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1 And now it came to pass that Moroni did not stop making preparations for war, or to defend themselves against the Lamanites; for he caused that his armies should commence in the commencement of the twentieth year of the reign of the Judges, that they should commence in digging up heaps of earth round about all the cities, throughout all the land which was possessed by the Nephites;
2 and upon the top of these ridges of earth, he caused that there should be timbers; yea, works of timbers built up to the height of a man, round about the cities.
3 And he caused that upon those works of timbers, that there should be a frame of pickets built upon the timbers, round about; and they were strong and high;
4 and he caused towers to be erected that overlooked those works of pickets; and he caused places of security to be built upon those towers, that the stones and the arrows of the Lamanites could not hurt them.
5 And they were prepared, that they could cast stones from the top thereof, according to their pleasure and their strength, and slay him which should attempt to approach near the walls of the city.
6 Thus Moroni did prepare strong holds against the coming of their enemies, round about every city in all the land.
7 And it came to pass that Moroni caused that his armies should go forth into the east wilderness; yea, and they went forth, and drove all the Lamanites which were in the east wilderness into their own lands, which were south of the land of Zarahemla;
8 and the land of Nephi did run in a straight course from the East Sea to the West.
9 And it came to pass that when Moroni had driven all the Lamanites out of the east wilderness, which was north of the lands of their own possessions, he caused that the inhabitants which were in the land of Zarahemla, and in the land round about, should go forth into the east wilderness, even to the borders, by the seashore, and possess that land.
10 And he also placed armies on the south, in the borders of their possessions, and caused them to erect fortifications, that they might secure their armies and their people from the hands of their enemies.
11 And thus he cut off all the strong holds of the Lamanites, in the east wilderness; yea, and also on the west, fortifying the line between the Nephites and the Lamanites, between the land of Zarahemla and the land of Nephi; from the West Sea, running by the head of the river Sidon; the Nephites possessing all the land northward; yea, even all the land which was northward of the land Bountiful, according to their pleasure.
12 Thus Moroni, with his armies, which did increase daily, because of the assurance of protection which his works did bring forth unto them; therefore they did seek to cut off the strength and the power of the Lamanites, from off the lands of their possessions, that they should have no power upon the lands of their possession.
13 And it came to pass that the Nephites began the foundation of a city; and they called the name of the city Moroni; and it was by the East Sea; and it was on the south by the line of the possessions of the Lamanites.
14 And they also began a foundation for a city, between the city of Moroni and the city of Aaron, joining the borders of Aaron and Moroni; and they called the name of the city, or the land, Nephihah.
15 And they also began, in that same year, to build many cities on the north; one in a particular manner, which they called Lehi, which was in the north, by the borders of the seashore.
16 And thus ended the twentieth year.
17 And in these prosperous circumstances were the people of Nephi, in the commencement of the twenty and first year of the reign of the Judges, over the people of Nephi.
18 And they did prosper exceedingly, and they became exceeding rich; yea, and they did multiply, and were strong in the land.
19 And thus we see how merciful and just are all the dealings of the Lord, to the fulfilling of all his words unto the children of men; yea, we can behold that his words are verified, even at this time, which he spake unto Lehi, saying:
20 Blessed art thou, and thy children; and they shall be blessed, inasmuch as they shall keep my commandments; they shall prosper in the land. But remember, inasmuch as they will not keep my commandments, they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord.
21 And we see that these promises have been verified to the people of Nephi; for it has been their quarrelings, and their contentions; yea, their murderings, and their plunderings, their idolatry, their whoredoms, and their abominations, which were among themselves, which brought upon them their wars and destructions.
22 And those who were faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord, were delivered at all times, whilst thousands of their wicked brethren have been consigned to bondage, or to perish by the sword, or to dwindle in unbelief, and mingle with the Lamanites.
23 But behold, there never was a happier time among the people of Nephi, since the days of Nephi, than in the days of Moroni; yea, even at this time, in the twenty and first year of the reign of Judges.
24 And it came to pass that the twenty and second year of the reign of the Judges, also ended in peace; yea, and also the twenty and third year.
25 And it came to pass that in the commencement of the twenty and fourth year of the reign of the Judges, there would also have been peace among the people of Nephi, had it not been for a contention which took place among them concerning the land of Lehi, and the land of Morianton, which joined upon the borders of Lehi; both of which were on the borders, by the seashore.
26 For behold, the people which possessed the land of Morianton, did claim a part of the land of Lehi; therefore there began to be a warm contention between them, insomuch that the people of Morianton took up arms against their brethren, and they were determined by the sword to slay them.
27 But behold, the people which possessed the land of Lehi, fled to the camp of Moroni, and appealed unto him for assistance; for behold, they were not in the wrong.
28 And it came to pass that when the people of Morianton, which were led by a man whose name was Morianton, found that the people of Lehi had fled to the camp of Moroni, they were exceeding fearful, lest the army of Moroni should come upon them, and destroy them;
29 therefore, Morianton put it to their hearts that they should flee to the land which was northward, which was covered with large bodies of water, and take possession of the land which was northward.
30 And behold, they would have carried this plan into an effect, (which would have been a cause to have been lamented,)but behold, Morianton, being a man of much passion, therefore he was angry with one of his maidservants, and he fell her, and beat her much.
31 And it came to pass that she fled, and came over to the camp of Moroni, and told Moroni all things concerning the matter; and also concerning their intentions to flee into the land northward.
32 Now behold, the people which were in the land Bountiful, or rather Moroni, feared that they would hearken to the words of Morianton, and unite with his people, and thus he would obtain possession of those parts of the land, which would lay a foundation for serious consequences among the people of Nephi; yea, which consequences would lead to the overthrow of their liberty;
33 therefore Moroni sent an army, with their camp, to head the people of Morianton, to stop their flight into the land northward.
34 And it came to pass that they did not head them, until they had come to the borders of the land Desolation; and there they did head them, by the narrow pass which led by the sea into the land northward; yea, by the sea, on the west, and on the east.
35 And it came to pass that the army which was sent by Moroni, which was led by a man whose name was Teancum, did meet the people of Morianton; and so stubborn were the people of Morianton, (being inspired by his wickedness and his flattering words,) that a battle commenced between them, in which Teancum did slay Morianton, and defeat his army, and took them prisoners, and returned to the camp of Moroni. And thus ended the twenty and four year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi.
36 And thus was the people of Morianton brought back. And upon their covenanting to keep the peace, they were restored to the land of Morianton, and a union took place between them and the people of Lehi; and they were also restored to their lands.
37 And it came to pass that in the same year that the people of Nephi had peace restored unto them, that Nephihah, the second Chief Judge, died, having filled the judgment seat with perfect uprightness before God;
38 nevertheless, he had refused Alma to take possession of those records and those things which were esteemed by Alma and his fathers to be most sacred; therefore Alma had conferred them upon his son Helaman.
39 Behold, it came to pass that the son of Nephihah was appointed to fill the judgment seat, in the stead of his father; yea, he was appointed Chief Judge, and governor over the people, with an oath, and sacred ordinance to judge righteously, and to keep the peace, and freedom of the people, and to grant unto them their sacred privileges to worship the Lord their God; yea, to support and maintain the cause of God all his days, and to bring the wicked to justice, according to their crime.
