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1 And it came to pass that he wrote again to the governor of the land, which was Pahoran, and these are the words which he wrote, saying, Behold, I direct mine epistle to Pahoran, in the city of Zarahemla, which is the Chief Judge and the governor over the land, and also to all those who hath been chosen by this people to govern and manage the affairs of this war;
2 for behold, I have somewhat to say unto them by the way of condemnation; for behold, ye yourselves know that ye appointed to gather together men, and arm them with swords, and with cimeters, and all manner of weapons of war, of every kind, and sent forth against the Lamanites, in whatsoever parts they should come into our land.
3 And now behold, I say unto you, That myself, and also my men, and also Helaman and his men, have suffered exceeding great sufferings; yea, even hunger, thirst, and fatigue, and all manner of afflictions of every kind.
4 But behold, were this all we had suffered, we would not murmur or complain;
5 but behold, great has been the slaughter among our people; yea, thousands have fallen by the sword, while it might have otherwise been, if ye had rendered unto our armies sufficient strength and succor for them. Yea, great has been your neglect towards us.
6 And now behold, we desire to know the cause of this exceeding great neglect; yea, we desire to know the cause of your thoughtless state.
7 Can you think to sit upon your thrones, in a state of thoughtless stupor, while your enemies are spreading the work of death around you? Yea, while they are murdering thousands of your brethren;
8 yea, even they which have looked up to you for protection, yea, have placed you in a situation that ye might have succored them, and have saved thousands of them from falling by the sword.
9 But behold, this is not all: Ye have withheld your provisions from them, insomuch that many have fought and bled out their lives because of their great desires which they had for the welfare of this people; yea, and this they have done, when they were about to perish with hunger, because of your exceeding great neglect towards them.
10 And now, my beloved brethren; for ye had ought to be beloved; yea, and ye had ought to have stirred yourselves more diligently for the welfare and the freedom of this people: but behold, ye have neglected them, insomuch that the blood of thousands shall come upon your heads, for vengeance; yea, for known unto God were all the cries, and all their sufferings.
11 Behold, could ye suppose that ye could sit upon your thrones, and because of the exceeding goodness of God, ye could not do nothing, and he would deliver you? Behold, if ye have supposed this, ye have supposed in vain.
12 Do ye suppose that, because so many of your brethren have been killed, because of their wickedness? I say unto you, if ye supposed this, ye have supposed in vain: for I say unto you, there are many which have fallen by the sword; and behold, it is to your condemnation;
13 for the Lord suffereth the righteous, to be slain, that his justice and judgment may come upon the wicked; therefore ye need not suppose that the righteous are lost because they are slain; but behold, they do enter into a rest of the Lord their God.
14 And now behold, I say unto you, I fear exceedingly that the judgments of God will come upon this people, because of their exceeding slothfulness; yea, even the slothfulness of our government, and their exceeding great neglect towards their brethren, yea, towards those which have been slain:
15 For were it not for the wickedness which first commenced at our head, we could not have withstood our enemies, that they could have gained power over us;
16 yea, had it not been for the war which broke out among ourselves; yea, were it not for these king-men, which caused so much bloodshed among ourselves, if we had united our strength, as we hitherto have done; yea, had it not been for the desires of the power and authority which those king-men had over us; had they been true to the cause of our freedom, and united with us, and gone forth against our enemies, instead of taking up their swords against us, which was the cause of so much bloodshed among ourselves; yea if we had gone forth against them, in the strength of the Lord, we should have dispersed our enemies; for it would have been done according to the fulfilling of his word.
17 But behold, now the Lamanites are coming upon us, and they are murdering our people with the sword; yea, our women and children; taking possession of, our lands, and also carrying them away captive; causing them that they should suffer all manner of afflictions; and this because of the great wickedness of those who are seeking for power and authority; yea, even those king-men.
18 But why should I say much concerning this matter? For we know not but what ye yourselves are seeking for authority. We know not but what ye are also traitors to your country.
