and your faith, and your patience with the word, in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by, ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white; yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit, even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst. Then my brethren ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.

Now after Alma had spoken these words, they sent forth unto him desiring to know whether they should believe in one God, that they might obtain this fruit of which he had spoken, or how they should plant the seed, or the word, of which he had spoken, which he said must be planted in their hearts; or in what manner they should begin to exercise their faith. And Alma said unto them, Behold, ye have said that ye could not worship your God, because ye are cast out of your synagogues. But behold, I say unto you, If ye suppose that ye cannot worship God, ye do greatly err, and ye had ought to search the Scriptures; for if ye suppose that they have taught you this, ye do not understand them. Do ye remember to have read what Zenos, the prophet of old, hath said concerning prayer or worship? for he saith, Thou art merciful O God, for thou hast heard my prayer, even when I was in the wilderness; yea, thou wast merciful when I prayed concerning those which were mine enemies, and thou didst turn them to me; yea, O God, and thou wast merciful unto me when I did cry unto thee in my field; when I did cry unto thee in my prayer, and thou didst hear me. And again, O God, when I did turn to my house thou didst hear me in my prayer, And when I did turn unto my closet, O Lord, and prayed unto thee, thou didst hear me; yea, thou art merciful unto thy children, when they cry unto to thee to be heard of thee, and not of men; and thou wilt hear them; yea, O God, thou hast been merciful unto me, and heard my cries in the midst of thy congregations; yea, and thou hast also heard me when I have been cast out, and have been despised by mine enemies; yea, thou didst hear my cries, and wast angry with mine enemies, and thou didst visit them in thine anger, with speedy destruction; and thou didst hear me because of mine afflictions and my sincerity; and it is because of thy Son that hast been thus merciful unto me; therefore I will cry unto thee in all mine afflictions; for in thee is my joy; for thou hast turned they judgments away from me, because of thy Son.

And now Alma saith unto them, Do ye believe those Scriptures which have been written by them of old? Behold, if ye do, ye must believe what Zenos saith; for behold, he saith, Thou hast turned away thy judgments, because of thy Son. -- Now behold, my brethren, I would ask, if ye have read the Scriptures? If ye have, how can ye disbelieve on the Son of God? For it is not written that Zenos alone spake of these things; for behold, he saith, Thou art angry, O Lord, with this people, because they will not understand of thy mercies which thou hast bestowed upon them, because of they Son. And now my brethren, ye see that a second prophet of old has testified of the Son of God; and because the people would not understand his words, they stoned him to death. But behold, this is not all; these are not the only ones which have spoken concerning the Son of God. Behold, he was spoken of by Moses; yea, and behold, a type was raised up in the wilderness, that whosoever would look upon it might live. And many did look and live. But few understood the meaning of those things, and this because of the hardness of their hearts. But there were many which were so hardened that they would not look; therefore they perished. Now the reason that they would not look, is because they did not believe that it would heal them. O my brethren, if ye could be healed by merely casting about your eyes, that ye might be healed, would ye not behold quickly, or would ye rather harden your hearts in unbelief, and be slothful, that ye would not cast about your eyes, that ye might perish? If so, wo shall come upon you; but if not so, then cast about your eyes, and begin to believe in the Son of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins; and that he shall rise again from the dead, which shall bring to pass the resurrection, that all men shall stand before him, to be judged, at the last and judgment day, according to their works. And now my brethren, I desire that ye should plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell, even so nourish it by your faith. And behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son. And even all this can ye do, if ye will. Amen.

And now it came to pass that after Alma had spoken these words unto them, he sat down upon the ground, and Amulek arose and began to teach them, saying: My brethren, I think that it is impossible that ye should be ignorant of the things which have been spoken concerning the coming of Christ, who is taught by us to be the Son of God; yea, I know that these things were taught unto you, bountifully, before your dissention from among us. And as ye have desired of my beloved brother, that he should make known unto you what ye should do, because of your afflictions; and he hath spoken somewhat unto you to prepare your minds; yea, and he hath exhorted you unto faith, and to patience; yea, even that ye would have so much faith as even to plant the word in your hearts, that ye may try the experiment of its goodness; and we have beheld that the great question which is in your minds, is whether the word be in the Son of God, or whether there shall be no Christ. And ye also beheld that my brother hath proven unto you, in many instances, that the word is in Christ, unto salvation. My brother hath called upon the words of Zenos, that redemption cometh through the Son of God, and also upon the words of Zenock; and also he hath appealed unto Moses, to prove these things are true. And now behold, I will testify unto you of myself, that these things are true. -- Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it; for it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God, there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen, and are lost, and must perish, except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made; for it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an Infinite and an Eternal sacrifice. Now there is not any man that can sacrifice his own blood, which will atone for the sins of another. Now if a man murdereth, behold, will our law, which is just, take the life of his brother? I say unto you Nay. But the law requireth the life of him who hath murdered; therefore there can nothing, which is short of an Infinite atonement, which will suffice for the sins of the world; therefore it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; and then shall there be, or it expedient there should be a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall all be fulfilled; every jot and tittle, and none shall have passed away. And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law; every whit a pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God; yea, Infinite and Eternal; and thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance. And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exerciseth no faith unto repentance, is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore, only unto him that hath faith unto repentance, is brought about the great and Eternal plan of redemption; therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye might begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you; yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save; yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him; cry unto him when ye are in your fields; yea, over all your flocks; cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening; yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies; yea, cry unto him against the Devil, which is an enemy to all righteousness. Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them; cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase. But this is not all: ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness; yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those which are around you.