40 Now behold, his name was Pahoran. And Pahoran did fill the seat of his father, and did commence his reign in the end of the twenty and fourth year, over the people of Nephi.

1 And now it came to pass in the eleventh month of the nineteenth year, on the tenth day of the month, the armies of the Lamanites were seen approaching towards the land of Ammonihah.
2 And behold, the city had been rebuilt, and Moroni had stationed an army by the borders of the city, and they had cast up dirt round about to shield them from the arrows and the stones of the Lamanites; for behold, they fought with stones, and with arrows.
3 Behold, I said that the city of Ammonihah had been rebuilt. I say unto you, yea, that it was in part rebuilt, and because the Lamanites had destroyed it once because of the iniquity of the people, they supposed that it would again become an easy prey for them.
4 But behold, how great was their disappointment; for behold the Nephites had dug a ridge of earth round about them, which was so high that the Lamanites could not cast their stones and their arrows at them, that they might take effect; neither could they come upon them, save it was by their place of entrance.
5 Now at this time, the Chief Captains of the Lamanites were astonished exceedingly, because of the wisdom of the Nephites in preparing their place of security.
6 Now the leaders of the Lamanites had supposed, because of the greatness of their numbers; yea, they supposed that they should be privileged to come upon them as they had hitherto done; yea, and they had also prepared themselves with shields, and with breastplates; and they had also prepared themselves with garments of skins; yea, very thick garments, to cover their nakedness.
7 And being thus prepared, they supposed that they should easily overpower and subject their brethren to the yoke of bondage, or slay and massacre them according to their pleasure.
8 But behold, to their uttermost astonishment, they were prepared for them, in a manner which never had been known among all the children of Lehi. Now they were prepared for the Lamanites, to battle after the manner of the instructions of Moroni.
9 And it came to pass that the Lamanites, or the Amalickiahites, were exceedingly astonished at their manner of preparation for war.
10 Now if king Amalickiah had come down out of the land of Nephi, at the head of his army, perhaps he would have caused the Lamanites to have attacked the Nephites at the city of Ammonihah; for behold, he did care not for the blood of his people.
11 But behold, Amalickiah did not come down himself to battle. And behold, his Chief Captains durst not attack the Nephites at the city of Ammonihah, for Moroni had altered the management of affairs among the Nephites, insomuch that the Lamanites were disappointed in their places of retreat, and they could not come upon them;
12 therefore they retreated into the wilderness, and took their camp, and marched towards the land of Noah, supposing that to be the next best place for them to come against the Nephites;
13 for they knew not that Moroni had fortified or had built forts of security for every city in all the land round about; therefore they marched forward to the land of Noah with a firm determination; yea, their Chief Captains came forward, and took an oath that they would destroy the people of that city.
14 But behold, to their astonishment, the city of Noah, which had hitherto been a weak place, had now, by the means of Moroni, became strong; yea, even to exceed the strength of the city Ammonihah.
15 And now behold, this was the wisdom in Moroni; for he had supposed that they would be frightened at the city of Ammonihah; and as the city of Noah had hitherto been the weakest part of the land, therefore they would march thither to battle; and thus it was, according to his desires.
16 And behold, Moroni had appointed Lehi to be Chief Captain over the men of their city; and it was that same Lehi which fought with the Lamanites in the valley, on the east of the river Sidon.
17 And now it came to pass, that when the Lamanites had found that Lehi commanded the city, they were again disappointed, for they feared Lehi exceedingly; nevertheless, their Chief Captains had sworn with an oath, to attack the city; therefore they brought up their armies.
18 Now behold, the Lamanites could not get into their forts of security, by any other way save by the entrance, because of the highness of the bank which had been thrown up, and the depth of the ditch which had been dug round about, save it were by the entrance.
19 And thus were the Nephites prepared to destroy all such as should attempt to climb up to enter the fort, by any other way, by casting over stones and arrows at them.
20 Thus they were prepared; yea, a body of their most strong men, with their swords and their slings, to smite down all who should attempt to come into their place of security, by the place of entrance; and thus were they prepared to defend themselves against the Lamanites.
21 And it came to pass that the Captains of the Lamanites brought up their armies before the place of entrance, and began to contend with the Nephites, to get into their place of security; but behold, they were driven back from time to time, insomuch that they were slain, with an immense slaughter.
22 Now when they found that they could not obtain power over the Nephites by the pass, they began to dig down their banks of earth, that they might obtain a pass to their armies, that they might have an equal chance to fight; but behold, in these attempts, they were swept off by the stones and the arrows which were thrown at them; and instead of filling up their ditches by pulling down the banks of earth, they were filled up in a measure, with their dead and wounded bodies.
23 Thus the Nephites had all power over their enemies; and thus the Lamanites did attempt to destroy the Nephites, until their Chief Captains were all slain; yea, and more than a thousand of the Lamanites were slain; while on the other hand, there was not a single soul of the Nephites which were slain.
24 There were about fifty which were wounded, which had been exposed to the arrows of the Lamanites through the pass; but they were shielded by their shields, and their breastplates, and their headplates, insomuch that their wounds were upon their legs; many of which were very severe.
25 And it came to pass that when the Lamanites saw that their Chief Captains were all slain, they fled into the wilderness. And it came to pass that they returned to the land of Nephi, to inform their King, Amalickiah, who was a Nephite by birth, concerning their great loss.
26 And it came to pass that he was exceeding angry with his people, because he had not obtained his desire over the Nephites; he had not subjected them to the yoke of bondage;
27 yea, he was exceeding wroth, and he did curse God, and also Moroni, and swearing with an oath that he would drink his blood; and this because Moroni had kept the commandments of God in preparing for the safety of his people.
28 And it came to pass that on the other hand, the people of Nephi did thank the Lord their God, because of his matchless power in delivering them from the hands of their enemies.
29 And thus ended the nineteenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi;
30 yea, and there was continual peace among them, and exceeding great prosperity in the church, because of their heed and diligence which they gave unto the word of God, which was declared unto them by Helaman, and Shiblon, and Corianton, and Ammon, and his brethren, etc.; yea, and by all those which had been ordained by the holy order of God, being baptised unto repentance, and sent forth to preach among the people, etc.

1 And now it came to pass that as soon as Amalickiah had obtained the kingdom, he began to inspire the hearts of the Lamanites against the people of Nephi; yea, he did appoint men to speak unto the Lamanites from their towers, against the Nephites;
2 and thus he did inspire their hearts against the Nephites, insomuch, that in the latter end of the nineteenth year of the reign of the Judges, he having accomplished his designs thus far; yea, having been made king over the Lamanites, he sought also to reign over all the land; yea, and all the people which were in the land; the Nephites as well as the Lamanites;
3 therefore he had accomplished his design: for he had hardened the hearts of the Lamanites, and blinded their minds, and stirred them up to anger, insomuch that he had gathered together a numerous host, to go to battle against the Nephites.
4 For he was determined, because of the greatness of the number of his people, to overpower the Nephites, and to bring them into bondage:
5 and thus he did appoint Chief Captains of the Zoramites, they being the most acquainted with the strength of the Nephites, and their places of resort, and the weakest parts of their cities; therefore he appointed them to be Chief Captains over his armies.
