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CHAPTER
XXI
The account of the people of
Nephi,
and their wars and
dissentions,
in the days of
Helaman,
according to the record of
Helaman,
which he kept in his days.
Behold,
now it came to pass that the people of
Nephi
were
exceedingly
rejoiced,
because the Lord had again delivered them out of the hands of their enemies;
therefore they gave
thanks
unto the Lord their God;
yea,
and they did
fast
much and pray much,
and they did
worship
God with exceeding great joy.
And it came to pass in the
nineteenth
year
of the reign of the Judges over the people of
Nephi,
that
Alma
came unto his son
Helaman,
and saith unto him,
Believest
thou the words which I
spake
unto thee concerning those records which have been kept?
And
Helaman
saith unto him,
Yea,
I believe. --
And
Alma
saith again,
Believest
thou in Jesus Christ,
which shall come?
And he saith,
Yea,
I believe all the words which thou hast spoken.
And
Alma
saith unto him again,
Will ye keep my commandments?
And he said,
Yea,
I will keep thy commandments with all my heart.
Then
Alma
saith unto him,
Blessed art thou;
and the Lord shall prosper thee in this land.
But behold,
I have
somewhat
to prophesy
unto thee,
but what I prophesy unto thee,
ye shall not make known;
yea,
what I prophesy unto thee shall not be made known,
even until the
prophecy
is fulfilled;
therefore
write the words which I shall
say.
And these are the words:
Behold,
I
perceive that this very people,
the
Nephites,
according to the spirit of
revelation
which is in me,
in four hundred years from the time that
Jesus Christ
shall manifest himself unto them,
shall
dwindle
in unbelief;
yea,
and then shall they see wars and pestilences,
yea,
famines and
bloodshed,
even until the people of
Nephi
shall become extinct;
yea,
and this because they shall
dwindle
in unbelief and fall into the works of
darkness and lasciviousness,
and all
manner of
iniquities;
yea,
I say unto you,
that because
they shall sin
against so great light and knowledge;
yea,
I say unto you,
that
from that day,
even the fourth
generation
shall not all pass away,
before this great
iniquity
shall come;
and when that great
day
cometh,
behold,
the time
very
soon
cometh
that those which are now,
or the seed of those which are now
numbered among the people of
Nephi,
shall no more be numbered among
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the people of
Nephi;
but
whosoever
remaineth,
and is not destroyed in that great and dreadful day,
shall be numbered among the
Lamanites,
and shall become like unto them
all,
save it be a few,
which shall be called the
disciples
of the Lord;
and them shall the
Lamanites
pursue,
even until they shall become extinct.
And now,
because of
iniquity,
this
prophecy
shall be fulfilled.
And now it cameto pass that after
Alma
had said these things to
Helaman,
he blessed
him,
and also his other sons;
and he also blessed the earth for the righteous' sake.
And he said,
Thus saith the Lord God:
Cursed
shall be the land,
yea,
this land,
unto every nation,
kindred,
tongue,
and people,
unto destruction,
which
do
wickedly,
when they are
fully
ripe;
and as I have said,
so shall it be:
for this is the
cursing
and the blessing
of God upon the land,
for the Lord cannot look upon sin
with the least
degree
of
allowance.
And now,
when
Alma
had said these words,
he blessed the church,
yea,
all those who should stand fast in the
faith,
from that time
henceforth;
and when
Alma
had done this,
he
departed
out of the land of
Zarahemla,
as if to go into the land of
Melek. --
And it came to pass that he was never heard of more;
as to his death or his
burial,
we know not of.
Behold,
this we know,
that he was a righteous man;
and the saying went
abroad
in the church,
that he was taken up by the spirit,
or buried by the hand of the Lord,
even as
Moses.
But behold,
the
Scripture
saith the Lord took
Moses
unto himself;
and we suppose that he hath also received
Alma
in the spirit,
unto himself;
therefore,
for this cause we know nothing
concerning
his death and
burial.
And now it came to pass in the commencement of the
nineteenth
year of the reign of the Judges over the people of
Nephi,
that
Helaman
went forth among the people to declare the word unto them:
for behold,
because of their wars with the
Lamanites,
and the many little
dissensions
and
disturbances
which had been among the people,
it became expedient that the word of God should be declared among them;
yea,
and that a regulation should be made throughout the church;
therefore,
Helaman
and his
brethren
went forth to establish the church again in all the land,
yea,
in every city throughout all the land which was possessed
by the people of
Nephi.
