1 (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;

2 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.

3 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.

4 Now it came to pass that the Nephites were desirous to obtain those which had been carried away captive into the wilderness;

5 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 taken captive by the Lamanites.

6 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.

7 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.

8 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.

9 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.

10 But behold, in one day it was left desolate; and their carcases were mangled by dogs and wild beasts of the wilderness;

11 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.

12 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.

13 And Alma and Amulek went forth preaching repentance unto the people in their tempels, and in their sanctuaries, and also in their synagogues, which was built after the manner of the Jews.

14 And as many as would hear their words, unto them they did impart the word of God, without any respects of persons continually.

15 And thus did Alma and Amulek go forth, and also many more which had been chosen for the work, to preach the word throughout all the land. And the establishment of the Church became general throughout the land, in all the region round about, among all the people of the Nephites.

16 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 recieve the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming,

17 that they might not be hardened against the word, that they might not be unbelieving, and go on to destruction, but that they might recieve 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.

18 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 adultry, and all manner of lasciviousness, crying that these things ought not so to be;

19 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.

20 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.

21 And now after the Church having been established throughout all 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.

(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, according to the record of Alma.

1 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.

2 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.

3 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.

4 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.

5 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.

6 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;

7 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:

8 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.

9 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.

10 And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his spirit, and said unto them, Be comforted; and they were comforted.

11 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.

12 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.

14 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:

15 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;

16 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;

17 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.

18 Now Ammon being the chief among them, or rather he did administer unto them; and he departed from them, after havgn 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.

19 And Ammon went to the land of Ishmael, the land being called after the sons of Ishmael, which also became Lamanites.

20 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;

21 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.

22 And the king inquired of Ammon if it were his desires to dwell in the land among the Lamanites, or among his people?

23 And Ammon said unto him, Yea, I desire to dwell among this people for a time; yea, and perhaps until the day I die.

24 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.

25 But Ammon saith unto him, Nay, but I will be thy servant; therfore 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.

26 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;)

27 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.

28 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.

29 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.

30 Now these were the thoughts of Ammon, when he saw the afflictions of those which he termed to be his brethren.

31 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.

32 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.

33 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.

34 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;

35 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.

36 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.

37 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.

38 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.

39 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.

1 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.

2 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 this people, because of their murders?

3 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.

4 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.

5 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:

6 for he had slew many of them, because their brethren had scattered their flocks at the place of water; and thus because they had had their flocks scattered, they were slain.

7 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.

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

9 And they saith 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 there had been a great feast appointed at the land of Nephi, by the father of Lamoni, who was king over all the land.

10 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.

11 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.

12 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;

13 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;

14 therefore Ammon turned himself unto the king, and saith unto him, What wilt 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.

15 And it came to pass that Ammon said unto him again, What desirest thou of me? But the king answered him not.

16 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, Is it 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?

17 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.

18 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?

19 Ammon answered and said unto him, I am not.

20 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.

21 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.

22 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.

23 And the king answered him, and said, Yea, I will believe all thy words; and thus he was caught with guile.

24 And Ammon began to speak unto him with boldness, and said unto him, Believest thou that there is a God?

25 And he answered, and said unto him, I do not know what that meaneth.

26 And then Ammon saith, Be-lievest thou that there is a Great Spirit?

27 And he saith, Yea.

28 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 in the Earth?

29 And he saith, Yea, I believe that he created all things which is in the earth; but I do not know the Heavens.

30 And Ammon saith unto him, The Heavens is a place where God dwells, and all his holy angels.

31 And king Lamoni saith, Is it above the earth?

32 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.

33 And king Lamoni saith, I believe all these things which thou hast spoken. Art thou sent from God?

34 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;

35 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.

36 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;

37 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.;

38 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;

39 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.

40 And it came to pass that after he had said all these things, and expounded them to the king, that the king believed all his words.

41 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.

42 And now when he had said this, he fell unto the earth, as if he were dead.

43 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.