19 Or is it that ye have neglected us because ye are in the heart of our country, and ye are surrounded by security, that ye do not cause food to be sent unto us, and also men to strengthen our armies?
20 Have ye forgot the commandments of the Lord your God? Yea, have ye forgot the captivity of our fathers? Have ye forgot the many times we have been delivered out of the hands of our enemies?
21 Or do ye suppose that the Lord will still deliver us, while we sit upon our thrones, and do not make use of the means which the Lord hath provided for us?
22 Yea, will ye sit in idleness, while ye are surrounded with thousands of those, yea, and tens of thousands, which do also sit in idleness, while there are thousands round about in the borders of the land, which are falling by the sword, yea, wounded and bleeding?
23 Do ye suppose that God will look upon us as guiltless, while we sit still and behold these things? Behold, I say unto you, Nay. Now I would that ye should remember that God hath said that The inward vessel shall be cleansed first, and then shall the outer vessel be cleansed also.
24 And now except ye do repent of that which ye have done, and begin to be up and doing, and send forth food and men unto us, and also unto Helaman, that he may support those parts of our country which he hath retained, and that ye may also recover the remainder of our possessions in these parts, behold it will be expedient that we contend no more with the Lamanites until we have first cleansed our inward vessel; yea, even the great head of our government;
25 and except ye grant mine epistle, and come out and shew unto me a true spirit of freedom, and strive to strengthen and fortify our armies, and grant unto them food for their support, behold I will leave a part of my freemen to maintain this part of our land, and I will leave the strength and the blessings of God upon them, that none other power can operate against them;
26 and this because of their exceeding faith and patience in their tribulations;
27 and I will come unto you, and if there be any among you that hath a desire for freedom, yea, if there be even a spark of freedom remaining, behold, I will stir up insurrections among you, even until those who hath desires to usurp power and authority, shall become extinct;
28 yea, behold I do not fear your power nor your authority, but it is my God whom I fear, and it is according to his commandments that I do take my sword to defend the cause of my country, and it is because of your iniquity that we have suffered so much loss.
29 Behold it is time, yea, the time is now at hand, that except ye do bestir yourselves in the defence of your country and your little ones, the sword of justice doth hang over you; yea, and it shall fall upon you and visit you even to your utter destruction.
30 Behold, I wait for assistance from you, and except ye do administer unto our relief, behold I come unto you even into the land of Zarahemla, and smite you with the sword, insomuch that ye can have no more power to impede the progress of this people in the cause of freedom;
31 for behold the Lord will not suffer that ye shall live and wax strong in your iniquities, to destroy his righteous people.
32 Behold, can you suppose that the Lord will spare you and come out in judgment against the Lamanites, when it is the tradition of their fathers that hath caused their hatred; yea, and it hath been redoubled by those which have dissented from us, while your iniquity is for the cause of your love and glory, and the vain things of the world?
33 Ye know that ye do transgress the laws of god, and ye do know that ye do trample them under your feet. Behold, the Lord saith unto me, if those whom ye have appointed your governors, do not repent of their sins and iniquities, ye shall go up to battle against them.
34 And now behold, I Moroni am constrained, according to the covenant which I have made to keep the commandments of my God; therefore I would that ye should adhere to the word of God, and send speedily unto me of your provisions and of your men, and also Helaman.
35 And behold if ye will not do this, I come unto you speedily; for behold, God will not suffer that we should perish with hunger; therefore he will give unto us of your food, even if it must be by the sword. Now see that ye fulfill the word of God.
36 Behold, I am Moroni, your Chief Captain. I seek not for power but to pull it down. I seek not for honor of the world, but for the glory of my God, and the freedom and welfare of my country. And thus I close mine epistle.

1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi, after Moroni had received and had read Helaman’s epistle, he was exceedingly rejoiced because of the welfare, yea, the exceeding success which Helaman had had in obtaining those lands which were lost;
2 yea, and he did make it known unto all his people in all the land round about in that part where he was, that they might rejoice also.