And it came to pass that they did appoint priests and
teachers throughout all the land,
over all the churches.
And now it came to pass that after
Helaman
and his
brethren
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had appointed priests and teachers over the churches,
that there arose a dissension among them,
and they would not give
heed
to the words of
Helaman
and his
brethren;
But they
grew
proud,
being
lifted
up in their hearts,
because of their exceeding
great riches;
therefore they
grew
rich in their own eyes,
and would not give
heed
to their words,
to walk
uprightly
before God.
And it came to pass
that as many as would not
hearken
to the words of
Helaman
and his
brethren
were
gathered
together against their
brethren.
And now behold,
they were exceeding
wroth,
insomuch
that they were determined to slay them.
Now the leader of those which were
wroth
against their
brethren,
was a large and a strong man;
and his name was
Amalickiah.
And
Amalickiah
was desirous to be a king;
and those people which were
wroth,
were also desirous that he should be their king;
and they were the greater part of them,
the
lower
Judges of the land;
and they were seeking for power.
And they had been led by the flatteries of
Amalickiah,
that if they would support him,
and establish him to be their king,
that he would make them rulers over the people.
Thus they were led away by
Amalickiah,
to
dissensions,
notwithstanding the
preaching
of
Helaman
and his
brethren;
yea,
notwithstanding their exceeding
great care over the church,
for they were High Priests over the church.
And there were
many in the church which
believed in the
flattering
words of
Amalickiah;
therefore they
dissented
even from the church;
and thus were the affairs of the people of
Nephi
exceeding
precarious
and dangerous,
notwithstanding their great victory which they had had over the
Lamanites,
and their great rejoicings which they had had,
because
of their deliverance by the hands of the Lord.
Thus we see how quick the children of men
doth
forget
the Lord their God;
yea,
how quick to do
iniquity,
and to be led away by the evil one;
yea,
and we also
see the great
wickedness one very wicked man can cause to take place among the children of men;
yea,
we see that
Amalickiah,
because he was a man of cunning device,
and a man of many
flattering
words,
that he led
away the hearts of many
people to
do
wickedly;
yea,
and to seek to destroy the church of God,
and to destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them,
or
God had sent upon the face of the land,
for the righteous'
sake.
And now it came to pass that when
Moroni,
which was the chief commander of the armies of the
Nephites,
had heard
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of these
dissensions,
he was angry with
Amalickiah.
And it came to pass that he
rent
his coat;
and he took a piece
thereof,
and wrote upon it,
In memory of our God,
our religion, and
freedom,
and our peace,
our wives and our children;
and he
fastened
it upon the
end of a pole
thereof.
And he
fastened
on his head-plate,
and his
breast-plate,
and his
shields,
and girded on his
armour
about his
loins;
and he took the pole,
which had on the end
thereof
his
rent
coat,
( and he called it the title of liberty,)
and he bowed
himself to the earth,
and he
prayed mightily
unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his
brethren
so long as there should a band of Christians
remain to possess the land:
for thus were all the true
believers
of Christ,
which belonged to the church of God,
called,
by those which
did not belong to the church.
And those who did belong to the church,
were faithful;
yea,
all those who were the true
believers
in Christ,
took
upon them,
gladly,
the name of Christ,
or Christians,
as they were called,
because of their belief in Christ,
which should come;
and therefore,
at this time,
Moroni
prayed
that the cause of the Christians,
and the
freedom
of the land,
might be
favored. --
And it came to pass that when he had poured
out his soul to God,
he gave all the land
which was south of the land
Desolation;
yea,
and in fine,
all the land,
both on the north and on the south,
A chosen land,
and the land of liberty. --
And he saith,
Surely
God shall not suffer that we, who are
despised
because we take upon us the name of Christ,
shall be trodden down and destroyed,
until we bring it upon us,
by our own transgressions.
And when
Moroni
had said these words,
he went forth among the people,
waving the
rent
of his garment in the air,
that all might see the writing which he had wrote upon the
rent,
and crying with a loud voice,
saying:
Behold,
whosoever
will maintain this title upon the land,
let them come forth in the strength of the Lord,
and enter into a covenant that they will maintain their rights,
and their religion,
that the Lord God may bless them.