1 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.

2 Now the queen having heard of the fame of Ammon, therefore she sent and desired that he should come in unto her.

3 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.

4 And she saith unto him, The servants of my husband have made it known unto me, that thou art a prophet of a Holy God, and that thou hast power to do many mighty works in his name;

5 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.

6 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;

7 therefore, what the queen desired of him, was his only desire. Therefore he went in to see the king, according as the queen had desired him; and he saw the king, and he knew that he was not dead.

8 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.

9 And Ammon saith unto her, Believest thou this? And she said 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.

10 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.

11 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.

12 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:

13 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.

14 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.

15 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.

16 And it came to pass that they did call on the name of the Lord in their might, even until they had all 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 yars, on account of a remarkable vision of her father;

17 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;

18 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.

19 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.

20 But others rebuked them, saying, The king hath brought this evil upon his house, because he slew his servants who had had their flocks scattered at the waters of Sebus;

21 and they were also rebuked 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.

22 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.

23 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.

24 And it came to pass that when the multitude beheld that 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.

25 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;

26 but others rebuked them all, saying, That he was a monster, which hath been sent from the Nephites to torment us;

27 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;

28 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.

29 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 an awful hell! O blessed God, have mercy on this people.

30 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;

31 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.

32 But there were many among them which would not hear his words; therefore they went their way.

33 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: that their hearts had been changed; that they had no more desire to do evil.

34 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.

35 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:

36 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.

1 And it came to pass that when they had 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 him unto his father.

2 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.

3 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.

4 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?

5 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.

6 Now when Lamoni had heard this, he caused that his servants should make ready his horses, and his chariots.

7 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.

8 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.

9 And behold, the father of Lamoni saith unto him, Why did ye not come to the feast, on that great day when I made a feast unto my sons, and unto my people?

10 And he also saith, Whither art thou going with this Nephite, which is one of the children of a liar?

11 And it came to pass that Lamoni rehearst unto him whither he was going, for he feared to offend him.

12 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.

13 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 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 their lyings, deceive us, that they again may rob us of our property.

14 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.

15 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.

16 Now when his father heard these words, he was angry with hlm, and he drew his sword that he might smite him to the earth.

17 But Ammon stood forth and saith unto him, Behold, thou shalt not slay thy son; nevertheless, it were better that he should fall tban 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.

18 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.

19 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:

20 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.

21 Now when the king saw that Ammon could slay him, he began to plead with Ammon, that he would spare his life.

22 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.

23 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.

24 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 do according to his own desires, in whatsoever thing he thinketh, and then will I spare thee; otherwise I will smite thee to the earth.

25 Now when Ammon had said these words, the king began to rejoice because of his life.

26 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 may retain his kingdom from this time and forever; and I will govern him no more.

27 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 he had spoken, and also at the words which had been spoken by his son Lamoni; therefore he was desirous to learn them.

28 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.

29 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.

30 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.

(Chapter XIII.) An account of the preaching of Aaron and Muloki, and their brethren, to the Lamanites.

1 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.

2 Now the Lamanites, and the Amalekites, and the people of Amulon, had built a great city, which was called Jerusalem.

3 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.

4 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.

5 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, are not this people as good as thy people?

6 Thou also sayest, Except we repent, we shall perish. How knowest thou the thought and intent of our heart? 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.

7 Now Aaron said unto him, Believest thou that the Son of God shall come to redeem mankind from their sins?

8 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.

9 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.

10 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;

11 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.

12 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.

13 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.

14 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.

15 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.

16 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.

17 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.

18 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.

19 And king Lamoni would not suffer that Ammon should serve him, or be his servant;

20 but he caused that there should 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.

21 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.

22 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.

23 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.

1 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.

2 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.

3 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.

4 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.

5 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.

6 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?

7 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.

8 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.

9 And the king saith, Is God that Great Spirit that brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem?

10 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?