6 And it came to pass that they took their camp, and moved forth towards the land of Zarahemla, in the wilderness.
7 Now it came to pass that while Amalickiah had thus been obtaining power by fraud and deceit, Moroni, on the other hand, had been preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God;
8 yea, he had been strengthening the armies of the Nephites, and erecting small forts, or places of resort; throwing up banks of earth round about, to enclose his armies, and also building walls of stone to encircle them about, round about their cities, and the borders of their lands; yea, all round about the land;
9 and in their weakest fortifications, he did place the greater number of men; and thus he did fortify and strengthen the land which was possessed by the Nephites.
10 And thus he was preparing to support their liberty, their lands, their wives, and their children, and their peace, and that they might live unto the Lord their God, and that they might maintain that which was called by their enemies the cause of Christians.
11 And Moroni was a strong and mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery;
12 yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people;
13 yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath, to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood.
14 Now the Nephites were taught to defend themselves against their enemies, even to the shedding of blood, if it were necessary; yea, and they were also taught never to give an offence; yea, and never to raise the sword, except it were against an enemy, except it were to preserve their lives:
15 and this was their faith, that by so doing. God would prosper them in the land; or in other words, if they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God, that he would prosper them in the land; yea, warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their danger;
16 and also, that God would make it known unto them, whither they should go to defend themselves against their enemies; and by so doing, the Lord would deliver them: and this was the faith of Moroni; and his heart did glory in it; not in the shedding of blood, but in doing good, in preserving his people; yea, in keeping the commandments of God; yea, and resisting iniquity.
17 Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the Devil would never have no power over the hearts of the children of men.
18 Behold, he was a man like unto Ammon, the son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of Mosiah; yea, and also Alma and his sons: for they were all men of God.
19 Now behold, Helaman and his brethren were no less serviceable unto the people, then was Moroni; for they did preach the word of God, and they did baptize unto repentance, all, men whosoever would hearken unto their words.
20 And thus they went forth, and the people did humble themselves because of their words, insomuch that they were highly favored of the Lord; and thus they were free from wars and contentions among themselves; yea, even for the space of four years.
21 But as I have said in the latter end of the nineteenth; yea, notwithstanding their peace amongst themselves, they were compelled reluctantly to contend with their brethren, the Lamanites; yea, and in fine, their wars never did cease for the space of many years with the Lamanites,
22 notwithstanding their much reluctance.
23 Now they were sorry to take up arms against the Lamanites, because they did not delight in the shedding of blood; yea, and this was not all; they were sorry to be the means of sending so many of their brethren out of this world into an eternal world, unprepared to meet their God;
24 nevertheless, they could not suffer to lay down their lives, that their wives and their children should me massacred by the barbarous cruelty of those who was once their brethren, yea, and had dissented from their church, and had left them, and had gone to destroy them, by joining the Lamanites;
25 yea, they could not bear that their brethren should rejoice over the blood of the Nephites, so long as there were any who should keep the commandments of God: for the promise of the Lord were, If they should keep his commandments, they should prosper in the land.

1 Now we will return in our record, to Amalickiah, and those which had fled with him into the wilderness: for behold, he had taken those which went with him, and went up into the land of Nephi, among the Lamanites, and did stir up the Lamanites to anger, against the people of Nephi, inasmuch that the king of the Lamanites sent a proclamation throughout all his land, among all his people, that they should gather themselves together again, to go to battle against the Nephites.
2 And it came to pass that when the proclamation had gone forth among them, they were exceeding fraid; yea, they feared to displease the king, and they also feared to go to battle against the Nephites, lest they should lose their lives. And it came to pass that they would not, or the more part of them would not obey the commandments of the king.
3 And now it came to pass that the king was wroth, because of their disobedience; therefore he gave Amalickiah the command of that part of his army which was obedient unto his commands, and commanded him that he should go forth and compel them to arms.
4 Now behold, this was the desire of Amalickiah: for he being a very subtle man to do evil, therefore he laid the plan in his heart to dethrone the king of the Lamanites.
5 And now he had got the command of those parts of the Lamanites which were in the favor of the king; and he sought to gain favor of those which were not obedient; therefore he went forward to the place which was called Oneidah, for thither had all the Lamanites fled; for they discovered the army coming, and supposing that they were coming to destroy them, therefore they fled to Oneidah, to the place of arms.
6 And they had appointed a man to be a king and a leader over them, being fixed in their minds with a determined resolution that they would not be subjected to go against the Nephites.
7 And it came to pass that they had gathered themselves together upon the top of the mount which was called Antipas, in preparation to battle.
8 Now it was not Amalickiah.s intention to give them battle, according to the commandments of the king; but behold, it was his intention to gain favor with the armies of the Lamanites, that he might place himself at their head, and dethrone the king, and take possession of the kingdom.
9 And behold, it came to pass that he caused his army to pitch their tents in the valley which was near the mount Antipas.
10 And it came to pass that when it was night, he sent a secret embassy into the mount Antipas, desiring that the leader of those which were on the mount, whose name was Lehonti, that he should come down to the foot of the mount, for he desired to speak with him.
11 And it came to pass that when Lehonti received the message, he durst not go down to the foot of the mount. And it came to pass that Amalickiah sent again a second time, desiring him to come down. And it came to pass that Lehonti would not; and he sent again the third time.
12 And it came to pass that when Amalickiah found that he could not get Lehonti to come down off from the mount, he went up into the mount, nearly to Lehonti’s camp; and he sent again the fourth time, his message unto Lehonti, desiring that he would come down, and that he would bring his guards with him.
13 And it came to pass that when Lehonti had come down with his guards to Amalickiah, that Amalickiah desired him to come down with his army in the night time, and surround those men in their camps, over whom the king gave him command, and he would deliver them up into Lehonti’s hands, if he would make him, Amalickiah, a second leader over the whole army.
14 And it came to pass that Lehonti came down with his men, and surrounded the men of Amalickiah, so that before they awoke at the dawn of the day, they were surrounded by the armies of Lehonti.
15 And it came to pass that when they saw that they were surrounded, they plead with Amalickiah that he would suffer them to fall in with their brethren, that they might not be destroyed. Now this was the very thing which Amalickiah desired.
16 And it came to pass that he delivered his men, contrary to the commands of the king. Now this was the thing that Amalickiah desired, that he might accomplish his designs in dethroning the king.
17 Now it was the custom among the Lamanites, if their chief leader was killed, to appoint the second leader to be their chief leader.
18 And it came to pass that Amalickiah caused that one of his servants administer poison, by degrees, to Lehonti, that he died.
19 Now when Lehonti was dead, the Lamanites appointed Amalickiah to be their leader and their chief commander.
20 And it came to pass that Amalickiah marched with his armies for he had gained his desires to the land of Nephi, to the city of Nephi, which was the chief city.
21 And the king came out to meet him, with his guards: for he supposed that Amalickiah had fulfilled his commands, and that Amalickiah had gathered together so great an army for to go against the Nephites to battle.
22 But behold, as the king came out to meet him, Amalickiah caused that his servants should go forth to meet the king. And they went and bowed themselves before the king, as if to reverence him, because of his greatness.
23 And it came to pass that the king put forth his hand to raise them, as was the custom of the Lamanites, and a token of peace, which custom they had taken from the Nephites.
24 And it came to pass that when he had raised the first from the ground, behold, he stabbed the king to the heart; and he fell to the earth.