3 And it came to pass that he immediately sent an epistle to Pahoran, desiring that he should cause men to be gathered together, to strengthen Helaman, or the armies of Helaman, insomuch that he might with ease maintain that part of the land which he had been so miraculously prospered in retaining.
4 And it came to pass when Moroni had sent this epistle to the land of Zarahemla, he began again to lay a plan, that he might obtain the remainder of those possessions and cities which the Lamanites had taken from them.
5 And it came to pass that while Moroni was thus making preparations to go against the Lamanites to battle, behold, the people of Nephihah which were gathered together from the city of Moroni, and the city of Lehi, and the city of Morianton, were attacked by the Lamanites;
6 yea, even those which had been compelled to flee from the land of Manti, and from the land round about, had come over and joined the Lamanites in this part of the land;
7 and thus being exceeding numerous, yea, and receiving strength from day to day, by the command of Ammoron, they came forth against the people of Nephihah, and they did begin to slay them with an exceeding great slaughter.
8 And their armies were so numerous, that the remainder of the people of Nephihah were obliged to flee before them; and they came even and joined the army of Moroni.
9 And now as Moroni had supposed that there should be men sent to the city of Nephihah, to the assistance of the people to maintain that city, and knowing that it was easier to keep the city from falling into the hands of the Lamanites, than to retake it from them, he supposed that they would easily maintain that city;
10 therefore he retained all his force to maintain those places which he had recovered.
11 And now when Moroni saw that the city of Nephihah was lost, he was exceeding sorrowful, and began to doubt, because of the wickedness of the people, whether they should not fall into the hands of their brethren.
12 Now this was the case with all his Chief Captains. They doubted and marveled also, because of the wickedness of the people; and this because of the success of the Lamanites over them.
13 And it came to pass that Moroni was angry with the government, because of their indifference concerning the freedom of their country.

1 And behold, now it came to pass that our next object was to obtain the city of Manti; but behold, there was no way that we could lead them out of the city, by our small bands. For behold, they remembered that which we had hitherto done; therefore we could not decoy them away from their strong holds;
2 and they were so exceeding numerous than was our army, that we durst not go forth and attack them in their strong holds.
3 Yea, and it became expedient that we should employ our men, to the maintaining those parts of the land, of which we had retained of our possessions; therefore it became expedient that we should wait, that we might receive more strength from the land of Zarahemla, and also a new supply of provisions.
4 And it came to pass that I thus did send an embassy to the governor of our land, to acquaint him concerning the affairs of our people. And it came to pass that we did wait to receive provisions and strength, from the land of Zarahemla.
5 But behold, this did not profit us but little: for the Lamanites were also receiving great strength, from day to day, and also many provisions; and thus were our circumstances at this period of time.
6 And the Lamanites were sallying forth against us, from time to time, resolving by stratagem, to destroy us; nevertheless, we could not come to battle with them, because of their retreats and their strong holds.
7 And it came to pass that we did wait in these difficult circumstances, for the space of many months, even until we were about to perish for the want of food.
8 But it came to pass that we did receive food, which was guarded to us by an army of two thousand men, to our assistance; and this is all the assistance which we did receive, to defend ourselves and our country from falling into the hands of our enemies; yea, to contend with an enemy which was innumerable.
9 And now the cause of these embarrassments, or the cause why they did not send more strength unto us, we knew not; therefore we were grieved, and also filled with fear, lest by any means the judgments of God should come upon our land, to our overthrow and utter destruction;
10 therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies; yea, and also give us strength, that we might retain our cities, and our lands, and our possessions, for the support of our people.
11 Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances, that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us as great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him;
12 and we did take courage with our small force which we had received, and were fixed with a determination to conquer our enemies, and to maintain our lands, and our possessions, and our wives, and our children, and the cause of our liberty.
13 And thus we did go forth with all our might against the Lamanites, which were in the city of Manti; and we did pitch our tents by the wilderness side, which was near to the city.
14 And it came to pass that on the morrow, that when the Lamanites saw that we were in the borders by the wilderness which was near the city, that they sent out their spies round about us, that they might discover the number and the strength of our army.