And it came to pass that when
Moroni
had proclaimed these words,
behold,
the people came running together,
with their
armours
girded about their
loins,
rending their garments in token,
or as a covenant,
that they would not forsake the Lord their God;
or,
in other words,
if they should transgress the commandments of God,
or fall into transgression,
and be ashamed to take upon them the name of Christ,
the Lord should
rend
them even as they had
rent
their garments.
Now
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this was the covenant which they made;
and they cast their garments at the feet of
Moroni,
saying:
We covenant with our God,
that we shall be destroyed,
even as our
brethren
in the land
northward,
if we shall fall into transgression;
yea,
he may cast us at the feet of our enemies,
even as we have cast our garments at thy feet,
to be trodden under foot,
if we shall fall into
transgression.
Moroni
saith unto them,
Behold,
we are a
remnant
of the seed of
Jacob;
yea,
we are a
remnant
of the seed of
Joseph,
whose coat was
rent
by his
brethren
into many pieces;
yea,
and now behold,
let us remember to keep the commandments of God,
or our garments shall be
rent
by our
brethren,
and we be cast into
prison,
or be sold,
or be slain;
yea,
let us preserve our liberty,
as a
remnant
of
Joseph;
yea,
let us remember the words of
Jacob,
before his death;
for behold,
he saw that a part of the
remnant
of the coat of
Joseph
was preserved,
and had not
decayed.
And he saith,
Even as this
remnant
of garment of my son hath been preserved,
so shall a
remnant
of the seed of my son be preserved by the hand of God,
and be taken unto himself,
while the remainder of the seed of
Joseph
shall perish,
even as the
remnant
of his garment.
Now behold,
this
giveth
my soul sorrow;
nevertheless,
my soul hath joy in my son,
because of that part of his seed which shall be taken unto God.
Now behold,
this was the language of
Jacob.
And now who
knoweth
but what the
remnant
of the seed of
Joseph,
which shall perish as his garment,
are those who have
dissented
from us;
yea,
and even it shall be us,
if we do not
stand
fast
in the
faith
of Christ.
And now it came to pass that when
Moroni
had said these words,
he went forth,
and also sent forth in all the parts of the land where there were
dissensions,
and
gathered
together all the people which were
desirous to maintain their liberty,
to stand against
Amalickiah,
and those who had
dissented,
who were called
Amalickiahites.
And it came to pass that when
Amalickiah
saw that the people of
Moroni
were more numerous than the
Amalickiahites;
and he also saw that his people were doubtful
concerning
the justice of the cause in which they had undertaken;
therefore,
fearing that he should not
gain the point,
he took those of his people which would,
and
departed
into the land of
Nephi.
Now
Moroni
thought it was not
expedient
that the
Lamanites
should have any
more
strength;
therefore
he thought to
cut off the people of
Amalickiah,
or to take
them and bring
them back,
and put
Amalickiah
to
death;
yea,
for he knew that
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they would
stir
up the
Lamanites
to anger against them,
and cause them to come to battle against them;
and this he knew that
Amalickiah
would do,
that he might obtain his purposes;
therefore
Moroni
thought it was expedient that he should take his armies,
which had
gathered
themselves together,
and armed themselves,
and entered into a covenant to keep the peace: --
And it came to pass
that he took his army,
and marched out into the wilderness,
to cut off the course of
Amalickiah
in the wilderness.
And it came to pass that he did according to his desires,
and marched forth into the wilderness,
and
headed
the armies of
Amalickiah.
And it came to pass that
Amalickiah
fled with a small number of his men,
and the remainder were delivered up into the hands of
Moroni,
and were taken back into the land of
Zarahemla.
Now
Moroni
being a man which was appointed by the Chief
Judges
and the voice of the people,
therefore he had power according to his will,
with the armies of the
Nephites,
to establish and to exercise authority over them.
And it came to pass that
whomsoever
of the
Amalickiahites
that would not enter into a covenant to support the cause of
freedom,
that they might maintain a
free
government,
he caused to be put to death;
and there were but few which denied the covenant of
freedom.
And it came to pass also,
that he caused the title of liberty to be
hoisted
upon every tower
which was in all the land which was possessed by the
Nephites;
and thus
Moroni planted
the standard of liberty among the
Nephites.