25 Now the servants of the king fled; and the servants of Amalickiah raised a cry, saying:
26 Behold, the servants of the king have stabbed him to the heart, and he has fell, and they have fled; behold, come and see.
27 And it came to pass that Amalickiah commanded that his armies should march forth, and see what bad happened to the king; and when they had come to the spot, and found the king lying in his gore, Amalickiah pretended to be wroth, and said, Whosoever loved the king, let him go forth and pursue his servants, that they may be slain.
28 And it came to pass that when all they who had loved the king, when they had heard these words, came forth and pursued after the servants of the king.
29 Now when the servants of the king saw an army pursuing after them, they were frightened again, and fled into the wilderness, and came over into the land of Zarahemla, and joined the people of Ammon;
30 and the army which pursued after them, returned, having pursued after them in vain: and thus Amalickiah, by his fraud, gained the hearts of the people.
31 And it came to pass on the morrow, he entered the city of Nephi, with his armies, and took possession of the city.
32 And now it came to pass that the queen, when she had heard that the king was slain: for Amalickiah had sent an embassy to the queen, informing her that the king had been slain by his servants; that he had pursued them with his army, but it was in vain, and they had made their escape:
33 Therefore when the queen had received this message, she sent unto Amalickiah, desiring him that he would spare the people of the city; and she also desired him that he should come in unto her; and she also desired him that he would bring witnesses with him, to testify concerning the death of the king.
34 And it came to pass that Amalickiah took the same servant that slew the king, and also they which were with him, and went in unto the queen, unto the place where she sat; and they all testified unto her that the king was slain by his own servants; and they said, also, They have fled: Does not this testify against them? And thus they satisfied the queen concerning the death of the king.
35 And it came to pass that Amalickiah sought the favor of the queen, and took her unto him to wife; and thus by his fraud, and by the assistance of his cunning servants, he obtained the kingdom; yea, he was acknowledged king throughout all the land, among all the people of the Lamanites, which was composed of the Lamanites, and the Lamanites, and the Ishmaelites, and all the dissenters of the Nephites, from the reign of Nephi down to the present time.
36 Now these dissenters, having the same instruction and the same information of the Nephites; yea, having been instructed in the same knowledge of the Lord; nevertheless, it is strange to relate, not long after their dissensions, they became more hardened and impenitent, and more wild, wicked and ferocious, then the Lamanites; drinking in the traditions of the Lamanites; giving away to indolence, and all manner of lasciviousness; yea, entirely forgetting the Lord their God.

1 And it came to pass that as many as would not hearken to the words of Helaman and his brethren, were gathered together against their brethren.
2 And now behold, they were exceeding wroth, insomuch that they were determined to slay them.
3 Now the leader of those which were wroth against their brethren, was a large and a strong man; and his name was Amalickiah.
4 And Amalickiah was desirous to be a king; and those people which were wroth, were also desirous that he should be their king; and they were the greater part of them the lower Judges of the land; and they were seeking power.
5 And they had been led by the flatteries of Amalickiah, that if they would support him, and establish him to be their king, that he would make them rulers over the people.
6 Thus they were led away by Amalickiah, to dissensions, notwithstanding the preaching of Helaman and his brethren; yea, notwithstanding their exceeding great care over the church, for they were High Priests over the church.
7 And there were many in the church which believed in the flattering words of Amalickiah; therefore they dissented even from the church; and thus were the affairs of the people of Nephi exceeding precarious and dangerous, notwithstanding their great victory which they had had over the Lamanites, and their great rejoicings which they had had, because of their deliverance by the hands of the Lord.
8 Thus we see how quick the children of men doth forget the Lord their God; yea, how quick to do iniquity, and to be led away by the evil one;
9 yea, and we also see the great wickedness one very wicked man can cause to take place among the children of men;
10 yea, we see that Amalickiah, because he was a man of cunning devices, and a man of many flattering words, that he led away the hearts of many people to do wickedly; yea, and to seek to destroy the church of God, and to destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them, or which blessing God had sent upon the face of the land, for the righteous sake.
11 And now it came to pass that when Moroni, which was the chief commander of the armies of the Nephites, had heard of these dissensions, he was angry with Amalickiah.
12 And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it, In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children; and he fastened it upon the end of a pole thereof.
13 And he fastened his headplate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, and he called it the title of liberty. And he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land:
14 for thus were all the true believers of Christ, which belonged to the church of God, called by those which did not belong to the church;
15 and those who did belong to the church were faithful; yea, all those who were true believers in Christ, took upon them, gladly, the name of Christ, or Christians, as they were called, because of their belief in Christ, which should come;
16 and therefore, at this time, Moroni prayed that the cause of the Christians, and the freedom of the land, might be favored.
17 And it came to pass that when he had poured out his soul, he gave all the land which was south of the land Desolation; yea, and in fine, all the land, both on the north and on the south, a chosen land, and the land of liberty.
18 And he saith, Surely God shall not suffer that we, who are despised because we take upon us the name of Christ, shall be trodden down and destroyed, until we bring it upon us, by our own transgressions.
19 And when Moroni had said these words, he went forth among the people, waving the rent of his garment in the air, that all might see the writing which he had wrote upon the rent, and crying with a loud voice, saying:
20 Behold, whosoever will maintain this title upon the land, let them come forth in the strength of the Lord, and enter into a covenant that they will maintain their rights, and their religion, that the Lord God may bless them.
21 And it came to pass that when Moroni had proclaimed these words, behold, the people came running together, with their armours girded about their loins, rending their garments in token, or as a covenant, that they would not forsake the Lord their God; or, in other words, if they should transgress the commandment of God, or fall into transgressions, and be ashamed to take upon them the name of Christ, the Lord should rend them even as they rent their garments.
22 Now this was the covenant which they made; and they cast their garments at the feet of Moroni, saying: We covenant with our God that we shall be destroyed, even as our brethren in the land northward, if we shall fall into transgression; yea, he may cast us at the feet of our enemies, even as we have cast our garments at thy feet, to trodden under foot, if we shall fall into transgression.
23 Moroni saith unto them, Behold, we are a remnant of the seed of Jacob; yea, we are a remnant of the seed of Joseph, whose coat was rent by his brethren, into many pieces; yea, and now behold, let us remember to keep the commandments of God, or our garments shall be rent by our brethren, and we be cast into prison, or be sold, or be slain;
24 yea, let us preserve our liberty, as a remnant of Joseph; yea, let us remember the words of Jacob, before his death; for behold, he saw that a part of the remnant of the coat of Joseph was preserved, and had not decayed. And he saith, Even as this remnant of garment of my sons hath been preserved, so shall a remnant of the seed of my son be preserved by the hand of God, and be taken unto himself, while the remainder of the seed of Joseph shall perish, even as the remnant of his garment.
25 Now behold, this giveth my soul sorrow; nevertheless, my soul hath joy in my son, because that part of his seed which shall be taken unto God.
26 Now behold, this was the language of Jacob.
27 And now who knoweth but what the remnant of the seed of Joseph, which shall perish as his garment, are those which have dissented from us; yea, and even it shall be us, if we do not stand fast in the faith of Christ.