15 And it came to pass that when they saw that we were not strong, according to our numbers, and fearing that we should cut them off from their support, except they should come out to battle against us, and kill us, and also supposing that they could easily destroy us with their numerous hosts, therefore they began to make preparations to come out against us to battle.
16 And when we saw that they were making preparations to come out against us, behold, I caused that Gid, with a small number of men, should secrete himself in the wilderness, and also that Teomner should, with a small number of men, secrete themselves also in the wilderness.
17 Now Gid and his men was on the right, and others on the left; and when they had thus secreted themselves, behold, I remained with the remainder of my army, in that same place where we had first pitched our tents, against the time that the Lamanites should come out to battle.
18 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did come out with their numerous army against us. And when they had come, and were about to fall upon us with the sword, I caused that my men, those which were with me, should retreat into the wilderness.
19 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did follow after us with great speed, for they were exceedingly desirous to overtake us, that they might slay us; therefore they did follow us into the wilderness; and we did pass by in the midst of Gid and Teomner, insomuch that they were not discovered by the Lamanites.
20 And it came to pass that when the Lamanites had passed by, or when the army had passed by, Gid and Teomner did rise up from their secret places, and did cut off the spies of the Lamanites, that they should not return to the city.
21 And it came to pass that when they had cut them off, they ran to the city, and fell upon the guards which were left to guard the city, insomuch that they did destroy them, and did take possession of the city.
22 Now this was done, because the Lamanites did suffer their whole army, save a few guards only, to be led away into the wilderness.
23 And it came to pass that Gid and Teomner, by this means, had obtained possession of their strong holds. And it came to pass that we took our course, after having traveled much in the wilderness, towards the land of Zarahemla.
24 And when the Lamanites saw that they were marching towards the land of Zarahemla, they were exceeding fraid, lest there was a plan laid to lead them on to destruction; therefore they began to retreat into the wilderness again, yea, even back by the same way which they had came.
25 And behold, it was night, and they did pitch their tents; for the Chief Captains of the Lamanites had supposed that the Nephites were weary, because of their march; and supposing that they had driven their whole army, therefore they took no thought concerning the city of Manti.
26 Now it came to pass that when it was night, that I caused that my men should not sleep, but that they should march forward, by another way, towards the land of Manti.
27 And because of this our march in the night time, behold, on the morrow, we were beyond the Lamanites, insomuch that we did arrive before them to the city of Manti.
28 And thus it came to pass, that by this stratagem, we did take possession of the city of Manti, without the shedding of blood.
29 And it came to pass that when the armies of the Lamanites did arrive near the city, and saw that we were prepared to meet them, they were astonished exceedingly, and struck with great fear, insomuch that they did flee into the wilderness.
30 Yea, and it came to pass that the armies of the Lamanites did flee out of all this quarter of the land. But behold, they have carried with them many women and children out of the land.
31 And those cities which had been taken by the Lamanites, all of them are at this period of time, in our possession; and our fathers, and our women, and our children, are returning to their homes, all save it be those which have been taken prisoners and carried off by the Lamanites.
32 But behold, our armies are small, to maintain so great a number of cities, and so great possessions.
33 But behold, we trust that our God, who hath given us victory over those lands, insomuch that we have obtained those cities and those lands, which were our own.
34 Now we do not know the cause that the government does not grant us more strength; neither do those men which came up unto us, know why we have not received greater strength.
35 Behold, we do, not know but what ye are unsuccessful, and ye have drawn away the forces into that quarter of the land; if so, we do not desire to murmur.
36 And if it is not so, behold, we fear that there is some faction in the government, that they do not send more men to our assistance; for we know that they are more numerous than that which they have sent.
37 But behold, it mattereth not; we trust God will deliver us, notwithstanding the weakness of our armies, yea, and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies.
38 Behold, this is the twenty and ninth year, in the latter end, and we are in the possession of our lands; and the Lamanites have fled to the land of Nephi.