And they began to have peace again in the land;
and thus they did maintain peace in the land,
until nearly the end of the
nineteenth
year of the reign of the Judges.
And
Helaman
and the High Priests did also maintain order
in the
church;
yea,
even for the space of four years,
did they have much peace and rejoicing in the church.
And it came to pass that there were
many who
died,
firmly
believing
that their souls were
redeemed
by the Lord Jesus Christ;
thus they went out of the world rejoicing.
And there were
some who
died
with
fevers,
which at some seasons of the year were very frequent
in the land;
but not so much so with
fevers,
because
of the excellent qualities of the
many
plants
and
roots
which God had prepared,
to remove the cause of diseases which was subsequent to man,
by the nature of the
climate.
But there were many who
died
with old age;
and those who
died
in the faith
of Christ,
are happy in him,
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as we must needs suppose.
Now we will return in our record,
to
Amalickiah,
and those who had fled with him into the wilderness:
for behold,
he had taken those which went with him,
and went up in the land of
Nephi,
among the
Lamanites,
and did
stir
up the
Lamanites
to anger,
against the people of
Nephi,
insomuch
that the King of the
Lamanites
sent a
proclamation
throughout all his land,
among all his people,
that they should
gather
themselves together again,
to go to battle against the
Nephites.
And it came to pass
that when the
proclamation
had gone forth among them,
they were exceeding
fraid;
yea,
they feared to
displease
the king,
and they also feared to go to battle against the
Nephites,
lest they should
lose
their lives.
And it came to pass
that they would not,
or the more part of them would not obey the commandments of the king.
And now it came to pass that the king was
wroth,
because of their disobedience;
therefore he gave
Amalickiah
the command of that part of his army which was obedient unto his commands,
and commanded him that he should go forth and compel them to arms.
Now behold,
this was the desire of
Amalickiah:
for he being a very
subtle
man to do evil,
therefore he laid the plan in his heart to
dethrone
the King of the
Lamanites.
And now he had got the command of those parts of the
Lamanites
which were in favor of the King;
and he sought to gain favor of those who were not obedient;
therefore he went forward to the place which was called
Onidah,
for
thither
had all the
Lamanites
fled;
for they discovered the army
coming,
and,
supposing
that they were coming to destroy them,
therefore they fled to
Onidah,
to the place of arms. --
And they had appointed a man to be a
king and a
leader
over them,
being
fixed in their minds with a
determined
resolution that they would not be subjected to go against the
Nephites.
And it came to pass that they had
gathered
themselves together upon the top of the
mount
which was called
Antipas,
in preparation to battle.
Now it was not
Amalickiah's
intention to give them battle,
according to the commandments
of the king;
But behold,
it was his intention to gain
favor
with the armies of the
Lamanites,
that he might
place himself at their head,
and
dethrone
the king,
and take possession of the kingdom.
And behold,
it came to pass
that he caused his army to
pitch
their tents in the
valley
which was near the
mount
Antipas.
And it came to pass
that when it was night,
he sent a
secret
embassy
into the
mount
Antipas,
desiring
that the leader
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of those who were upon the
mount,
whose name was
Lehonti,
that he should come down to the foot of the
mount,
for he desired to speak with him.
And it came to pass that when
Lehonti
received the
message,
he
durst
not go down to the foot of the
mount.
And it came to pass that
Amalickiah
sent again the second time,
desiring
him to come down.
And it came to pass that
Lehonti
would not;
and he sent again the third time.
And it came to pass that when
Amalickiah
found that he could not get
Lehonti
to come down off from the
mount,
he went up into the
mount,
nearly to
Lehonti's
camp;
and he sent again the fourth time his
message
unto
Lehonti,
desiring
that he would come down,
and that he would bring his guards with him.
And it came to pass
that when
Lehonti
had come down with his guards to
Amalickiah,
that
Amalickiah
desired him to come down with his army in the night time,
and
surround
those men in their camps,
over whom the king had gave him command,
and that he would deliver them up into
Lehonti's
hands if he would make him,
( Amalickiah )
a second
leader
over the whole army.
And it came to pass that
Lehonti
came down with his men and surrounded the men of
Amalickiah,
so that before they
awoke
at the dawn of day,
they were
surrounded by the armies of
Lehonti.
And it came to pass
that when they saw that they were
surrounded,
they
plead
with
Amalickiah
that he would suffer them to fall in with their
brethren,
that they might not be destroyed.