28 And now it came to pass that when Moroni had said these words, he went forth, and also sent forth in all the parts of the land where there were dissensions, and gathered together all the people which were desirous to maintain their liberty, to stand against Amalickiah, and those which had dissented, which were called Amalickiahites.
29 And it came to pass that when Amalickiah saw that the people of Moroni were more numerous than the Amalickiahites; and he also saw that his people were doubtful concerning the justice of the cause in which they had undertaken; therefore, fearing that he should not gain the point, he took those of his people which would, and departed into the land of Nephi.
30 Now Moroni thought it was not expedient that the Lamanites should have any more strength; therefore he thought to cut off the people of Amalickiah, or to take them and bring them back, and put Amalickiah to death; yea, for he knew that they would stir up the Lamanites to anger against them, and cause them to come to battle against them; and this he knew that Amalickiah would do, that he might obtain his purposes;
31 therefore Moroni thought it was expedient that he should take his armies, which had gathered themselves together and armed themselves, and entered into a covenant to keep the peace. And it came to pass that he took his army and marched out with his tents into the wilderness to cut off the course of Amalickiah in the wilderness.
32 And it came to pass that he did according to his desires and marched forth into the wilderness and headed the armies of Amalickiah.
33 And it came to pass that Amalickiah fled with a small number of his men, and the remainder were delivered up into the hands of Moroni, and were taken back into the land of Zarahemla.
34 Now Moroni being a man which was appointed by the Chief Judges and the voice of the people, therefore he had power according to his will, with the armies of the Nephites, to establish and to exercise authority over them.
35 And it came to pass that whomsoever of the Amalickiahites that would not enter into a covenant to support the cause of freedom, that they might maintain a free government, he caused to be put to death; and there was but few which denied the covenant of freedom.
36 And it came to pass also, that he caused the title of liberty to be hoisted upon every tower which was in all the land, which was possessed by the Nephites; and thus Moroni planted the standard of liberty among the Nephites.
37 And they began to have peace again in the land; and thus they did maintain peace in the land, until nearly the end of the nineteenth year of the reign of the Judges.
38 And Helaman and the High Priests did also maintain order in the church; yea, even for the space of four years, did they have much peace and rejoicing in the church.
39 And it came to pass that there were many who died, firmly believing that their souls were redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ; thus they went out of the world rejoicing.
40 And there were some who died with fevers, which at some seasons of the year, was very frequent in the land; but not so much so with fevers, because of the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots which God had prepared, to remove the cause of diseases which was subsequent to man, by the nature of the climate.
41 But there were many who died with old age; and those who died in the faith of Christ, are happy in him, as we must needs suppose.

1 Behold, now it came to pass that the people of Nephi were exceedingly rejoiced, because the Lord God again delivered them out of the hands of their enemies; therefore they gave thanks unto the Lord their God; yea, and they did fast much and pray much, and they did worship God exceeding great joy.
2 And it came to pass in the nineteenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi, that Alma came unto his son Helaman, and saith unto him, Believest thou the words which I spake unto thee concerning those records which have been kept?
3 And Helaman saith unto him, Yea, I believe.
4 And Alma saith again, Believest thou in Jesus Christ, which shall come?
5 And he saith, Yea, I believe all the words which thou hast spoken.
6 And Alma saith unto him again, Will ye keep my commandments?
7 And he said, Yea, I will keep thy commandments with all my heart.
8 Then Alma saith unto him, Blessed art thou; and the Lord shall prosper thee in this land.
9 But behold, I have somewhat to prophesy unto thee; but what I prophesy unto thee, ye shall not make known; yea, what I prophesy unto thee shall not be made known, even until the prophecy is fulfilled; therefore write the words which I shall say.
10 And these are the words: Behold, I perceive that this very people, the Nephites, according to the spirit of revelation which is in me, in four hundred years from the time that Jesus Christ shall manifest himself unto them, shall dwindle in unbelief;
11 yea, and then shall they see wars and pestilences, yea, famines and bloodshed, even until the people of Nephi shall become extinct;
12 yea, and this because they shall dwindle in unbelief, and fall into the works of darkness and lasciviousness, and all manner of iniquities; yea, I say unto you, that because they shall sin against so great light and knowledge; yea, I say unto you, that from this day, even the fourth generation shall not all pass away, before this great iniquity shall come;
13 and when that great day cometh, behold, the time very soon cometh that those which are now, or the seed of those which are now numbered among the people of Nephi, shall no more be numbered among the people of Nephi;
14 but whosoever remaineth, and is not destroyed in that great and dreadful day, shall be numbered among the Lamanites, and shall become like unto them all, save it be a few, which shall be called the disciples of the Lord; and them shall the Lamanites pursue, even until they shall become extinct. And now, because of iniquity, this prophecy shall be fulfilled.
15 And now it came to pass that after Alma has said these things to Helaman, he blessed him, and also his other sons; and he also blessed the earth, for the righteous sake.
16 And he said, Thus saith the Lord God: Cursed shall be the land, yea, this land, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, unto destruction, which do wickedly, when they are fully ripe; and as I have said, so shall it be: for this is the cursing and the blessing of God upon the land, for the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance.
17 And now, when Alma had said these words, he blessed the church, yea, all those which should stand fast in the faith, from that time henceforth;
18 and when Alma had done this, he departed out of the land of Zarahemla, as if to go into the land of Melek. And it came to pass that he was never heard of more; as to his death or his burial, we know not of.
19 Behold, this we know, that he was a righteous man; and the saying went abroad in the church, that he was taken up by the spirit, or buried by the hand of the Lord, even as Moses. But behold, the Scripture saith the Lord took Moses unto himself; and we suppose that he hath also received Alma in the spirit, unto himself; therefore, for this cause, we know nothing concerning his death or burial.
20 And now it came to pass in the commencement of the nineteenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi, that Helaman went forth among the people to declare the word unto them:
21 for behold, because of their wars with the Lamanites, and the many little dissensions and disturbances which had been among the people, it became expedient that the word of God should be declared among them; yea, and that a regulation should be made throughout the church;
22 therefore Helaman and his brethren went forth to establish the church again in all the land, yea, in every city throughout all the land which was possessed by the people of Nephi. And it came to pass that they did appoint priests and teachers throughout all the land, over all the churches.
23 And now it came to pass that after Helaman and his brethren had appointed priests and teachers over the churches, that there arose a dissension among them, and they would not give heed to the words of Helaman and his brethren;
24 but they grew proud, being lifted up in their hearts, because of their exceeding great riches; therefore they grew rich in their own eyes, and would not give heed to their words, to walk uprightly before God.

1 And it came to pass that they did stop, and withdrew a pace from them. And Moroni said unto Zerahemnah, Behold, Zerahemnah, that we do not desire to be men of blood. Ye know that ye are in our hands, yet we do not desire to slay you.
2 Behold, we have not come out to battle against you, that we might shed your blood, for power; neither do we desire to bring any one to the yoke of bondage. But this is the very cause for which ye have come against us; yea, and ye are angry with us because of our religion.
3 But now ye behold that the Lord is with us; and ye behold that he hath delivered you into our hands. And now I would that ye should understand that this is done unto us because of our religion and our faith in Christ. And now ye see that ye cannot destroy this our faith.
4 Now ye see that this is the true faith of God; yea, ye see that God will support, and keep, and preserve us, so long as we are faithful unto him, and unto our faith, and our religion; and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be destroyed, except we should fall into transgression, and deny our faith.