11 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.

12 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.

13 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.

14 And since man had fallen, he could not merit any thing of himself; but the sufferings and 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.

15 And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king saith, What shall I do, that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, 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.

16 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.

17 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,

18 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.

19 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.

20 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.

21 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.

22 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.

23 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.

24 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.

25 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.

26 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.

27 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.

28 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 by the seashore.

29 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.

30 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.

31 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.

32 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 nearly surrounded by water; there being a small neck of land between the land northward, and the land southward.

33 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 not overrun the land northward;

34 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.

35 And now I, after having said this, return again to the account of Ammon, and Aaron, Omner and Himni, and their brethren.

1 (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 their land;

2 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;

3 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 sent 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, nor to commit any manner of wickedness.

4 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.

5 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;

6 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,

7 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.

8 Now these are they which were converted unto the Lord:

9 The people of the Lamanites which were in the land of Ishmael,

10 and also of the people of the Lamanites which were in the land of Middoni,

11 and also of the people of the Lamanites which were in the city of Nephi,

12 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;

13 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.

14 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;

15 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.

16 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.

17 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.

18 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.

1 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;

2 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.

3 Now the king conferred the kingdom upon his son; and he called his name Anti-Nephi-Lehi.

4 And the king died in that self-same year that the Lamanites began to make preparation for war against the people of God.

5 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.

6 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.

7 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.

8 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;

9 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;

10 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 of those our many sins and murders which we have committed, and took away the guilt from our hearts, through the merits of his Son.

11 And now behold, my brethren, since it has been all that we could do, (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.

12 Now my best beloved brethren, since God hath taken away our stains, and our swords have become bright, then let us stain our swords no more with the blood of our brethren.

13 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.

14 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.

15 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.

16 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.

17 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;

18 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;

20 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.

21 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;

22 and thus without meeting any resistance, they did slay a thousand and five of them; and we know that they are blessed, for they have gone to dwell with their God.

23 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;

24 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.

25 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.

26 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 are saved.

27 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.

28 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.

29 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;

30 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.

1 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;

2 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.

3 And after that, they had many battles with the Nephites, in the which they were driven and slain;

4 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;

5 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:

6 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.

7 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.

8 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.

9 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 death by fire.

10 For he said unto them, What ye shall do unto me, shall be a type of things to come.

11 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.

12 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 they were smitten.

13 And it came to pass that 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;

14 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,

15 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.

16 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, relving upon the spirit of prophecy, which spake of those things to come.

17 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 had granted unto them according to their prayers, and that he had also verified his word unto them in every particular.

1 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?

2 And now I ask, What great blessings hath he bestowed upon us? Can ye tell?

3 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.

4 Behold, thousands of them do rejoice, and have been brought into the fold of God.

5 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;

6 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.

7 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.

8 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.

9 For if we had not come up out of the land of Zarahemla, these our dearly beloved brethren, which have so dearly beloved us, would still have been racked with hatred against us, yea, and they would also have been strangers to God.

10 And it came to pass that when Ammon had said these words, his brother Aaron rebuked him, saying: Ammon, I fear that thy joy doth carry thee away unto boasting.

11 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;

12 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.

13 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?

14 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.

15 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;

16 therefore let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord, yea, we will 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.

17 Who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and polluted state?

18 Behold, we went forth even in wrath, with mighty threatnings to destroy his church.

19 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?

20 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.

21 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;

22 yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing: unto such it is given to know 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.

23 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?

24 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.

25 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.

26 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.

27 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.

28 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;

29 and we have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have 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 strong cords, and cast into prison; and through the power and wisdom of God, we have been delivered again;

30 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.

31 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.

32 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.

33 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.

34 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.

35 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.

36 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.

37 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.

1 (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.

2 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.

3 Now this people again rufused to take their arms, and they suffered themselves to be slain according to the desires of their enemies.

5 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.