And now behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, Do not suppose that this is all; for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need; I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites which do deny the faith; therefore, if ye do not remember to be charitable, ye are as dross, which the refiners do cast out, (it being of no worth,) and is trodden under foot of men.

And now, my brethren, I would that after ye have received so many witnesses, seeing that the Holy Scriptures testify of these things, come forth and bring fruit unto repentance; yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time, and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you. For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold, the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. And now as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore I beseech of you, that ye not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness, wherein there can be no labor performed. Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world. For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance, even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the Devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore the spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the Devil hath all power over you: and this is the final state of the wicked. And this I know, because the Lord hath said, he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth he dwell; yea, and he hath also said, that the righteous should sit down in his kingdom, to go no more out; but their garments should be made white, through the blood of the Lamb.

And now my beloved brethren, I desire that ye should remember these things, and that ye should work out your salvation with fear before God, and that ye should no more deny the coming of Christ; that ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you; yea, and I also exhort you my brethren, that ye be watchful unto prayer continually, that ye may not be led away by the temptation of the Devil, that he may not overpower you, that ye not become his subjects at the last day: for behold, he rewardeth you no good thing. And now my beloved brethren, I would exhort you to have patience, and that ye bear with all manner of afflictions; that ye do not revile against those who cast you out because of your exceeding poverty, lest ye become sinners like unto them; but that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions.

Now it came to pass that after Amulek had made an end of these words, they withdrew themselves from the multitude, and came over into the land of Jershon; yea, and the rest of the brethren, after they had preached the word unto the Zoramites, also came over into the land of Jershon.

And it came to pass that after the more popular part of the Zoramites had consulted together, concerning the words which had been preached unto them, they were angry because of the word, for it did destroy their craft; therefore they would not hearken unto the words. And they sent and gathered together throughout all the land, all the people, and consulted with them concerning the words which had been spoken. Now their rulers, and their priests, and their teachers, did not let the people know concerning their desires; therefore therefore they found out privily the minds of all the people.

And it came to pass that after they found out the minds of all the people, those which were in favor of the words which had been spoken by Alma and his brethren, were cast out of the land; and they were many; and they came over also into the land of Jershon.

And it came to pass that Alma and his brethren did minister unto them. Now the people of the Zoramites were angry with the people of Ammon which were in Jershon, and the chief ruler of the Zoramites being a very wicked man, sent over unto the people of Ammon desiring them that they should cast out of their land all those which came over from them into their land. And he breathed out many threatnings against them. And now the people of Ammon did not fear their words, therefore they did cast them out, but they did receive all the poor of the Zoramites that came over unto them; and they did nourish them, and did clothe them, and did give unto them lands for their inheritance; and they did administer unto them according to their wants. Now this did stir up the Zoramites to anger against the people of Ammon, and they began to mix with the Lamanites, and to stir them up also to anger against them; and thus the Zoramites and the Lamanites began to make preparations for the war against the people of Ammon, and also against the Nephites. And thus ended the seventeenth year of the reign of Judges, over the people of Nephi.

And the people of Ammon departed out of the land of Jershon, and came over into the land of Melek, and gave place in the land of Jershon for the armies of the Nephites, that they might contend with the armies of the Lamanites, and the armies of the Zoramites; and thus commenced a war betwixt the Lamanites and the Nephites, in the eighteenth year of the reign of the Judges; and an account shall be given of their wars hereafter. And Alma, and Ammon, and their brethren and also the two sons of Alma, returned to the land of Zarahemla, after having been instruments in the hands of God of bringing many of the Zoramites to repentance, were driven out of their land; but they have lands for their inheritance in the land of Jershon, and they have taken up arms to defend themselves, and their wives, and their children, and their lands. Now Alma, being grieved for the iniquity of his people, yea, for the wars, and the bloodsheds, and the contentions which were amog them; and having to declare the word, or sent to declare the word, among all the people in every city; and seeing that the hearts of the people began to wax hard, and that they began to be offended because of the strictness of the word, his heart was exceeding sorrowful; therefore, he caused that his sons should be gathered together, that he might give unto them every one his charge, separately, concerning the things pertaining unto righteousness. And we have an account of his commandments, which he gave unto them according to his own record.