5 And now, Zerahemnah, I command you, in the name of that all-powerful God, who hath strengthened our arms, that we have gained power over you by our faith, by our religion, and by our rites of worship, and by our church, and by the sacred support which we owe to our wives, and our children, by that liberty which binds us to our lands and our country; yea, and also by the maintenance of the sacred word of God, to which we owe all our happiness; and by all that is most dear unto us;
6 yea, and this is not all; I command you by all the desires which ye have for life, that ye deliver up your weapons of war unto us, and we will seek not your blood, but we will spare your lives, if ye will go your way, and come not again to war against us.
7 And now if ye do not this, behold, ye are in our hands, and I will command my men that they shall fall upon you, and inflict the wounds of death in your bodies, that ye may become extinct; and then we will see who shall have power over this people; yea, we will see who shall be brought into bondage.
8 And now it came to pass that when Zerahemnah had heard these sayings, he came forth and delivered up his sword and his cimeter, and his bow, into the hands of Moroni, and saith unto him, Behold, here is our weapons of war; we will deliver them up unto you, and we will not suffer ourselves to take an oath unto you, which we know that we shall break, and also our children; but take our weapons of war, and suffer that we may depart into the wilderness; otherwise we will retain our swords, and we will perish or conquer.
9 Behold, we are not of your faith; we do not believe that it is God that hath delivered us into your hands; but we believe that it is your cunning that hath preserved you from our swords. Behold, it is your breastplates, and your shields that hath preserved you.
10 And now when Zerahemnah had made an ending of speaking these words, Moroni returned the sword, and the weapons of war which he had received, unto Zerahemnah, saying, Behold, we will end the conflict.
11 Now I cannot retain the words which I have spoken; therefore, as the Lord liveth, ye shall not depart, except ye depart with an oath, that ye will not return again against us to war. Now as ye are in our hands, we will spill your blood upon the ground, or ye shall submit to the conditions to which I have proposed.
12 And now when Moroni had said these words, Zerahemnah retained his sword, and he was angry with Moroni, and he rushed forward that he might slay Moroni; but as he raised his sword, behold, one of Moroni’s soldier smote it even to the earth; and it broke by the hilt; and he also smote Zerahemnah, that he took off his scalp, and it fell to the earth. And Zerahemnah withdrew from before them, into the midst of his soldiers.
13 And it came to pass that the soldier that stood by, which smote off the scalp of Zerahemnah, took up the scalp from off the ground, by the hair, and laid it upon the point of his sword, and stretched it forth unto them, saying unto them with a loud voice,
14 saying: Even as this scalp hath fallen to the earth, which is the scalp of your Chief, so shall ye fall to earth, except ye will deliver up your weapons of war, and depart, with a covenant of peace.
15 Now there were many, when they heard these words, and saw the scalp which was upon the sword, they were struck with fear, and many came forth and threw down their weapons of war, at the feet of Moroni, and entered into a covenant of peace. And as many as entered into a covenant, they suffered to depart into the wilderness.
16 Now it came to pass that Zerahemnah was exceeding wroth, and he did stir up the remainder of his soldiers to anger, to contend more powerfully against the Nephites.
17 And now Moroni was angry, because of the stubbornness of the Lamanites; therefore he commanded his people that they should fall upon them and slay them. And it came to pass that they began to slay them; yea, and the Lamanites did contend with their swords and their mights.
18 But behold, their naked skins, and their bare heads, were exposed to the sharp swords of the Nephites; yea, behold, they were pierced and smitten; yea, and did fall exceeding fast before the swords of the Nephites; and they began to be swept down, even as the soldier of Moroni had prophesied.
19 Now Zerahemnah, when he saw that they were all about to be destroyed, he cried mightily unto Moroni, promising that he would covenant, and also his people, with them, if they would spare the remainder of their lives, that they never would come to war again against them.
20 And it came to pass that Moroni caused that the work of death should cease again among the people. And it came to pass, that he took the weapons of war from the Lamanites; and after they had entered into a covenant with him of peace, they were suffered to depart into the wilderness.
21 Now the number of their dead were not numbered, because of the greatness of the number; yea, the number of their dead were exceeding great, both on the Nephites, and on the Lamanites.
22 And it came to pass that they did cast their dead into the waters of Sidon; and they have gone forth, and are buried in the depths of the sea.
23 And the armies of the Nephites, or of Moroni, returned, and came to their houses, and their lands.
24 And thus ended the eighteenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi. And thus ended the record of Alma, which was wrote upon the plates of Nephi.

1 And now it came to pass, that the sons of Alma did go forth among the people, to declare the word unto them. And Alma also, himself, could not rest, and he also went forth.
2 Now we shall say no more concerning their preaching, except that they preached the word, and the truth, according to the spirit of prophecy and revelation; and they preached after the holy order of God, by which they were called.
3 And now I return to an account of the wars between the Nephites and the Lamanites, in the eighteenth year of the reign of the Judges.
4 For behold, it came to pass that the Zoramites became Lamanites; therefore, in the commencement of the eighteenth year, the people of the Nephites saw that the Lamanites were coming upon them; therefore they made preparations for war; yea, they gathered together their armies in the land of Jershon.
5 And it came to pass that the Lamanites came with their thousands; and they came into the land of Antionum, which was the land of the Zoramites; and a man by the name of Zerahemnah was their leader.
6 And now as the Amalekites were of a more wicked and murderous disposition than the Lamanites were, in an end of themselves, therefore Zerahemnah appointed Chief Captains over the Lamanites, and they were all the Amalekites and the Zoramites.
7 Now this he done, that he might preserve their hatred towards the Nephites; that he might bring them into subjection to the accomplishment of his designs;
8 for behold, his designs were to stir up the Lamanites to anger against the Nephites; this he done that he might usurp great power over them; and also that he might gain power over the Nephites, by bringing them into bondage, etc.
9 And now the design of the Nephites were to support their lands, and their houses, and their wives, and their children, that they might preserve them from the hands of their enemies, and also, that they might preserve their rights and their privileges; yea, and also their liberty, that they might worship God according to their desires;
10 for they knew that if they should fall into the hands of the Lamanites, that whosoever should worship God, in spirit and in truth, the true and the living God, the Lamanites would destroy;
11 yea, they also knew the extreme hatred of the Lamanites towards their brethren, which were the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi; which were called the people of Ammon; and they would not take up arms; yea, they had entered into a covenant, and they would not break it; therefore, they should fall into the hands of the Lamanites, they would be destroyed.
12 And the Nephites would not suffer that they be destroyed; therefore they gave them lands for their inheritance.
13 And the people of Ammon did give unto the Nephites a large portion of their substance, to support their armies; and thus the Nephites were compelled, alone, to withstand against the Lamanites, which were a compound of Laman and Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael, and all those which had dissented from the Nephites, which were Amalekites, and Zoramites, and the descendants of the priests of Noah.
14 Now those descendants were as numerous, nearly, as were the Nephites; and thus the Nephites were obliged to contend with their brethren, even unto bloodshed.
15 And it came to pass, as the armies of the Lamanites had gathered together in the land of Antionum, behold the armies of the Nephites were prepared to meet them in the land of Jershon.
