1 Now these are the words that Amulek preached unto the people which was in the land of Ammonihah, saying:
2 I am Amulek; I am the son of Giddonah, who was the son of Ishmael, who was a descendant of Aminadi: and it was that same Aminadi which interpreted the writing which was upon the wall of the temple, which was written by the finger of God.
3 And Aminadi was a descendant of Nephi, who was the son of Lehi, who came out of the land of Jerusalem, who was a descendant of Manasseh, who was the son of Joseph, which was sold into Egypt by the hands of his brethren.
4 And behold, I am also a man of no small reputation among all those who know me; yea, and behold, I have many kindred and friends, and I have also acquired much riches by the hand of my industry;
5 nevertheless, after all this, I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his mysteries and marvellous power. I said I never had known much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvellous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people;
6 nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times, and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on unbelieving against God, in the wickedness of my heart, even until the fourth day of this seventh month, which is in the tenth year of the reign of our Judges.
7 As I was a journeying to see a very near kindred, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto me, and said, Amulek, return to thine own house, for thou shalt feed a prophet of the Lord; yea, a holy man, which art a chosen man of God; for he hath fasteth many days because of the sins of this people, and he is an hungered, and thou shalt receive him into thy house and feed him, and he shall bless thee and thy house; and the blessing of the Lord shall rest upon thee and thy house.
8 And it came to pass that I obeyed the voice of the angel, and returned towards my house. And as I was a going thither, I found the man which the angel said unto me, Thou shalt receive into thy house; and behold it was this same man which hath been speaking unto you concerning the things of God.
9 And the angel said unto me, He is a holy man; wherefore I know he is a holy man, because it was said by an angel of God.
10 And again: I know that the things whereof he hath testified are true; for behold, I say unto you, that as the Lord liveth, even so he hath sent his angel to make these things manifest unto me; and this he hath done while this Alma hath dwelt at my house;
11 for behold, he hath blessed mine home, he hath blessed me, and my woman, and my children, and my father, and my kinsfolks; yea, even all my kindred hath he blessed, and the blessings of the Lord hath rested upon us according to the words which he spake.
12 And now when Amulek had spoken these words, the people began to be astonished, seeing there was more than one witness which testifieth of the things whereof they were accused, and also of the things which was to come, according to the spirit of prophecy which was in them;
13 nevertheless, there were some among them which thought to question them, that by their cunning devices they might catch them in their words, that they might find witness against them, that they might deliver them to the Judges, that they might be judged according to the law, and that they might be slain or cast into prison, according to the crime which they could make appear, or witness against them.
14 Now it was those men which sought to destroy them, which were Lawyers, which were hired or appointed by the people to administer the law at their times of trials, or at trials of the crimes of the people, before the Judges.
15 Now these Lawyers were learned in all the arts and cunning of the people; and this was to enable them that they might be skilful in their profession.
16 And it came to pass that they began to question Amulek, that thereby they might make him cross his words, or contradict the words which he should speak.
17 Now they knew not that Amulek could know of their designs. But it came to pass as they began to question him, he perceived their thoughts, and he saith unto them, O ye wicked and perverse generation; ye Lawyers and hypocrites; for ye are laying the foundation of the Devil; for ye are laying traps and snares to catch the holy ones of God;
18 ye are laying plans to pervert the ways of the righteous, and to bring down the wrath of God upon your heads, even to the utter destruction of this people;
19 yea, well did Mosiah say, who was our last king, when he was about to deliver up the kingdom, having no one to confer it upon, causing that this people should be governed by their own voices; yea, well did he say, that if the time should come that the voice of this people should choose iniquity; that is, if the time should come that this people should fall into transgression, they would be ripe for destruction.
20 And now I say unto you, that well doth the Lord judge your iniquities; well doth he cry unto this people, by the voice of his angels, Repent ye, repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
21 Yea, well doth he cry, by the voice of his angels, that I will come down among my people with equity and justice in my hands.
22 Yea, and I say unto you, that if it were not for the prayers of the righteous, which are now in the land, that ye would even now be visited with utter destruction; yet it would not be by flood, as were the people in the days of Noah, but it would be by famine, and by pestilence, and the sword.
23 Now it is by the prayers of the righteous that ye are spared; now therefore if ye will cast out the righteous from among you, then will not the Lord stay his hand, but in his fierce anger he will come down against you; then ye shall be smitten by famine, and by pestilence, and by the sword; and the time is soon at hand, except ye repent.
24 And now it came to pass that the people were more angry with Amulek, and they cried out saying: This man doth revile against our laws, which are just, and our wise Lawyers, which we have selected.
25 But Amulek stretched forth his hand, and cried the mightier unto them, saying: O ye wicked and perverse generation; why hath Satan got such great hold upon your hearts? Why will ye yield yourselves unto him, that he may have power over you, to blind your eyes, that ye will not understand the words which are spoken, according to their truth?
26 For behold, have I testified against your law? Ye do not understand; ye say that I have spoken against your law; but have I not; but I have spoken in favor of your law, to your condemnation.
27 And now behold, I say unto you, that the foundation of the destruction of this people is a beginning to be laid by the unrighteousness of your lawyers and your Judges.
28 And now it came to pass that when Amulek had spoken these words, the people cried out against him, saying, Now we know that this man is a child of the Devil, for he hath lied unto us; for he hath spoken against our law. And now he saith that he hath not spoken against it.
29 And again: he hath reviled against our Lawyers, and our Judges,
30 And it came to pass that the Lawyers put it into their hearts that they should remember these things against him.
31 And it came to pass that there was one among them whose name was Zeezrom. Now he being the foremost to accuse Amulek and Alma, he being one of the most expert among them, having much business to do among the people.
32 Now the object of these Lawyers were to get gain; and they got gain according to their employ.
admin
Alma 9
1 And again: I Alma, having been commanded of God that I should take Amulek and go forth and preach again unto this people, or the people which was in the city of Ammonihah. And it came to pass as I began to preach unto them, they began to contend with me, saying:
2 Who art thou? Suppose ye that we shall believe the testimony of one man, although he should preach unto us that the earth should pass away?
3 Now they understood not the words which they spake, for they knew not that the earth should pass away.
4 And they sayeth also, We will not believe thy words, if thou shouldst prophesy that this great city should be destroyed in one day.
5 Now they knew not that God could do such marvellous works, for they were a hard hearted and a stiffnecked people.
6 And they sayeth, Who is God, that sendeth no more authority than one man among this people, to declare unto them the truth of such great and marvellous things?
7 And they stood forth to lay their hands on me; behold, they did not. And I stood with boldness to declare unto them, yea, I did boldly testify unto them, saying:
8 Behold, O ye wicked and perverse generation, how have ye forgotten the tradition of your fathers; yea, how soon ye have forgotten the commandments of God.
9 Do ye not remember that our father Lehi was brought out of Jerusalem by the hand of God? Do ye not remember that they were all led by him through the wilderness?