39 And those sons of the people of Ammon, of which I have so highly spoken, are with me in the city of Manti; and the Lord hath supported them, yea, and kept them from falling by the sword, insomuch that even one soul hath not been slain.
40 But behold, they have received many wounds; nevertheless they stand fast in that liberty wherewith God hath made them free; and they are strict to remember the Lord their God, from day to day; yea, they do observe to keep his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually; and their faith is strong in the prophecies concerning that which is to come.
41 And now my beloved brother Moroni, that the Lord our god who hath redeemed us and made us free, may keep you continually in his presence; yea, and that he may favor this people, even that ye may have success in obtaining the possessions of all that which the Lamanites hath taken from us, which was for our support. And now behold, I close mine epistle. I am Helaman, the son of Alma.

1 And now it came to pass that I received an epistle from Ammoron, the king, stating that if I would deliver up those prisoners of war which we had taken, that he would deliver up the city of Antiparah unto us.
2 But I sent an epistle unto the king, That we were sure our forces were sufficient to take the city of Antiparah by our force; and by delivering up the prisoners for that city, we should suppose ourselves unwise, and that we would only deliver up our prisoners on exchange.
3 And Ammoron refused mine epistle, for he would not exchange prisoners; therefore we began to make preparations to go against the city of Antiparah.
4 But the people of Antiparah did leave the city, and fled to their other cities which they had possession of, to fortify them; and thus the city of Antiparah fell into our hands.
5 And thus ended the twenty and eighth year of the reign of the Judges.
6 And it came to pass that in the commencement of the twenty and ninth year, we received a supply of provisions, and also an addition to our army, from the land of Zarahemla, and from the land round about, to the number of six thousand men, besides sixty of the sons of the Ammonites, which had come to join their brethren, my little band of two thousand. And now behold, we were strong; yea, and we had also a plenty of provisions brought unto us.
7 And it came to pass that it was our desire to wage a battle with the army which was placed to protect the city Cumeni.
8 And now behold, I will shew unto you that we soon accomplished our desire; yea, with our strong force, or with a part of our strong force, we did surround, by night, the city Cumeni, a little before they were to receive a supply of provisions.
9 And it came to pass that we did camp round about the city for many nights; but we did sleep upon our swords, and keep guards that the Lamanites could not come upon us by night, and slay us, which they attempted many times; but as many times as they attempted this, their blood was spilt.
10 At length their provisions did arrive, and they were about to enter the city by night. And we, instead of being Lamanites, were Nephites; therefore, we did take them and their provisions.
11 And not withstanding the Lamanites being cut off from their support after this manner, they were still determined to maintain the city; therefore it became expedient that we should take those provisions and send them to Judea and our prisoners to the land of Zarahemla.
12 And it came to pass that not many days had passed away, before the Lamanites began to lose all hopes of succor; therefore they yielded up the city into our hands; and thus we had accomplished our designs, in obtaining the city Cumeni.
13 But it came to pass that our prisoners were so numerous, that notwithstanding the enormity of our numbers, we were obliged to employ all our force to keep them, or to put them to death.
14 For behold, they would break out in great numbers, and would fight with stones, and with clubs, or whatsoever things they could get into their hands, insomuch that we did slay upwards of two thousand of them, after they had surrendered themselves prisoners of war;
15 therefore it became expedient for us, that we should put an end to their lives, or guard them, sword in hand, down to the land of Zarahemla; and also our provisions were not any more sufficient for our own people, notwithstanding that which we had taken from the Lamanites.
16 And now, in those critical circumstances, it became a very serious matter to determine concerning these prisoners of war; nevertheless, we did resolve to send them down to the land of Zarahemla; therefore we selected a part of our men, and gave them charge over our prisoners, to go down to the land of Zarahemla.
17 But it came to pass that on the morrow, they did return. And now behold, we did not inquire of them concerning the prisoners; for behold, the Lamanites were upon us, and they returned in season to save us from falling into their lands. For behold, Ammon had sent to their support a new supply of provisions, and also a numerous army of men.