16 Now the leader of the Nephites, or the man which had been appointed to be the Chief Captain over the Nephites: Now the Chief Captain took the command of all the armies of the Nephites; and his name was Moroni;
17 and Moroni took all the command, and the governments of their wars. And he was only twenty and five years old when he was appointed Chief Commander over the armies of the Nephites.
18 And it came to pass that he met the Lamanites in the borders of Jershon, and his people were armed with swords, and with cimeters, and all manner of weapons of war.
19 And it came to pass, that when the armies of the Lamanites saw that the people of Nephi, or that Moroni had prepared his people with breast-plates, and with arm-shields; yea, and also shields to defend their heads; and also they were dressed with thick clothing.
20 Now the army of Zerahemnah was not prepared with any such thing. They had only their swords, and their cimeters, their bows and their arrows, their stones and their slings; but they were naked, save it were a skin which was girded about their loins; yea, all were naked, save it were the Zoramites and the Amalekites.
21 But they were not armed with breast-plates, nor shields; therefore they were exceeding afraid of the armies of the Nephites, because of their armor, notwithstanding their number being so much greater than the Nephites.
22 Behold, now it came to pass, that they durst not come against the Nephites in the border of Jershon; therefore they departed out of the land of Antionum, into the wilderness, and took their journey round about in the wilderness, away by the heads of the river Sidon, that they might come into the land of Manti, and take possession of the land; for they did suppose that the armies of Moroni would know whither they had gone.
23 But it came to pass, as soon as they had departed into the wilderness, Moroni sent spies into the wilderness, to watch their camp; and Moroni, also knowing of the prophecies of Alma, sent certain men unto him, desiring him that he should inquire of the Lord whither the armies of the Nephites should go, to defend themselves against the Lamanites.
24 And it came to pass that the word of the Lord came unto Alma; and Alma informed the messengers of Moroni that the armies of the Lamanites were marching round about in the wilderness, that they might come over into the land of Manti, that they might commence an attack upon the more weak part of the people. And those messengers went and delivered the message unto Moroni.
25 Now Moroni, leaving a part of his army in the land of Jershon, lest by any means, a part of the Lamanites should come into the land and take possession of the city; and Moroni took the remainder part of his army and marched over into the land of Manti.
26 And he caused that all the people in that quarter of the land, should gather themselves together to battle, against the Lamanites, to defend their lands and their country, their rights and their liberties; therefore they were prepared against the time of the coming of the Lamanites.
27 And it came to pass, that Moroni caused that his army should be secreted in the valley which was near the bank of the river Sidon, which was on the west of the river Sidon, in the wilderness.
28 And Moroni placed spies round about that he might know when the camp of the Lamanites should come.
29 And now as Moroni knew the intentions of the Lamanites, that it was there intention to destroy their brethren, or to subject them and bring them into bondage, that they might establish a kingdom unto themselves, over all the land;
30 and he also knowing that it was the only desire of the Nephites to preserve their lands and their liberty, and their church, therefore he thought it no sin that he should defend them by stratagem; therefore he found, by his spies, which course the Lamanites were to take.
31 Therefore he divided his army, and brought a part over into the valley, and concealed them on the east, and on the south of the hill Riplah;
32 and the remainder he concealed in the west valley, on the west of the river Sidon, and so down into the borders of the land of Manti.
33 And thus having placed his army according to his desire, he was prepared to meet them.
34 And it came to pass that the Lamanites came up on the north of the hill where a part of the army of Moroni was concealed.
35 And it came to pass that as the Lamanites had passed the hill Riplah, and came into the valley, and began to cross the river Sidon, the army which was concealed on the south of the hill, who was led by a man whose name was Lehi; and he led his army forth and encircled the Lamanites about, on the east, in their rear.
36 And it came to pass that the Lamanites, when they saw the Nephites coming upon them in the rear, turned them about, and began to contend with the army of Lehi;
37 and the work of death commenced on both sides; but it was more dreadful on the part of the Lamanites; for their nakedness was exposed to heavy blows of the Nephites, with their swords and their cimeters, which brought death almost at every stroke;
38 while on the other hand, there was now and then a man fell among the Nephites, by their swords, and the loss of blood; they being shielded from the more vital parts of the body, or the more vital parts of the body being shielded from the strokes of the Lamanites, by their breastplates, and their armshields, and their headplates; and thus the Nephites did carry on the work of death among the Lamanites.
39 And it came to pass that the Lamanites became frightened, because of the great destruction among them, even until they began to flee towards the river Sidon.
40 And they were pursued by Lehi and his men, and they were driven by Lehi into the waters of Sidon; and they crossed the waters of Sidon. And Lehi retained his armies upon the bank of the river Sidon, that they should not cross.
41 And it came to pass that Moroni and his army met the Lamanites in the valley, on the other side of the river Sidon. And it came to pass that Moroni and his army began to fall upon them, and to slay them.
42 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did flee again before them, towards the land of Manti; and they were met again by the armies of Moroni.
43 Now in this case, the Lamanites did fight exceedingly; yea, never had the Lamanites been known to have fought with such exceeding great strength and courage; no, not even from the beginning;
44 and they were inspired by the Zoramites, and the Amalekites, which were their Chief Captains and leaders, and by Zerahemnah, who was their Chief Captain, or their chief leader and commander; yea, they did fight like dragons; and many of the Nephites were slain by their hands; yea, for they did smite in two many of their head-plates; and they did pierce many of their breast-plates; and they did smite off many of their arms; and thus the Lamanites did smite in their fierce anger.
45 Nevertheless, the Nephites were inspired by a better cause; for they were not fighting for monarchy nor power; but they were fighting for their homes, and their liberties, their wives, and their children, and their all; yea, for their rites of worship, and their church;
46 and they were doing that which they felt it was the duty which they owed to their God; for the Lord said unto them, and also unto their fathers. That inasmuch as ye are not guilty of the first offense, neither the second, ye shall not suffer yourselves to be slain by the hands of your enemies.
47 And again: The Lord hath said That ye shall defend your families, even unto bloodshed; therefore, for this cause were the Nephites contending with the Lamanites, to defend themselves, and their families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and their religion.
48 And it came to pass that when the men of Moroni saw the fierceness and the anger of the Lamanites, they were about to shrink and flee from them. And Moroni, perceiving their intent, sent forth and inspired their hearts with these thoughts; yea, the thoughts of their lands, their liberty, yea, their freedom from bondage.
49 And it came to pass that they turned upon the Lamanites, and they cried with one voice unto the Lord their God, for their liberty, and their freedom from bondage.
50 And they began to stand against the Lamanites with power; and in that self-same hour that they cried unto the Lord for their freedom, the Lamanites began to flee before them; and they fled into the waters of Sidon.
51 Now the Lamanites were more numerous; yea, by more than double the number of the Nephites; nevertheless, they were driven insomuch that they were gathered together in one body, in the valley, upon the bank, by the river Sidon;
52 therefore the armies of Moroni encircled them about; yea, even on both sides of the river; for behold, on the east, were the men of Lehi;
53 therefore when Zerahemnah saw the men of Lehi on the east of the river Sidon, and the armies of Moroni on the west of the river Sidon, that they were encircled about by the Nephites, they were struck with terror,
54 he commanded his men that they should stop shedding their blood.