10 And have ye forgotten so soon how many times he delivered our fathers out of the hands of their enemies, and preserved them from being destroyed, even by the hands of their own brethren?
11 Yea, and if it had not been for his matchless power, and his mercy, and his long suffering towards us, we should unavoidably have been cut off from the face of the earth, long before this period of time, and perhaps been consigned to a state of endless misery and wo.
12 Behold, now I say unto you, that he commandeth you to repent; and except ye repent, ye can in no wise inherit the kingdom of God. But behold, this is not all: he hath commanded you to repent, or he will utterly destroy you from off the face of the earth; yea, he will visit you in his anger, and in his fierce anger he will not turn away.
13 Behold, do ye not remember the words which he spake unto Lehi, saying, That inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land? And again it is said, That inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments, ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord.
14 Now I would that ye should remember, that inasmuch as the Lamanites have not kept the commandments of God, they have been cut off from the presence of the Lord. Now we see that the word of the Lord hath been verified in this thing, and the Lamanites have been cut off from his presence, from the beginning of their transgressions in the land.
15 Nevertheless I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for them in the day of judgment, than for you, if ye remain in your sins; yea, and even more tolerable for them in this life, than for you, except ye repent,
16 for there are many promises which is extended to the Lamanites: for it is because of the traditions of their fathers that causeth them to remain in their state of ignorance; therefore the Lord will be merciful unto them, and prolong their existence in the land.
17 And at some period of time they will be brought to believe in his word, and to know of the incorrectness of the traditions of their fathers; and many of them will be saved, for the Lord will be merciful unto all who call on his name.
18 But behold, I say unto you, that if ye persist in your wickedness, that your days shall not be prolonged in the land, for the Lamanites shall be sent upon you; and if ye repent not, they shall come in a time when you know not, and ye shall be visited with utter destruction; and it shall be according to the fierce anger of the Lord;
19 for he will not suffer you that ye shall live in you iniquities, to destroy his people. I say unto you, Nay; he would rather suffer that the Lamanites might destroy all this people which is called the people of Nephi, if it were possible that they could fall into sins and transgressions, after having so much light and so much knowledge given unto them of the Lord their God;
20 yea, after having been such a highly favored people of the Lord; yea, after having been favored above every other nation, kindred, tongue, or people; after having had all things made known unto them, according to their desires, and their faith, and prayers, of that which has been, and which is, and which is to come;
21 having been visited by the spirit of God; having conversed with angels, and having been spoken unto by the voice of the Lord; and having the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and also many gifts: the gift of speaking with tongues, and the gift of preaching, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the gift of translation;
22 yea, and after having been delivered of God out of the land of Jerusalem, by the hand of the Lord; having been saved from famine, and from sickness, and all manner of diseases of every kind; and they having been waxed strong in battle, that they might not be destroyed; having been brought out of bondage time after time, and having been kept and preserved until now; and they have been prospered until they are rich in all manner of things.
23 And now behold I say unto you, that if this people, who have received so many blessings from the hand of the Lord, should transgress, contrary to the light and knowledge which they do have; I say unto you, that if this be the case; that if they should fall into transgression, that it would be far more tolerable for the Lamanites than for them.
24 For behold, the promises of the Lord, are extended to the Lamanites, but they are not unto you, if ye transgress: for hath not the Lord expressly promised and firmly decreed, that if ye will rebel against him, that ye shall utterly be destroyed from off the face of the earth?
25 And now for this cause, that ye may not be destroyed, the Lord hath sent his angel to visit many of his people, declaring unto them that they must go forth and cry mightily unto this people, saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of Heaven is nigh at hand;
26 and not many days hence, the Son of God shall come in his glory; and his glory shall be the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace, equity and truth, full of patience, mercy, and long suffering, quick to hear the cries of his people, and to answer their prayers.
27 And behold, he cometh to redeem those who will be baptized unto repentance, through faith on his name;
28 therefore prepare ye the way of the Lord, for the time is at hand that every man shall reap a reward of their works, according to that which they have been: if they have been righteous, they shall reap the salvation of their souls, according to the power and deliverance of Jesus Christ; and if they have been evil, they shall reap the damnation of their souls, according to the power and captivation of the Devil.
29 Now behold, this is the voice of the angel, crying unto the people.
30 And now my beloved brethren, for ye are my brethren, and ye had ought to be loved, and ye had ought to bring forth works which is mete for repentance, seeing that your hearts have been grossly hardened against the word of God, and seeing that ye are a lost and fallen people.
31 Now it came to pass that when I, Alma, had spoken these words, behold, the people were wroth with me, because I said unto them that they were a hardhearted and a stiffnecked people;
32 and also because I had said unto them that they were a lost and a fallen people, they were angry with me, and sought to lay their hands upon me, that they might cast me into prison;
33 but it came to pass that the Lord did not suffer them that they should take me at a time and cast me into prison.
34 And it came to pass that Amulek went and stood forth, and began to preach unto them also. And now the words of Amulek are not all written; nevertheless a part of his words are written in this book.
Alma 8
1 And now it came to pass that Alma returned from the land of Gideon, after having taught the people of Gideon many things which cannot be written, having established the order of the church, according as he had before done in the land of Zarahemla; yea, he returned to his own house at Zarahemla, to rest himself from the labors which he had performed.
2 And thus ended the ninth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi.
3 And it came to pass in the commencement of the tenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi, that Alma departed from thence, and took his journey over into the land of Melek, on the west of the river Sidon, on the west, by the borders of the wilderness;
4 And he began to teach the people in the land of Melek, according to the holy order of God by which he had been called; and he began to teach the people throughout all the land of Melek.
5 And it came to pass that the people came to him throughout all the borders of the land which was by the wilderness side. And it came to pass that they were baptized throughout all the land,
6 so that when he had finished his work at Melek, he departed thence, and travelled three days’ journey on the north of the land of Melek; and he came to a city which was called Ammonihah.
7 Now it was the custom of the people of Nephi, to call their lands, and their cities, and their villages, yea, even all their small villages, after the name of him, who first possessed them; and thus it was with the land of Ammonihah.
8 And it came to pass that when Alma came to the city of Ammonihah, he began to preach the word of God unto them.
9 Now Satan had gotten great hold upon the hearts of the people of the city of Ammonihah; therefore they would not hearken unto the words of Alma.
10 Nevertheless Alma labored much in the spirit, wrestling with God in mighty prayer, that he would pour out his spirit upon the people which was in the city; that he would also grant that he might baptize them unto repentance;
11 nevertheless, they hardened their hearts, saying unto him, Behold, we know that thou art Alma; and we know that thou art High Priest over the church which thou hast established in many parts of the land, according to your tradition; and we are not of the church, and we do not believe in such foolish traditions.
12 And now we know that because we are not of thy church, we know that thou hast no power over us; and thou hast delivered up the judgment seat unto Nephihah; therefore thou art not the Chief Judge over us.