Now this was the very thing which
Amalickiah
desired.
And it came to pass that he delivered his men,
contrary to the commands of the king.
Now this was the thing that
Amalickiah
desired,
that he might accomplish his designs in
dethroning
the king.
Now it was the custom among the
Lamanites,
if their chief leader was killed,
to appoint the second leader to be their chief leader.
And it came to pass
that
Amalickiah
caused that one of his servants should
administer
poison,
by
degrees,
to
Lehonti,
that he
died.
Now when
Lehonti
was dead,
the
Lamanites
appointed
Amalickiah
to be their leader and their chief commander.
And it came to pass that
Amalickiah
marched with his armies
( for he had gained his desires )
to the land of
Nephi,
to the city of
Nephi,
which was the chief city.
And the king came out to meet him,
with his guards:
for he supposed that
Amalickiah
had fulfilled his commands,
and that
Amalickiah
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had
gathered
together so great an army for to
go against the
Nephites
to battle.
But behold,
as the king came out to meet him
Amalickiah
caused that his servants should go forth to meet the king.
And they went and bowed themselves before the king,
as if to reverence him,
because of his greatness. --
And it came to pass that the king put forth his hand
to raise them,
as was the custom with the
Lamanites,
as a token of peace,
which custom they had taken from the
Nephites.
And it came to pass that when he had raised the first from the ground,
behold,
he
stabbed
the king to the heart;
and he fell to the earth.
Now the servants of the king
fled;
and the servants of
Amalickiah
raised a cry,
saying:
Behold,
the servants of the king
have
stabbed
him to the heart,
and he has fell,
and they have fled;
behold,
come and see.
And it came to pass that
Amalickiah
commanded that his armies should march forth,
and see what had happened to the king;
and when they had come to the
spot,
and found the king lying in his
gore,
Amalickiah
pretended to be
wroth,
and said,
Whosoever
loved
the king,
let him go forth and pursue his servants,
that they may be slain.
And it came to pass that when all
they
who
loved
the king,
when they heard these words,
came forth
and pursued after the servants of the king.
Now when the servants of the king saw an army pursuing after them,
they were
frightened
again,
and fled into the wilderness,
and came over into the land of
Zarahemla,
and joined the people of
Ammon;
and the army which pursued after them,
returned,
having pursued after them in vain:
and thus
Amalickiah,
by his
fraud,
gained the hearts of the people.
And it came to pass on the
morrow,
he entered the city
Nephi,
with his armies,
and took possession of the city.
And now it came to pass that the queen,
when she had heard that the king was slain:
for
Amalickiah
had sent an
embassy
to the queen,
informing her that the king had been slain
by his servants;
that he had pursued them with his army,
but it was in vain,
and they had made their escape:
Therefore when the queen had received this
message,
she sent unto
Amalickiah,
desiring
him that he would spare the people of the city;
and she also desired him that he should come in unto her;
and she also desired him that he should bring
witnesses
with him,
to
testify
concerning
the death of the king.
And it came to pass that
Amalickiah
took the same servant that
slew
the king,
and also them which were with him,
and
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went in unto the queen,
unto the place where she sat;
and they all
testified
unto her that the king was slain by his own servants;
and they said also,
They have fled:
Does not this
testify
against them?
And thus
they
satisfied
the queen
concerning
the death of the king.
And it came to pass that
Amalickiah
sought the favor of the queen,
and took her unto him to wife;
and thus by his
fraud,
and by the assistance of his cunning servants,
he obtained the kingdom;
yea,
he was acknowledged king throughout
all the land,
among all the people of the
Lamanites,
which were composed of the
Lamanites,
and the
Lemuelites,
and the
Ishmaelites,
and all the
dissenters
of the
Nephites,
from the reign of
Nephi
down to the present time.
Now these
dissenters,
having the same instruction and the same information of the
Nephites,
yea,
having been instructed in the same knowledge of the Lord;
nevertheless,
it is
strange
to
relate,
not long after their
dissensions,
they
became more
hardened
and
impenitent,
and more wild,
wicked, and
ferocious
than the
Lamanites;
drinking
in with the traditions of the
Lamanites;
giving way to
indolence,
and all manner of lasciviousness;
yea,
entirely
forgetting
the Lord their God.