18 And it came to pass that those men which we sent with the prisoners, did arrive in season to check them, as they were about to overpower us.
19 But behold, my little band of two thousand and sixty, fought most desperately; yea, they were firm before the Lamanites, and did administer death unto all those who opposed them;
20 and as the remainder of our army were about to give way before the Lamanites, behold, those two thousand and sixty were firm and undaunted;
21 yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith, it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them.
22 And now behold, it was these, my sons, and those men which had been selected to convey the prisoners, to whom we owe this great victory; for it was they who did beat the Lamanites; therefore they were driven back to the city of Manti.
23 And we retained our city Cumeni, and were not all destroyed by the sword; nevertheless, we had suffered great loss.
24 And it came to pass that after the Lamanites had fled, I immediately gave orders that my men which had been wounded, should be taken from among the dead, and caused that their wounds should be dressed.
25 And it came to pass that there were two hundred, out of my two thousand and sixty, which had fainted because of the loss of blood; nevertheless, according to the goodness of God, and to our great astonishment, and also the foes of our whole army, there was not one soul of them which did perish; yea, and neither was there one soul among them which had not received many wounds.
26 And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army; yea, that they should be spared, while there was a thousand of our brethren which were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe, that there was a just God; and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power.
27 Now this was the faith of these of which I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm; and they do put their trust in God continually.
28 And now it came to pass that after we had thus taken care of our wounded men, and had buried our dead, and also the dead of the Lamanites, which were many, behold, we did inquire of Gid concerning the prisoners which they had started to go down to the land of Zarahemla with.
29 Now Gid was the Chief Captain over the band which was appointed to guard them down to the land.
30 And now, these are the words which Gid said unto me: Behold, we did start to go down to the land of Zarahemla, with our prisoners. And it came to pass that we did meet the spies of our armies, which had been sent out to watch the camp of the Lamanites.
31 And they cried unto us, saying: Behold the armies of the Lamanites are a marching towards the city of Cumeni; and behold, they will fall upon them, yea, and will destroy our people.
32 And it came to pass that our prisoners did hear their cries, which caused them to take courage; and they did rise up in rebellion against us.
33 And it came to pass because of their rebellion, we did cause that our sword should come upon them. And it came to pass that they did, in a body, run upon our swords, in the which, the greater number of them were slain; and the remainder of them broke through and fled from us.
34 And behold, when they had fled, and we could not overtake them, we took our march with speed towards the city Cumeni; and behold, we did arrive in time that we might assist our brethren in preserving the city.
35 And behold, we are again delivered out of the hands of our enemies. And blessed is the name of our God: for behold, it is he that hath delivered us; yea, that hath done this great thing for us.
36 Now it came to pass that when I, Helaman, had heard these words of Gid, I was filled with exceeding joy, because of the goodness of God preserving us, that we might not all perish; yea, and I trust that the souls of them which has been slain, have entered into the rest of their God.

1 And now it came to pass in the commencement of the thirtieth year of the reign of the Judges, in the second day, on the first month, Moroni received an epistle from Helaman, stating the affairs of the people in that quarter of the land.
2 And these are the words which he wrote, saying: My dearly beloved brother, Moroni, as well in the Lord as in the tribulations of our warfare; behold, my beloved brother, I have somewhat to tell you concerning our warfare in this part of the land.
3 Behold, two thousand of the sons of those men which Ammon brought down out of the land of Nephi: Now ye have known that these were a descendant of Laman, which was the eldest son of our father Lehi.
4 Now I need not rehearse unto you concerning their traditions or their unbelief, for thou knowest concerning all these things;
5 therefore it supposeth me that I tell you that two thousand of these young men hath taken their weapons of war, and would that I should be their leader; and we have come forth to defend our country.
6 And now ye also know concerning the covenant which their fathers made, that they would not take up their weapons of war against their brethren, to shed blood.
7 But in the twenty and sixth year, when they saw our afflictions and our tribulations for them, they were about to break the covenant which they had made, and take up their weapons of war in our defence.