13 Now when the people had said this, and had withstood all his words, and reviled him, and spit upon him, and caused that he should be cast out of their city, he departed thence and took his journey towards the city which was called Aaron.
14 And it came to pass that while he was journeying thither, being weighed down with sorrow, wading through much tribulation and anguish of souls, because of the wickedness of the people which was in the city of Ammonihah. And it came to pass that while Alma was weighed down with sorrow, behold, and angel of the Lord appeared unto him saying,
15 Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou received thy first message from him. Behold, I am he that delivered it into you;
16 and behold, I am sent to command thee that thou return to the city of Ammonihah, and preach again unto the people of the city; yea, preach unto them. Yea, say unto them, except they repent, the Lord God will destroy them.
17 For behold, they do study at this time that they may destroy the liberty of thy people, (for thus saith the Lord,) which is contrary to the statutes, and judgments, and commandments which he hath given unto his people.
18 Now it came to pass that after Alma had received his message from the angel of the Lord, he returned speedily to the land of Ammonihah. And it came to pass that he entered the city by another way, yea, by the way which was on the south of the city of Ammonihah.
19 And it came to pass that as he entered the city, he was an hungered, and he saith to a man, Will ye give to an humble servant of God something to eat?
20 And the man saith unto him, I am a Nephite, and I know that thou art a Holy Prophet of God, for thou art the man which an angel saith in a vision, Thou shalt receive; therefore go with me into my house, and I will impart unto thee of my food; and I know that thou will be a blessing unto me and my house.
21 And it came to pass that the man received him into his house; and the man was called Amulek; and he brought forth bread and meat, and sat before Alma.
22 And it came to pass that Alma ate bread and was filled; and he blessed Amulek and his house, and he gave thanks unto God.
23 And after he had eat and was filled, he said unto Amulek, I am Alma, and am the High Priest over the church of God throughout the land.
24 And behold, I have been called to preach the word of God among all this people, according to the spirit of revelation and prophecy; and I was in this land, and they would not receive me, but they cast me out, and I was about to set my back towards this land forever.
25 But behold, I have been commanded that I should turn again and prophesy unto this people, yea, and to testify against them concerning their iniquities.
26 And now Amulek, because thou hast fed me and took me in, thou art blessed: for I was an hungered, for I had fasted many days.
27 And it came to pass that Alma tarried many days with Amulek, before he began to preach unto the people.
28 And it came to pass that the people did wax more gross in their iniquities.
29 And the word came to Alma, saying, Go; and also say unto my servant Amulek, Go forth and prophesy unto this people, saying: Repent ye, for thus saith the Lord: Except ye repent, I will visit this people in mine anger; yea, and I will not turn my fierce anger away.
30 And it came to pass that Alma went forth, and also Amulek, among the people, to declare the words of God unto them; and they were filled with the Holy Ghost;
31 and they had power given unto them, insomuch that they could not be confined in dungeons; neither were it possible that any man could slay them; nevertheless they did not exercise their power until they were bound in bands and cast into prison. Now this was done that the Lord might show forth his power in them.
32 And it came to pass that they went forth and began to preach and to prophesy unto the people, according to the spirit and power which the Lord had given them.
Alma 7
1 Behold my beloved brethren, seeing that I have been permitted to come unto you, therefore I attempt to address you in my language; yea, by my own mouth, seeing that it is the first time that I have spoken unto you by the words of my mouth, I having been wholly confined to the judgment seat, having had much business that I could not have come unto you;
2 and even I could not have come now at this time, were it not that the judgment seat hath been given to another, to reign in my stead; and the Lord in much mercy hath granted that I should come unto you.
3 And behold, I have come, having great hopes and much desire that I should find that ye had humbled yourselves before God, and that ye have continued in the supplicating of his grace, that I should find that ye were blameless before him; that I should find that ye were not in the awful dilemma that our brethren were in at Zarahemla;
4 but blessed be the name of God that he hath given me to know, yea, hath given unto me the exceeding great joy of knowing that they are established again in the way of his righteousness.
5 And I trust according to the spirit of God which is in me, that I shall also have joy over you; nevertheless I do not desire that my joy over you, should come by the cause of so much afflictions and sorrow which I have had for the brethren at Zarahemla: for behold, my joy cometh over them after wading through much afflictions and sorrow.
6 But behold, I trust that ye are not in a state of so much unbelief as were your brethren; I trust that ye are not lifted up in the pride of your hearts; yea, I trust that ye have not set your hearts upon riches, and the vain things of the world; yea, I trust that you do not worship idols, but that ye do worship the true and the living God, and that ye look forward for the remission of your sins with an everlasting faith which is to come.
7 For behold, I say unto you, there be many things to come; and behold, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all: for behold, the time is not far distant, that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people.
8 Behold, I do not say that he will come among us at the time of his dwelling in his mortal tabernacle; for behold, the spirit hath not said unto me that this should be the case. Now as to this thing I do not know, but this much I do know, that the Lord God hath the power to do all things which is according to his word.
9 But behold, the spirit hath said this much unto me, saying: Cry unto this people, saying, Repent ye, and prepare the way of the Lord, and walk in his paths, which are straight: for behold, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, and the Son of God cometh upon the face of the earth.
10 And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem, which is the land of our forefathers, she being a Virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed, and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God;
11 and he shall go forth, suffering pains, and afflictions, and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith, He will take upon him the pains and the sickness of his people;
12 and he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which binds his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to suffer his people according to their infirmities.
13 Now the spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh, that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions, according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.
14 Now I say unto you, that ye must repent, and be born again: for the spirit saith, If ye are not born again, ye cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven; therefore come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may have faith on the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world, which is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness;
15 yea, I say unto you, Come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction; yea, come and go forth, and shew unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins, and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day, by going into the waters of baptism;
16 and whosoever doeth this, and keepeth the commandments of God from thenceforth, the same will remember that I say unto him, yea, he will remember that I have said unto him, he shall have eternal life, according to the testimony of the Holy Spirit, which testifieth in me.
17 And now my beloved brethren, do you believe these things? Behold, I say unto you, yea, I know that you believe them; and the way that I know that ye believe them, is by the manifestation of the spirit which is in me. And now because your faith is strong concerning that, yea, concerning the things which I have spoken, great is my joy.
18 For as I said unto you from the beginning, that I had much desire that ye was not in the state of dilemma like your brethren, even so I have found that my desires have been gratified.
19 For I perceive that ye are in the paths of righteousness; I perceive that ye are in the path which leads to the kingdom of God; yea, I perceive that ye are making his paths straight;
20 I perceive that it hath been made known unto you by the testimony of his word, that he cannot walk in crooked paths; neither doth he vary from that which he hath said; neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left, or from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one eternal round.
21 And he doth not dwell in unholy temples; neither can filthiness, or any thing which is unclean be received into the kingdom of God; therefore I say unto you, the time shall come, yea, and it shall be at the last day, that he which is filthy, shall remain in his filthiness.