6 But the king saith unto them, Behold, the Nephites will destroy us, because of the many murders and sins we have committed against them.

7 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?

8 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.

9 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.

10 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.

11 And it came to pass that Ammon went and inquired of the Lord, and the Lord said unto him,

12 Get this people out of his 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.

13 And now it came to pass that Ammon went and told the king all the words which the Lord had said unto him.

14 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.

15 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.

16 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.

17 Now the joy of Ammon was so 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.

18 Now was not this exceeding joy? Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness.

19 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.

20  And 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.

21 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.

22 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 Bountiful; and this land Jershon is the land which we will give unto our brethren, for an inheritance.

23 And behold, we will set our armies between the land Jershon and the land of Nephi, that we may protect our brethren in the land 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.

24 And now behold, this will we do unto out brethren, that they may inherit the land 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.

25 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.

26 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;

27 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.

28 And they did look upon shedding the blood of their brethren with the greatest 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;

29 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.

30 And thus they were a zealous and beloved people, a highly favored people of the Lord.

1 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.

2 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.

3 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.

4 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;

5 yea, the cry of widows mourning for their husbands, and also of 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.

6 And now surely this was a sorrowful day; yea, a time of solemnity, and a time of much fasting and prayer:

7 and thus ended the fifteenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi;

8 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.

9 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;

10 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;

11 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;

12 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 they are raised to dwell at the right hand of God, in a state of never ending happiness:

13 and thus we see how great the inequality 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;

14 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.

1 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;

2 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 our God, that there might not be no more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.

3 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.

4 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;

5 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.

6 Now seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?

7 Why should I desire that I was an angel, that I could speak unto all the ends of the earth?

8 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.

9 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.

10 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, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me;

11 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;

12 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;

13 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 this people, and hath given me much success, in the which my joy is full;

14 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.

15 Behold, they have labored exceedingly, and have brought forth much fruit; and how great shall be their reward.

16 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.

17 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.

1 (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.

2 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;

3 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;

4 and thus the people did have no disturbance in all the sixteenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi.

5 And it came to pass in the seventeenth year of the reign of the Judges, there was continual peace.

6 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.

7 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.

8 For thus saith the Scripture: Choose ye this day, whom ye will serve.

9 Now if a man desired to serve God, it was his privilege, or rather if he believed in God, it was his privilege to serve him; but if he did not believe in him, there was no law to punish him.

10 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:

11 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.

12 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:

13 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.

14 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.

15 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.

16 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.

17 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.

18 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.

19 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.

20 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.

21 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.

22 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?

23 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.

24 Ye 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.

25 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.

26 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;

27 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;

28 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 nor known, which never was nor never will be.

29 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.

30 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.

31 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.

32 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.

33 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.

34 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?

35 Then why sayest thou that we preach unto this people to get gain, when thou of thyself knowest that we receive no gain? And now, believest thou that we deceive this people, that causeth such joy in their hearts?

36 And Korihor answered him, Yea.

37 And then Alma saith unto him, Believest thou that there is a God?

38 And he answered, Nay.

39 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.

40 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.

41 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?

42 Behold, I know that thou believest, but thou art 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.

43 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 will I be convinced of the truth of thy words.

44 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;

45 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.

46 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 still resist the spirit of the truth, that thy soul may be destroyed.

47 But behold, it is better that thy soul should be lost, than that thou shouldst be the means of bringing many souls down to destruction, by thy lying and by thy flattering words; therefore if thou shalt deny again, behold, God shall smite thee, that thou shalt become dumb, that thou shalt never open thy mouth any more, that thou shalt not deceive this people any more.

48 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.

49 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.

50 Now when Alma said these words, Korihor was struck dumb, that he could not have utterance, according to the words of Alma.

51 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 should 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?

52 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.

53 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.

54 Now when he had said this, he besought that Alma should pray unto god, that the curse might be taken from him.

55 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.

56 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.

57 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.

58 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.

59 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;

60 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.