And now it came to pass that as soon as
Amalickiah
had obtained the kingdom,
he began to inspire the hearts of the
Lamanites
against the people of
Nephi;
yea,
he did appoint men to speak unto the
Lamanites
from their towers,
against the
Nephites;
and thus he did inspire their hearts against the
Nephites,
insomuch,
that in the
latter
end of the
nineteenth
year of the reign of the Judges,
he having accomplished
his designs thus far;
yea,
having been made king over the
Lamanites,
he sought also to reign over all the land;
yea,
and all the people who were in the land;
the
Nephites
as well as the
Lamanites;
therefore he had accomplished his design:
for
he had
hardened
the hearts of the
Lamanites,
and
blinded
their minds,
and
stirred
them up to anger,
insomuch
that he had
gathered
together a numerous
host,
to go to
battle
against the
Nephites.
For he was
determined,
because of the greatness of the number of his people,
to
overpower
the
Nephites,
and to bring them into
bondage;
and thus he did appoint Chief Captains of the
Zoramites,
they being the most
acquainted
with the strength of the
Nephites,
and their places of
resort,
and the
weakest
parts of their cities;
therefore he appointed them to be Chief Captains
over his armies.
And it came to pass that they took their camp,
and moved
358 [483 - U08 = 475 - N35 = 440/475 = .926] Tabulated word-strings = 12 / 475 = .025
forth toward the land of
Zarahemla
in the wilderness.
Now it came to pass that while
Amalickiah
had thus been obtaining power by
fraud
and
deceit,
Moroni,
on the other hand,
had been
preparing
the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God.
Yea,
he had been
strengthening
the armies of the
Nephites,
and erecting small forts,
or places of
resort;
throwing up banks of earth round about to
enclose
his armies,
and also building walls of stone to ENCIRCLE
them about,
round about their cities and the borders of their lands;
yea,
all round about the land;
and in their
weakest
fortifications,
he did place the greater number of men;
and thus he did fortify and strengthen the land
which was possessed by the
Nephites.
And thus he was
preparing
to support their liberty,
their lands,
their wives,
and their children,
and their peace,
and that they might live unto the Lord their God,
and that they might maintain that which was called
by their enemies the cause of Christians.
And
Moroni
was a strong and a mighty man;
he was a man of a perfect understanding;
yea,
a man that did not delight in
bloodshed;
a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the
freedom
of his country,
and his
brethren
from
bondage
and
slavery;
yea,
a man whose heart did
swell
with thanksgiving to his
God,
for the many privileges and blessings which he
bestowed upon his people;
a man who did labor
exceedingly
for the welfare and safety of his people;
yea,
and he was a man who was firm in the
faith
of Christ,
and he had sworn with an
oath,
to defend his people,
his
rights,
and his country,
and his
religion,
even to the loss of his
blood.
Now the
Nephites
were
taught to defend themselves against
their enemies,
even to the shedding of blood,
if it were necessary;
yea,
and they were also taught never to give an offence;
yea,
and never to raise the sword,
except it were against an enemy,
except it were to preserve their lives;
and this was their
faith,
that by so
doing,
God
would prosper them in the land;
or in other words,
if they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God,
that he would
prosper
them in the land;
yea,
warn
them to
flee,
or to
prepare for war,
according to their danger;
and also,
that God would make it known unto them,
whither they should go to defend themselves against their enemies;
and by so
doing,
the Lord would deliver them:
and this was the
faith
of
Moroni;
and his heart did glory in it;
not in the shedding of blood,
but in
doing
good,
in preserving his people;
yea,
in keeping the commandments of God;
yea,
and
resisting
iniquity.
Yea,
verily,
verily
I say unto you,
if all men
359 [456 - U16 = 440 - N36 = 404/440 = .918] Tabulated word-strings = 12 / 440 = .027
had been,
and were,
and ever would be,
like unto
Moroni,
behold,
the very powers of
hell
would have been
shaken
forever;
yea,
the Devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.
Behold,
he was a man like unto
Ammon,
the son of
Mosiah,
yea,
and even the other sons of
Mosiah;
yea,
and also
Alma
and his sons:
for they were all men of God.
Now
behold,
Helaman
and his
brethren
were no less
serviceable
unto the people,
than
was
Moroni;
for they did
preach
the word of God,
and they did
baptize
unto
repentance
all men
whosoever
would
hearken
unto their words.