22 And now my beloved brethren, I have said these things unto you, that I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God, that ye may walk blameless before him; that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received.
23 And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive, and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive,
24 and see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works;
25 and may the Lord bless you, and keep your garments spotless, that ye may at last be brought to sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the Holy Prophets, which have been ever since the world began, having your garments spotless, even as their garments are spotless in the kingdom of Heaven, to go no more out.
26 And now my beloved brethren, I have spoken these words unto you, according to the spirit which testifieth in me; and my soul doth exceedingly rejoice, because of the exceeding diligence and heed which ye have given unto your word.
27 And now, may the peace of God rest upon you, and upon your houses and land, and upon your flocks and herds, and all that you possess; your women and your children, according to your faith and good works, for this time forth and forever. And thus I have spoken. Amen.
Alma 6
1 And now it came to pass that after Alma had made an end of speaking unto the people of the church, which was established in the city of Zarahemla, he ordained priests and elder, by laying on his hands according to the order of God, to preside and watch over the church.
2 And it came to pass that whomsoever did not belong to the church who repented of their sins, was baptized unto repentance, and was received into the church.
3 And it also came to pass that whomsoever did belong to the church, that did not repent of their wickedness, and humble themselves before God; I mean those which were lifted up in the pride of their hearts; the same were rejected, and their names were blotted out, that their names were not numbered among those of the righteous;
4 and thus began to establish the order of the church in the city of Zarahemla.
5 Now I would that ye should understand that the word of God was liberal unto all; that no one was deprived of the privilege of assembling themselves together to hear the word of God;
6 nevertheless the children of God were commanded that they should gather themselves together oft and join in fasting and mighty prayer, in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God.
7 And now it came to pass that when Alma had made those regulations, he departed from them, yea, from the church which was in the city of Zarahemla, and went over upon the east of the river Sidon, into the valley of Gideon, there having been a city built which was called the city of Gideon, which was in the valley that was called Gideon, being called after the man which was slain by the hand of Nehor with the sword.
8 And Alma went and began to declare the word of God unto the church which was established in the valley of Gideon, according to the revelation of the truth of the word which had been spoken by his fathers, and according to the spirit of prophecy which was in him, according to the testimony of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, which should come for to redeem his people from their sins, and by the holy order by which he was called. And thus it is written. Amen.
Alma 5
1 Now it came to pass that Alma began to deliver the word of God unto the people, first in the land of Zarahemla, and from thence throughout all the land.
2 And these are the words which he spake to the people in the Church which was established in the city of Zarahemla, according to his own record, saying:
3 I, Alma, having been consecrated by my father Alma, to be a High Priest over the Church of God, he having power and authority from God to do these things, behold, I say unto you, that he began to establish a Church in the land which was in the borders of Nephi; yea, the land which was called the land of Mormon; yea, and he did baptize his brethren in the waters of Mormon.
4 And behold, I say unto you, they were delivered out of the hands of the people of king Noah, by the mercy and power of God.
5 And behold, after that, they were brought into bondage by the hands of the Lamanites, in the wilderness; yea, I say unto you, they were in captivity, and again the Lord did deliver them out of bondage by the power of his word; and we were brought into this land and here we began to establish the Church of God throughout this land, also.
6 And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, you that belong to this Church, have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? Yea, and have you sufficiently retained in remembrance of his mercy and long-suffering towards them? And moreover, have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance that he hath delivered their souls from hell?
7 Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he awaked them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were in the midst of darkness, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word; yea, they were encircled about by the bands of death, and the chains of hell, and an everlasting destruction did await them.
8 And now I ask you my brethren, were they destroyed? Behold, I say unto you, nay, they were not.
9 And again I ask, was the bands of death broken, and the chains of hell which encircled them about, were they loosed? I say unto you, yea, they were loosed, and their souls did expand, and they did sing redeeming love. And I say unto you, that they are saved.
10 And now I ask of you on what conditions are they saved? Yea, what grounds had they to hope for salvation? Yea, and also, the chains of hell?
11 Behold, I can tell you: did not my father Alma believe in the words which was delivered by the mouth of Abinadi? And was he not a holy prophet? Did he not speak the word of God, and my father Alma believe them?
12 And according to his faith there was a mighty change wrought in his heart. Behold I say unto you, that this is all true.
13 And behold, he preached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts; and they humbled themselves, and put their trust in the true and living God. And behold, they were faithful until the end; therefore they were saved.
14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the Church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?
15 Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God, to be judged according to the deeds which hath been done in the mortal body?
16 I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day. Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?
17 Or do ye imagine to yourselves that ye can lie unto the Lord in that day, and say, Lord, Our works have been righteous works upon the face of the earth, and that he will save you?
18 Or otherwise, can ye imagine yourselves brought before the tribunal of God, with your souls filled with guilt and remorse; having a remembrance of all your guilt; yea, a perfect remembrance of all your wickedness; yea, a remembrance that ye have set at defiance the commandments of God?
19 I say unto you, can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands? I say unto you, can you look up, having the image of God engraven upon your countenances?
20 I say unto you, can ye think of being saved when you have yielded yourselves to become subjects to the Devil?
21 I say unto you, ye will know at that day, that ye cannot be saved: for there can no man be saved except his garments are washed white; yea, his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of whom it hath been spoken by our fathers which should come to redeem his people from sins.
22 And now I ask of you, my brethren, how will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained with blood, and all manner of filthiness? Behold, what will these things testify against you?
23 Behold, will they not testify that ye are murderers, yea, and also that ye are guilty of all manner of wickedness?
24 Behold, my brethren, do ye suppose that such an one can have a place to sit down in the Kingdom of God, with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, and also all the holy prophets, whose garments are cleansed, and are spotless, pure and white?
25 I say unto you, nay, except ye make our creator a liar from the beginning, or suppose that he is a liar from the beginning; or also, ye cannot suppose that such an one can have a place in the kingdom of heaven, but they shall be cast out, for they are the children of the kingdom of the Devil.
26 And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?
27 Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white, through the blood of Christ, which will come to redeem his people from their sins?
28 Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not, ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold, ye must prepare quickly, for the Kingdom of Heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life.
29 Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped of envy? I say unto you, that such an one is not prepared, and I would that he should prepare quickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when the time shall come: for such an one is not found guiltless.
30 And again I say unto you, is there one among you that doth make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions?
31 Wo unto such an one, for he is not prepared, and the time is at hand that he must repent, or he cannot be saved;
32 yea, even wo unto all ye workers of iniquity; repent, repent, for the Lord hath spoken it.
33 Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men; for the arms of mercy is extended toward them, and he saith, Repent, and I will receive you;
34 yea, he saith, Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink, of the bread and the waters of life freely;
35 come unto me and bring forth works of righteousness, and ye shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire:
36 for behold, the time is at hand that whosoever bringeth forth not good fruit, or whosoever doeth not the works of righteousness, the same hath cause to wail and mourn.