1 And now, my son, I perceive there is somewhat more which doth worry your mind, which ye cannot understand, which is concerning the justice of God, in the punishment of the sinner: for ye do try to suppose that it is injustice that the sinner should be consigned to a state of misery.
2 Now behold, my son, I will explain this thing unto thee: for behold, after the Lord God sent our first parents forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground, from whence he was taken; yea, he drew out the man, and he placed at the east end of the garden of Eden, cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the tree of life.
3 Now we see that the man had became as God, knowing good and evil; and lest he should put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever, that the Lord God placed cherubims and the flaming sword, that he should not partake of the fruit;
4 and thus we see, that there was a time granted unto man, to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God.
5 For behold, if Adam had put forth his hand immediately, and partook of the tree of life, he would have lived forever, according to the word of God, having no space for repentance; yea, and also the word of God would have been void, and the great plan of salvation would have been frustrated.
6 But behold, it was appointed unto man to die; therefore as they were cut off from the tree of life, therefore they should be cut off from the face of the earth; and man became lost forever; yea, they became fallen man.
7 And now we see by this, that our first parents were cut off, both temporally and spiritually, from the presence of the Lord; and thus we see they became subjects to follow after their own will.
8 Now behold, it was not expedient that man should be reclaimed from this temporal death, for that would destroy the great plan of happiness;
9 therefore, as the soul could never die, and the fall had brought upon all mankind a spiritual death as well as a temporal; that is, they were cut off from the presence of the Lord; therefore it was expedient that mankind should be reclaimed from this spiritual death;
10 therefore as they become carnal, sensual and devilish, by nature, this probationary state became a state for them to prepare: it became a preparatory state.
11 And now remember my son, if it were not for the plan of redemption, (laying it aside,) as soon as they were dead, their souls were miserable, being cut off from the presence of the Lord.
12 And now there was no means to reclaim men from this fallen state which man had brought upon himself, because of his own disobedience;
13 therefore, according to justice, the plan of redemption could not be brought about, only, on conditions of repentance of men in this probationary state; yea, this preparatory state; for except it were for these conditions, mercy could not take effect except it should destroy the work of justice. Now the work of justice could not be destroyed: if so, God would cease to be God.
14 And thus we see that all mankind were fallen, and they were in the grasp of justice; yea, the justice of God, which consigned them forever to be cut off from his presence.
15 And now the plan of mercy could not be brought about, except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about a plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God. Also,
16 now repentance could not come unto men, except there were a punishment, which also was as eternal as the life of the soul should be, affixed opposite to the plan of happiness, which was as eternal also as the life of the soul.
17 Now, how could a man repent, except he should sin? How could he sin, if there was no law? How could there be a law, saved there was a punishment?
18 Now there was a punishment affixed, and a just law given, which brought remorse of conscience unto man.
19 Now if there was no law given, if a man murdered he should die, would he be afraid he should die if he should murder?
20 And also, if there was no law given against sin, men would not be afraid to sin.
21 And if there was no law given if men sinned, what could justice do, or mercy either, for they would have no claim upon the creature?
22 But there is a law given, and a punishment affixed, and repentance granted; which repentance, mercy claimeth; otherwise, justice claimeth the creature, and executeth the law, and the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be destroyed, and God would cease to be God. But God ceaseth not to be God,
23 and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of god; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be judged according to their works; according to the law and justice;
24 for behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved.
25 What do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit. If so, God would cease to be God.
26 And thus God bringeth about his great and eternal purposes, which was prepared from the foundation of the world. And thus cometh about the salvation and the redemption of men, and also their destruction and misery;
27 therefore, O my son, whosoever will come, and partake of the waters of life freely; and whosoever will not come, the same is not compelled to come; but in the last day, it shall be restored unto him, according to his deeds.
28 If he hath desired to do evil, and hath not repented in his days, behold, evil shall be done unto him, according to the restoration of God.
29 And now my son, I desire that ye should let these things trouble you no more, and only let your sins trouble you, with that trouble which shall bring you down unto repentance.
30 O my son, I desire that ye should deny the justice of God no more. Do not endeavor to excuse yourself in the least point, because of your sins, by denying the justice of God, but do you let the justice of God, and his mercy, and long suffering, having full sway in your heart; but let it bring you down to the dust, in humility.
31 And now, O my son, ye are called of God to preach the word unto this people. And now, my son, go thy way, declare the word with truth and soberness, that thou mayest bring souls unto repentance, that the great plan of mercy may have claim upon them. And may God grant unto you, yea, even according to my words. Amen.

1 And now my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the restoration of which has been spoken; for behold, some have arrested the Scriptures, and have gone far astray, because of this thing. And I perceive that thy mind hath been worried also, concerning this thing. But behold, I will explain it unto thee.
2 I say unto thee, my son, that the plan of restoration is requisite with the justice of God; for it is requisite that all things be restored to their proper order. Behold, it is requisite and just, according to the power and resurrection of Christ, that the soul of man should be restored to its body, and that every part of the body should be restored to itself.
3 And it is requisite with the justice of God, that man should be judged according to their works; and if their works were good in this life, and the desires of their hearts were good, that they should also, at the last day, be restored unto that which is good;
4 and if their works are evil, they shall be restored unto him for evil; therefore, all things shall be restored to their proper order; every thing to its natural frame; mortality raised to immortality; corruption to incorruption; raised to endless happiness, to inherit the Kingdom of God, or to endless misery, to inherit the kingdom of the Devil; the one on one hand, the other on the other;
5 the one raised to happiness, according to his desires of happiness; or good, according to his desires of good; and the other to evil, according to his desires of evil; for as he has desired to do evil all the day long, even so shall he have his reward of evil, when the night cometh.
6 And so it is on the other hand. If he hath repented of his sins, and desired righteousness until the end of his days, even so he shall be rewarded unto righteousness.
7 These are they that are redeemed of the Lord; yea, these are they that are taken out, that are delivered from that endless night of darkness; and thus they stand or fall; for behold, they are their own judges, whether to do good or do evil.
8 Now the decrees of God are unalterable; therefore the way is prepared, that whosoever will, may walk therein and be saved.
9 And now behold my son, do not risk one more offense against your God upon these points of doctrine, which ye hath hitherto risked to commit sin.
10 Do not suppose, because it hath been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness, Behold I say unto you, Wickedness never was happiness.
11 And now, my son, all men that are in a state of nature, or I would say, in a carnal state, are in the gall of bitterness, and in the bonds of iniquity; they are without God in the world; and they have gone contrary to the nature of God; therefore they are in a state contrary to the nature of happiness.
12 And now behold, is the meaning of the word restoration, to take a thing of a natural state, and place it in an unnatural state, or to place it in a state opposite to its nature?
13 O, my son, this is not the case; but the meaning of the word restoration, is to bring back again evil for evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish; good for that which is good; righteous for that which is righteous; just for that which is just; merciful for that which is merciful;
14 therefore my son, see that ye are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually; and if ye do all these things, then shall ye receive your reward; yea, ye shall have mercy restored unto you again; ye shall have justice restored unto you again; ye shall have a righteous judgment restored unto you again; and ye shall have good rewarded unto you again;
15 for that which ye doth send out, shall return unto you again, and be restored; therefore the word restoration, more fully condemneth the sinner, and justifieth him not at all.