And thus they went forth,
and the people did humble themselves
because of their words,
insomuch
that they were highly favored of the Lord;
and thus they were
free
from wars and contentions among themselves;
yea,
even for the space of four years.
But as I have said in the
latter
end of the
nineteenth;
yea,
notwithstanding their peace amongst themselves,
they were compelled
reluctantly
to contend with their
brethren,
the
Lamanites;
yea,
and in fine,
their wars never did cease for the space of many years with the
Lamanites,
notwithstanding their much reluctance.
Now they were
sorry
to take up arms against the
Lamanites,
because they did not delight in the shedding of blood;
yea,
and this was not all;
they were
sorry
to be the means of sending so many of their
brethren
out of this world into an eternal world,
unprepared to meet their God;
nevertheless,
they could not suffer to lay down their lives,
that their wives and their children
should be massacred by the barbarous cruelty
of those who was once their
brethren,
yea,
and had
dissented
from their church,
and had left them,
and had gone to destroy them,
by joining the
Lamanites;
yea,
they could not bear that their
brethren
should rejoice over the blood of the
Nephites,
so long as there were any who should
keep the commandments of God:
for the promise of the Lord were,
If they should keep
his commandments,
they should prosper in the land.
And now it came to pass,
in the
eleventh
month of the
nineteenth
year,
on the tenth day of the month,
the armies of the
Lamanites
were seen
approaching
towards the land of
Ammonihah.
And behold,
the city had been re-built,
and
Moroni
had
stationed
an army
by the borders of the city,
and they had cast up dirt round about,
to
shield
them from the arrows and the stones of the
Lamanites;
for behold,
they fought with stones,
and with arrows.
Behold,
I
said
that the city of
Ammonihah
had been
re-built.
I
say unto you,
yea,
that it
360 [441 - U26 = 415 - N25 = 390/415 = .939] Tabulated word-strings = 26 / 415 = .063
was in part
re-built;
and
because the
Lamanites
had destroyed it once because of the
iniquity
of the people,
they supposed that it would again become an easy prey for them.
But behold,
how great was their
disappointment;
for behold,
the
Nephites
had dug up a
ridge
of earth round about them,
which was so high that the
Lamanites
could not cast their stones and their arrows at them,
that they might take effect;
neither could they come upon them,
save it was by their place of
entrance.
Now at this time,
the Chief Captains
of the
Lamanites
were astonished
exceedingly,
because
of the wisdom of
the
Nephites
in
preparing
their places of
security.
Now the leaders of the
Lamanites
had supposed,
because of the greatness of their numbers,
yea,
they supposed that they should be
privileged
to come upon them as they had
hitherto
done;
yea,
and they had also prepared themselves with
shields,
and with
breast-plates;
and they had also prepared themselves with garments of skins;
yea,
very thick garments,
to cover their
nakedness.
And being thus prepared,
they supposed that they should easily
overpower
and subject their
brethren
to the yoke of
bondage,
or slay and massacre them according to their pleasure.
But behold,
to their
uttermost
astonishment,
they were prepared for them,
in a manner which never had been known among the children of
Lehi.
Now they were prepared for the
Lamanites,
to battle,
after the manner of the instructions of
Moroni.
And it came to pass that the
Lamanites,
or the
Amalickiahites,
were
exceedingly
astonished at their manner of preparation for war.
Now,
if king
Amalickiah
had come down out of the land of
Nephi,
at the head of his army,
perhaps he would have caused the
Lamanites
to have attacked the
Nephites
at the city of
Ammonihah;
for behold, he did care not for the blood of his people.
But behold,
Amalickiah
did not come down himself to battle.
And behold,
his Chief Captains
durst
not attack the
Nephites
at the city of
Ammonihah,
for
Moroni
had altered the management of affairs among the
Nephites,
insomuch
that the
Lamanites
were disappointed in their places of retreat,
and they could not come upon them;
therefore they retreated into the
wilderness,
and took their camp,
and marched towards the Land of
Noah,
supposing
that to be the next best place for them to come against the
Nephites;
for they knew not that
Moroni
had fortified,
or had built forts of
security,
for every city in all the land round
about;
therefore they marched forward to the land of
Noah,
with a firm determination;
yea,
their Chief Captains
361 [461 - U18 = 443 - N27 = 416/443 = .939] Tabulated word-strings = 14 / 443 = .032
came forward and took an
oath
that they would destroy the people of that city.