37 O ye workers of iniquity, ye that are puffed up in the vain things of the world; ye that have professed to have known the ways of righteousness; nevertheless ye have gone astray, as sheep having no shepherd, notwithstanding a shepherd hath called after you, and art still calling after you, but ye will not hearken unto his voice.
38 Behold, I say unto you, that the good shepherd doth call you; yea, and in his own name he doth call you, which is the name of Christ; and if ye will not hearken unto the voice of the good shepherd, to the name by which you are called, behold, ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd.
39 And now if ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd, of what fold are you? Behold, I say unto you, that the Devil is your shepherd, and ye are of his fold; and now who can deny this? Behold, I say unto you, whoever denieth this, is a liar and a child of the Devil;
40 for I say unto you, that whosoever is good, cometh from God, and whatsoever is evil, cometh from the Devil;
41 therefore, if a man bringeth forth good works, he hearkeneth unto the voice of the good shepherd, and he doth follow him; but whosoever bringeth forth evil works, the same becometh a child of the Devil: for he hearkeneth unto his voice, and doth follow him.
42 And whosoever doeth this must receive the wages of him; therefore, for his wages he receiveth death, as to the things pertaining unto righteousness, being dead unto all good works.
43 And now my brethren, I would that ye should hear me, for I speak in the energy of my soul; for behold, I have spoken unto you plain, that ye cannot err, or have spoken according to the commandments of God.
44 For I am called to speak after this manner, according to the holy order of God, which is in Christ Jesus; yea, I am commanded to stand and testify unto this people the things which have been spoken by our fathers, concerning the things which is to come.
45 And this is not all. Do ye suppose that I know not of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you, that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken, are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?
46 Behold, I say unto you, they are made known unto me by the holy spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days, that I might know these things myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his holy spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.
47 And moreover, I say unto you, that as it has thus been revealed unto me, that the words which have been spoken by our fathers, are true, even so according to the spirit of prophecy, which is in me, which is also by the manifestation of the spirit of God,
48 I say unto you, that I know of myself that whatsoever I shall say unto you concerning that which is to come, is true; and I say unto you, that I know that Jesus Christ shall come; yea, the Son of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth. And behold, it is he that cometh to take away the sins of the world; yea, the sins of every man which steadfastly believeth on his name.
49 And now I say unto you, that this is the order after which I am called; yea, to preach unto my beloved brethren; yea, and every one that dwelleth in the land; yea, to preach unto all, both old and young, both bond and free; yea, I say unto you, the aged, and also the middle aged, and the rising generation; yea, to cry unto them they must repent and be born again;
50 yea, thus saith the spirit, Repent all ye ends of the earth, for the Kingdom of Heaven is soon at hand; yea, the Son of God cometh in his glory, in his might, majesty, power and dominion. Yea, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, that the spirit saith, Behold, the glory of the King of all the earth; and also the King of Heaven shall very soon shine forth among all the children of men;
51 and also the spirit saith unto me, yea, crieth unto me with a mighty voice, saying, Go forth and say unto this people, repent, for except ye repent ye can in no wise inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
52 And again I say unto you, the spirit saith, Behold, the axe is laid at the root of the tree; therefore every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be hewn down and cast into the fire; yea, a fire which cannot be consumed; even an unquenchable fire. Behold, and remember, the holy one hath spoken it.
53 And now my beloved brethren, I say unto you, can ye withstand these sayings; yea, can ye lay aside these things, and trample the holy one under your feet; yea, can ye be puffed up in the pride of your hearts; yea, will ye still persist in the wearing of costly apparel, and setting your hearts upon the vain things of the world, upon your riches;
54 yea, will ye persist in supposing that ye are better one than another; yea, will ye persist in the persecutions of your brethren, who humble themselves, and do walk after the holy order of God, wherewith they have been brought into this Church, having been sanctified by the holy spirit; and they do bring forth works which is meet for repentance;
55 yea, and will you persist in turning your backs upon the poor, and the needy, and in withholding your substance from them?
56 And finally, all ye that will persist in your wickedness, I say unto you, that these are they which shall be hewn down and cast into the fire, except they speedily repent.
57 And now I say unto you, all you that are desirous to follow the voice of the good shepherd, come ye out from the wicked, and be ye separate, and touch not their unclean things; and behold, their names shall be blotted out, that the names of the wicked shall not be numbered among the names of the righteous, that the sword of God may be fulfilled, which saith, The name of the wicked shall not be mingled with the names of my people.
58 For the names of the righteous shall be written in the Book of Life; and unto them will I grant an inheritance at my right hand. And now my brethren, what have ye to say against this? I say unto you, if ye speak against it, it matters not, for the word of God must be fulfilled.
59 For what shepherd is there among you having many sheep, doth not watch over them, that the wolves enter not and devour his flock? And behold, if a wolf enter his flock, doth he not drive him out? Yea, and at the last, if he can he will destroy him.
60 And now I say unto you, that the good shepherd doth call after you; and if you will hearken unto his voice, he will bring you into his fold, and ye are his sheep; and he commandeth you that ye suffer no ravenous wolf to enter among you, that ye may not be destroyed.
61 And now I, Alma, do command you in the language of him who hath commanded me, that ye observe to do the words which I have spoken unto you.
62 I speak by way of command unto you that belong to the church; and unto those which do not belong to the church, I speak by way of invitation, saying, Come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye also may be partakers of the fruit of the tree of life.
Alma 4
1 Now it came to pass in the sixth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi, there was no contentions nor wars in the land of Zarahemla;
2 and the people being afflicted, yea greatly afflicted for the loss of their brethren, and also for the loss of their flocks and herds, and also for the loss of their fields of grain, which was trodden under foot and destroyed by the Lasmanites,
3 and so great was their afflictions, that every soul had cause to mourn; and they believed that it was the judgment of God sent upon them, because of their wickedness and their abominations; therefore they were awakened to a remembrance of their duty.
4 And they began to establish the church more fully; yea, and many were baptized in the water of Sidon, and were joined to the church of God; yea, they were baptized by the hand of Alma, who had been consecrated the high priest over the people of the church by the hand of his father Alma.
5 And it came to pass in the seventh year of the reign of the Judges, there was about three thousand five hundred souls that united themselves to the church of God, and were baptized. And thus ended the seventh year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi; and there was continual peace in all that time.
6 And it came to pass in the eighth year of the reign of the Judges, that the people of the church began to wax proud, because of their exceeding riches, and their fine silks, and their fine twined linen, and because of many flocks and herds, and their gold, and their silver, and all manner of precious things, which they had obtained by their industry; and in all these things were they lifted up in pride of their eyes, for they began to wear costly apparel.
7 Now this was the cause of much affliction to Alma, yea, and to many of the people which Alma had consecrated to be teachers, and priests, and elders, over the church; yea, many of them were sorely grieved for the wickedness which they saw had begun to be among their people.
8 For they saw and beheld with great sorrow, that the people of the church began to be lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and to set their hearts upon riches and upon vain things of the world; that they began to be scornful, one towards another, and they began to persecute those that did not believe according to their own will and pleasure.
9 And thus in this eighth year of the reign of the Judges, there began to be great contentions among the people of the church; yea, there were envyings, and strife, and malice, and persecutions, and pride, even to exceed the pride of those who did not belong to the church of God.
10 And thus ended the eighth year of the reign of Judges; and the wickedness of the church was a great stumbling block to those who did not belong to the church; and thus the church began to fail in its progress.
11 And it came to pass in the commencement of the ninth year, Alma seeking the wickedness of the church, and seeing also that the example of the church began to lead those who were unbelievers, on from one piece of iniquity to another, thus bringing on the destruction of the people; yea, seeing great inequality among the people,
12 some lifting themselves up with their pride, despising others, turning their backs upon the needy, and the naked, and those which were hungry, and those which are athirst, and those which were sick and afflicted.
13 Now this was a great cause for lamentations among the people, while others were abasing themselves, succoring those who stood in need of their succor, such as imparting their substance to the poor and the needy; feeding the hungry; and suffering all manner of afflictions, for Christ’s sake, which should come according to the spirit of prophecy,
14 looking forward to that day, thus retaining a remission of their sins; being filled with great joy, because of the resurrection of the dead, according to the will, and power, and deliverance of Jesus Christ from the bands of death.
15 And now it came to pass that Alma, having seen the afflictions of the humble followers of God, and the persecutions which was heaped upon them by the remainder of his people, and seeing all their inequality, he began to be very sorrowful; nevertheless the spirit of the Lord did not fail him.
16 And he selected a wise man which was among the elders of the church, and gave him power according to the voice of the people, that he might have power to enact laws according to the laws which had been given, and to put them in force, according to the wickedness and the crimes of the people.
17 Now this man’s name was Nephihah, and he was appointed Chief Judge; and he sat in the judgment seat, to judge and to govern the people.
18 Now Alma did not grant unto him the office of being High Priests over the church, but he retained the office of High Priest unto himself; but he delivered the judgment seat unto Nephihah:
19 and this he did, that he himself might go forth among his people, or among the people of Nephi, that he might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty, and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness, and all the contentions which was among his people, seeing no way that he might reclaim them, save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them.
20 And thus in the commencement of the ninth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi, Alma delivered up the judgment seat to Nephihah, and confined himself wholly to the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to the testimony of the word, according to the spirit of revelation and prophecy.
Alma 3
1 And it came to pass that the Nephites, which were not slain by the weapons of war, after having buried those which had been slain: now the number of the slain were not numbered because of the greatness of their number; and after they had finished burying their dead, they all returned to their lands, and to their houses, and their wives, and their children.
2 Now many women and children had been slain with the sword, and also many of their flocks and their herds; and also many of their fields of grain were destroyed, for they were trodden down by the hosts of men.
3 And now as many of the Lamanites and the Amlicites which had been slain upon the bank of the river Sidon, were cast into the waters of Sidon; and behold, their bones are in the depths of the sea, and they are many.
4 And the Amlicites were distinguished from the Nephites, for they had marked themselves with red in their foreheads, after the manner of the Lamanites; nevertheless they had not shorn their heads like unto the Lamanites.
5 Now the heads of the Lamanites were shorn; and they were naked, save it were skin, which was girded about their loins, and also their armour, which was girded about them, and their bows, and their arrows, and their stones, and their slings, &c.
6 And the skins of the Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them because of their transgression and their rebellion against their brethren, which consisted of Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph, and Sam, which were just and holy men.
7 And their brethren sought to destroy them; therefore they were cursed; and the Lord God set a mark upon them, yea, upon Laman and Lemuel, and also the sons of Ishmael, and the Ismaelitish women:
8 and this was done, that their seed might be distinguished from the seed of their brethren, that thereby the Lord God might preserve his people, that they might not mix and believe in incorrect traditions, which would prove their destruction.
9 And it came to pass that whosoever did mingle his seed with that of the Lamanites, did bring the same curse upon his seed;
10 therefore whomsoever suffered himself to be led away by the Lamanites, were called under the head, and there was a mark set upon him.
11 And it came to pass that whosoever would not believe in the tradition of the Lamanites, but believed those records which were brought out of the land of Jerusalem, and also the tradition of their fathers, which were correct, which believed in the commandments of God, and kept them, were called the Nephites, or the people of Nephi, from that time forth;
12 and it is they which have kept the records which are true of their people, and also the people of Lamanites.
13 Now we will return again to the Amlicites, for they also had a mark set upon them; yea, they set the mark upon themselves, yea, even a mark of red upon their foreheads.
14 Thus the word of God is fulfilled, for these are the words which he saith to Nephi: Behold, the Lamanites have I cursed; and I will set a mark upon them, that they and their seed may be separated from thee and thy seed, from this time henceforth and forever, except thy repent of their wickedness and turn to me, that I may have mercy upon them.
15 And again: I will set a mark upon him that mingleth his seed with thy brethren, that they may be cursed also.
16 And again: I will set a mark upon them that fighteth against thee and thy seed.
17 And again I say, He that departeth from thee, shall no more be called thy seed, henceforth and forever: and these were the promises of the Lord unto Nephi, and to his seed.
18 Now the Amlicites knew not that they were fulfilling the words of God, when they began to mark themselves in their foreheads; nevertheless they had come out in open rebellion against God; therefore it was expedient that the curse should fall upon them.
19 –Now I would that ye should see that they brought upon themselves the curse; and even so doth every man that is cursed, bring upon himself his own condemnation.
20 Now it came to pass that not many days after the battle which was fought in the land of Zarahemla, by the Lamanites and the Amlicites, that there was another army of the Lamanites came in upon the people of Nephi, in the same place where the first army met the Amlicites.
21 And it came to pass that there was an army sent to drive them out of their lands.
22 –Now Alma himself being afflicted with a wound, did not go up to battle at this time against the Lamanites;
23 but he sent up a numerous army against them; and they went up and slew many of the Lamanites, and drove the remainder of them out of the borders of their land;
24 and then they returned again, and began to establish peace in the land, being troubled no more for a time with their enemies.
25 Now all these things were done, yea, all these wars and contentions was commenced and ended, in the fifth year of the reign of the Judges;
26 and in one year was thousands of souls sent to the eternal world, that they might reap their rewards according to their works, whether they were good or whether they were bad, to reap eternal happiness or eternal misery, according to the spirit which he listed to obey, whether it be a good spirit or a bad one,
27 for every man receiveth wages of him who listeth to obey, and according to the words of the spirit of prophecy; therefore let it be according to the truth. And thus ended the fifth year of the reign of the Judges.