But behold,
to their astonishment,
the city of
Noah,
which had
hitherto
been a weak place,
had now,
by the means of
Moroni,
become strong;
yea,
even
to exceed the strength of the city
Ammonihah.
And now,
behold,
this was wisdom in
Moroni;
for he had supposed that they would be
frightened
at the city
Ammonihah;
and as the city of
Noah
had
hitherto
been the
weakest
part of the land,
therefore they would march
thither
to battle;
and thus it was
according to his desires.
And behold,
Moroni
had appointed
Lehi
to be Chief Captain
over the men of that city;
and it was that same
Lehi
which fought with the
Lamanites
in the
valley,
on the east of the River
Sidon.
And now behold,
it came to pass,
that when the
Lamanites
had found that
Lehi
commanded the city,
they were again
disappointed,
for they feared
Lehi
exceedingly;
nevertheless,
their Chief Captains
had sworn with an
oath,
to attack the city;
therefore they brought up their armies.
Now behold,
the
Lamanites
could not get into their forts of
security,
by any other way save by the
entrance,
because of the highness of the bank which had been thrown up,
and the
depth
of the ditch which had been dug round about,
save it were by the
entrance.
And thus were the
Nephites
prepared to destroy all such as should attempt to
climb
up to enter the fort,
by any other way,
by casting over stones and arrows at them.
Thus they were prepared;
yea,
a
body of their
strongest
men,
with their swords and their
slings,
to
smite
down
all who should attempt to come into their place of
security,
by the place of
entrance;
and thus were they prepared to defend themselves against the
Lamanites.
And it came to pass that the
Captains of the
Lamanites
brought up their armies before the place of
entrance,
and began to contend with the
Nephites,
to get into their place of
security;
But behold,
they were driven back from time to time,
insomuch
that they were slain with an immense slaughter.
Now when they found that they could not
obtain power over the
Nephites
by the pass,
they began to
dig
down their banks of earth,
that they might
obtain a
pass to their armies,
that they might have an equal
chance to fight;
but behold,
in these attempts,
they were
swept
off by the stones and arrows which were thrown at them;
and instead of
filling
up their ditches by pulling down the banks of earth,
they were filled up in a measure,
with their dead and wounded bodies.
Thus the
Nephites
had all power
362 [399 - U19 = 380 - N31 = 349/380 = .918] Tabulated word-strings = 10 / 380 = .026
over their enemies;
and thus the
Lamanites
did attempt to destroy the
Nephites,
until their Chief Captains were all slain;
yea,
and more than a thousand of the
Lamanites
were slain;
while on the other hand,
there was not a single soul of the
Nephites
which were slain.
There were about fifty
which were wounded,
which had been
exposed
to the arrows of the
Lamanites
through the pass;
but they were
shielded
by their
shields,
and their
breast-plates,
and their
head-plates,
insomuch
that their wounds were upon their legs;
many of which were very severe.
And it came to pass,
that when the
Lamanites
saw that their Chief Captains
were all slain,
they fled into the wilderness.
And it came to pass
that they returned to the land of
Nephi,
to inform their King,
Amalickiah,
who was a
Nephite
by
birth,
concerning
their great
loss.
And it came to pass
that he was exceeding
angry with his people,
because he had not obtained his desire over the
Nephites;
he had not subjected them to the yoke of
bondage;
yea,
he was exceeding
wroth,
and he did
curse
God,
and also
Moroni,
and
swearing
with an
oath
that he would
drink
his blood;
and this because
Moroni
had kept the commandments of God in
preparing
for the safety of his people.
And it came to pass,
that on the other hand,
the people of
Nephi
did
thank
the Lord their God,
because of his
matchless
power in
delivering
them from the hands of their enemies.
And thus ended the
nineteenth
year of the reign of the Judges over the people of
Nephi;
yea,
and there was
continual
peace among them,
and exceeding
great prosperity in the church,
because of their
heed
and
diligence
which they gave unto the word of God,
which was declared unto them by
Helaman,
and
Shiblon,
and
Corianton,
and
Ammon
and his
brethren,
&c.;
yea,
and by all those which had been ordained by the holy order of God,
being
baptised
unto
repentance,
and sent forth to
preach
among the people,
&c.