Alma 2
1 And it came to pass in the commandment of the fifth year of their reign, there began to be a contention among the people, for a certain man, being called Amlici; he being a very cunning man, yea, a wise man, as to the wisdom of the world; he being after the order of the man that slew Gideon by the sword, who was executed according to the law.
2 Now this Amlici had, by his cunning, drawn away much of the people after him; even so much that they began to be very powerful; and they began to endeavor to establish Amlici to be a king over the people.
3 Now this was alarming to the people of the Church, and also to all those that had not been drawn away after the persuasions of Amlici: for they knew that according to their law that such things must be established by the voice of the people;
4 therefore, if it were possible that Amlici should gain the voice of the people, he being a wicked man, would deprive them of their rights and privileges of the Church, &c: for it was his intent to destroy the Church of God.
5 And it came to pass that the people assembled themselves together throughout all the land, every man according to his mind, whether it were for or against Amlici, in separate bodies, having much dispute and wonderful contentions one with another:
6 and thus they did assemble themselves together, to cast their voices concerning the matter: and they were laid before the judges.
7 And it came to pass that the voice of the people came against Amlici, that he was not made king over the people.
8 Now this did cause much joy in the hearts of those which were against him; but Amlici did stir up those which were in his favor, to anger against those which were not in his favor.
9 And it came to pass that they gathered themselves together, and did consecrate Amlici to be their king.
10 Now when Amlici was made king over them, he commanded them that they should take up arms against their brethren; and this he done, that he might subject them to him.
11 Now the people of Amlici were distinguished by the name of Amlici, being called Amlicites; and the remainder were called Nephites, or the people of God;
12 therefore the people of the Nephites was aware of the intent of the Amlicites, and therefore they did prepare for to meet them; yea, they did arm themselves with swords, and with cimeters, and with bows, and with arrows, and with stones, and with slings, and with all manner of weapons of war, of every kind;
13 and thus they were prepared to meet the Amlicites at the time of their coming. And there was appointed captains, and higher captains, and chief captains, according to their numbers.
14 And it came to pass that Amlici did arm his men with all manner of weapons of war, of every kind; and he also appointed rulers and leaders over his people, to lead them to war against their brethren.
15 And it came to pass that the Amlicites came up upon the hill Amnihu, which was east of the river Sidon, which ran by the land of Zarahemla, and there they began to make war with the Nephites.
16 Now Alma, he being the chief judge, and the governor of the people of Nephi therefore he went up with his people, yea, with his captains, and chief captains, yea, at the head of his armies, against the Amlicites to battle;
17 and they began to slay the Amlicites upon the hill east of Sidom. And the Amlicites did contend with the Nephites with great strength, insomuch that many of the Nephites did fall before the Amlicites;
18 nevertheless the Lord did strengthen the hand of the Nephites, that they slew the Amlicites with a great slaughter, that they began to flee before them.
19 And it came to pass that the Nephites did pursue the Amlicites all that day, and did slay them with much slaughter, insomuch that there was slain of the Amlicites twelve thousand five hundred thirty two souls; and there was slain of the Nephites, six thousand five hundred sixty and two souls.
20 And it came to pass that when Alma could pursue the Amlicites no longer, he caused that his people should pitch their tents in the valley of Gideon, the valley being called after that Gideon, which was slain by the hand of Nehor with the sword; and in this valley the Nephites did pitch their tents for the night.
21 And Alma sent spies to follow the remnant of the Amlicites, that he might know of their plans and their plots, whereby he might guard himself against them, that he might prepare his people from being destroyed.
22 Now those which he had sent out to watch the camp of the Amlicites, were called Zeram, and Amnor, and Manti, and Limher; these were they which went out with their men to watch the camp of the Amlicites.
23 And it came to pass that on the morrow they returned into the camp of the Nephites, in great haste, being greatly astonished, and struck with much fear, saying,
24 Behold, we followed the camp of the Amlicites, and to our great astonishment, in the land of Minon, above the land of Zarahemla, in the course of the land of Nephi, we saw numerous hosts of the Lamanites; and behold the Amlicites have joined them,
25 and they are upon our brethren in that land; and they are fleeing before them with their flocks, and their wives, and their children, towards our city; and except we make haste, they obtain possession of our city; and our fathers, and our wives, and our children be slain.
26 And it came to pass that the people of Nephi took their tents, and departed out of the valley of Gideon towards their city, which was the city of Zarahemla.
27 And behold, as they were crossing the river Sidon, the Lamanites and the Amlicites being as numerous almost, as it were, as the sands of the sea, came upon them to destroy them;
28 nevertheless the Nephites being strengthened by the hand of the Lord, having prayed mightily to him that he would deliver them out of the hands of their enemies; therefore the Lord did hear their cries, and did strengthen them, and the Lamanites and the Amlicites did fall before them.
29 And it came to pass that Alma fought with Amlici with the sword, face to face; and they did contend mightily, one with another.
30 And it came to pass that Alma, he being a man of God, being exercised with much faith, and he cried, saying, O Lord, have mercy and spare my life, that I may be an instrument in thy hands, to save and preserve this people.
31 Now when Alma had said these words, he contended with Amlici; and he was strengthened, insomuch that he slew Amlici with the sword.
32 And he also contended with the king of the Lamanites; but the king of the Lamanites fled back from before Alma, and sent his guards to contend with Alma.
33 But Alma, with his guards, contended with the guards of the king of the Lamanites, until he slew and drove them back;
34 and thus he cleared the ground, or rather the bank, which was on the west side of the river Sidon, throwing bodies of the Lamanites which had been slain, into the waters of Sidon, that thereby his people might have room to cross and contend with the Lamanites and the Amlicites, on the west side of the river Sidon.
35 And it came to pass that when they had all crossed the river Sidon, that the Lamanites and the Amlicites began to flee before them, notwithstanding they were so numerous that they could not be numbered;
36 and they fled before the Nephites, towards the wilderness which was west and north, away beyond the borders of the land; and the Nephites did pursue them with their might, and did slay them;
37 yea, they were met on every hand, and slain, and driven, until they were scattered on the west, and on the north, until they had reached the wilderness, which was called Hermounts, and it was that part of the wilderness which was infested by wild and ravenous beasts.
38 And it came to pass that many died in the wilderness of their wounds, and were devoured by those beasts, and also the vultures of the air; and their bones have been found, and have been heaped up on the earth.
Mosiah 29
1 Now when Mosiah had done this, he sent out throughout all the land, among all the people, desiring to know their will concerning who should be their king.
2 And it came to pass that the voice of the people came, saying: We are desirous that Aaron, thy son, should be our king, and our ruler.
3 Now Aaron had gone up to the land of Nephi, therefore the king could not confer the kingdom upon him; neither would Aaron take upon him the kingdom; neither was any of the sons of Mosiah willing to take upon them the kingdom;
4 therefore king Mosiah sent again among the people, yea, even a written word sent he among the people. And these were the words that were written, saying:
5 Behold, O ye my people, or my brethren for I esteem you as such; for I desire that ye should consider the cause which ye are called to consider; for ye are desirous to have a king.
6 Now I declare unto you, that he to whom the kingdom doth rightly belong, hath declined, and will not take upon him the kingdom.
7 And now if there should be another appointed to his stead, behold I fear there would rise contentions among you; and who knoweth but what my son, to whom the kingdom doth belong, should turn to be angry, and draw away a part of this people after him, which would cause wars and contentions among you; which would be the cause of shedding much blood, and perverting the way of the Lord; yea, and destroy the souls of much people.
8 Now I say unto you, let us be wise and consider these things, for we have no right to destroy my son, neither should we have any right to destroy another, if he should be appointed in his stead.
9 And if my son should turn again to his pride and vain things, he would recall the things which he had said, and claim his right to the kingdom, which would cause him and also this people to commit much sin.
10 And now let us be wise, and look forward to these things, and do that which will make for the peace of this people.
11 Therefore I will be your king the remainder of my days; nevertheless, let us appoint judges to judge this people according to our law, and we will newly arrange the affairs of this people; for we will appoint wise men to be judges, that will judge this people according to the commandments of God.
12 Now it is better that a man be judged of God than of man, for the judgments of God are always just;
13 therefore, if it were possible that ye could have just men to be your kings, which would establish the laws of God, and judge this people according to his commandments; yea, if ye could have men for kings, which would do even as my father Benjamin did for this people; I say unto you, if this could always be the case, then it would be expedient that ye should always have kings to rule over you.
14 And even I, myself have labored with all the power and faculties which I have possessed, to teach you the commandments of God, and to established peace throughout the land, that there should be no wars nor contentions, no stealing, nor plundering, nor murdering, nor no manner of iniquity;
15 and whosoever hath committed iniquity, him have I punished according to the crime which he hath committed, according to the law which hath been given to us by our fathers.
16 Now I say unto you, that because all men are not just, it is not expedient that ye should have a king or kings to rule over you.
17 For behold, how much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed! yea, and what great destruction!
18 Yea, remember king Noah, his wickedness and abominations of his people. Behold what great destruction did come upon them; and also because of their iniquities, they were brought into bondage.
19 And were it not for the interposition of their all-wise Creator, and this because of their sincere repentance, they must unavoidably remained in bondage until now.
20 But behold, he did deliver them because they did humble themselves before him; and because they cried mightily unto him, he did deliver them out of bondage: and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases among the children of men, extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him.
21 And behold, now I say unto you, Ye cannot dethrone an iniquitous king, save it be through much contention and the shedding of much blood.
22 For behold, he hath his friends in iniquity, and he keepeth his guards about him; and he teareth up the laws of these which have reigned in righteousness before him; and he trampleth under his feet the commandments of God;
23 and he enacted laws, and sendeth them forth among his people; yea, laws after the manner of his own wickedness; and whosoever doth not obey his laws, he causeth to be destroyed; and whosoever doth rebel against him, he will send his armies against them in war, and if he can, he will destroy them: and thus an unrighteous king doth pervert the ways of all righteousness.
24 And now behold I say unto you, It is expedient that such abominations should come upon you;
25 therefore choose you by the voice of this people, judges, that ye may be judged according to the laws which hath been given you by our fathers, which are correct, and which was given them by the hand of the Lord.
26 Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth any thing contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe, and make it your law to do business by the voice of the people.
27 And if the time cometh that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction, even as he hath hitherto visited this land.
28 And now if ye have judges, and they do not judge you according to the law which has been given, ye can cause that they may be judged of a higher judge;
29 if your higher judges doth not judge righteous judgments, ye shall cause that a small number of your lower judges should be gathered together, and they shall judge your higher judges, according to the voice of the people.
30 And I command you to do these things in the fear of the Lord; and I command you to do these things, and that ye have no king: that if these people commit sins and iniquities, they shall be answered upon their own heads.
31 For behold I say unto you, The sins of many people have been caused by iniquities of their kings; therefore iniquities are answered upon the heads of their kings.
32 And now I desire that this inequality should be no more in this land, especially among this my people; but I desire that this land be a land of liberty, and every man may enjoy his rights and priveleges alike, so long as the Lord seeth fit, that we may live and inherit the land; yea, even as long as any of our posterity remaineth upon the face of the land.
33 And many more things did king Mosiah write unto them, unfolding unto them all the trials and troubles of a righteous king; yea, all the travails of soul for their people, and also all the murmurings of the people to their king; and he explained it all unto them.
34 And he told them that these things had not ought to be; but that the burdens should come upon all the people, that every man might bear his part.
35 And he also unfolded unto them all the disadvantages they labored under, by having an unrighteous king to rule over them;
36 yea, all his iniquities and abominations, and all the wars, and contentions, and bloodshed, and the stealing, and the plundering, and the committing of whoredoms, and all manner of iniquities, which cannot be enumerated; telling them that these things ought not to be; that they was expressly repugnant to the commandments of God.
37 And now it came to pass, after king Mosiah had sent these things forth among the people, they were convinced of the truth of his words;
38 therefore they relinquished their desire for a king, and became exceedingly anxious that every man should have an equal chance throughout all the land; yea, and every man expressed a willingness to answer for his own sins.
39 Therefore it came to pass that they assembled themselves together in bodies throughout the land, to cast in their voices concerning who should be their judges, to judge them according to the law which had been given them; and they were exceedingly rejoiced, because of the liberty which had been granted unto them.
40 And they did wax strong in love towards Mosiah; yea, they did esteem him more than any other man: for they did not look upon him as a tyrant, who was seeking for gain, yea, for that lucre which doth corrupt the soul, for he had not exacted riches of them, neither did he delight in the shedding of blood; but he had established peace in the land, and he had granted unto his people that they should be delivered from all manner of bondage; therefore they did esteem him, yea, exceedingly, beyond measure.
41 And it came to pass that they did appoint judges to rule over them, or to judge them according to the law; and this they done throughout all the land.
42 And it came to pass that Alma was appointed to be the chief judge; he being also the high priest; his father having conferred the office upon him, and had given him the charge concerning all the affairs of the church.
43 And now it came to pass that Alma did walk in the ways of the Lord, and he did keep his commandments, and he did judge righteous judgments; and there was continual peace through the land;
44 and thus commenced the reign of the judges throughout all the land of Zarahemla, among all the people which was called the Nephites: and Alma was the first and chief judge.
45 And now it came to pass that his father died, being eighty and two years old, having lived to fulfil the commandments of God.
46 And it came to pass that Mosiah died also, in the thirty and third year of his reign, being sixty and three years old; making in the whole, five hundred and nine years from the time Lehi left Jerusalem;
47 and thus ended the reign of the kings over the people of Nephi; and thus ended the days of Alma, who was the founder of their church.