8 But I would not suffer them that they should break this covenant which they had made, supposing that God would strengthen us, insomuch that we would not suffer more because of the fulfilling the oath which they had taken.
9 But behold, here is one thing in which we may have great joy. For behold, in the twenty and sixth year, I Helaman, did march at the head of these two thousand young men, to the city of Judea, to assist Antipus, whom ye had appointed a leader over the people of that part of the land.
10 And I did join my two thousand sons, (for they are worthy to be called sons,) to the army of Antipus; in the which strength Antipus did rejoice exceedingly; for behold, his army had been reduced by the Lamanites because of the numerority of their forces having slain a vast number of our men; for which cause we have to mourn.
11 Nevertheless, we may console ourselves in this point: that they have died in the cause of their country and of their God; yea, and they are happy.
12 And the Lamanites had also retained many prisoners, all of whom are Chief Captains; for none other have they spared alive. And we suppose that they are now at this time in the land of Nephi; it is so if they are not slain.
13 And now these are the cities which the Lamanites have obtained possession, by the shedding of the blood of so many of our valiant men:
14 The land of Manti, or the city of Manti, and the city of Zeezrom, and the city of Cumeni, and the city of Antiparah.
15 And these are the cities which they possessed when I arrived at the city of Judea; and I found Antipus and his men toiling with their mights to fortify the city;
16 yea, and they were depressed in body as well as in spirit; for they had fought valiantly by day, and toiled by night, to maintain their cities; and thus they had suffered great afflictions of every kind.
17 And now they were determined to conquer in this place, or die; therefore you may well suppose that this little force which I brought with me; yea, those sons of mine, gave them great hopes and much joy.
18 And now it came to pass that when the Lamanites saw that Antipus had received a greater strength to his army, they were compelled by the orders of Ammoron, to not come against the city of Judea, or against us, to battle.
19 And thus were we favored of the Lord: for had they come upon us in this our weakness, they might have perhaps destroyed our little army; but thus were we preserved.
20 They were commanded by Ammoron to maintain those cities which they had taken. And thus ended the twenty and sixth year. And in the commencement of the twenty and seventh year, we had prepared our city and ourselves for defence.
21 Now we were desirous that the Lamanites should come upon us; for we were not desirous to make an attack upon them in their strong holds.
22 And it came to pass that we kept spies round about, to watch the movements of the Lamanites, that they might not pass us by night, nor by day, to make an attack upon our other cities, which were on the northward;
23 for we knew in those cities they were not sufficiently strong to meet them; therefore we were desirous, if they should pass by us, to fall upon them in their rear, and thus bring them up in the rear, at the same time they were met in the front. We supposed that we could overpower them; but behold, we were disappointed in this our desire.
24 They durst not pass by us with their whole army; neither durst they with a part, lest they should not be sufficiently strong, and they should fall.
25 Neither durst they march down against the city of Zarahemla; neither durst they cross the head of Sidon, over the city of Nephihah.
26 And thus, with their forces, they were determined to maintain those cities which they had taken.
27 And now it came to pass in the second month of this year, there was brought unto us many provisions, from the fathers of those two thousand sons,
28 And also there was sent two thousand men unto us, from the land of Zarahemla. And thus we were prepared with ten thousand men, and provisions for them, and also for their wives, and their children.
29 And the Lamanites, thus seeing our forces increase daily, and provisions arrive for our support, they began to be fearful, and began to sally forth, if it were possible, to put an end to our receiving provisions and strength.
30 Now when we saw that the Lamanites began to grow uneasy on this wise, we were desirous to bring a stratagem into an effect upon them; therefore Antipus ordered that I should march forth with my little sons, to a neighboring city, as if they were carrying provisions to a neighboring city.
31 And we were to march near the city Antiparah, as if we were going to the city beyond, in the borders, by the seashore.
32 And it came to pass that we did march forth, as if with our provisions, to go to the city.
33 And it came to pass that Antipus did march forth, with a part of his army, leaving the remainder to maintain the city. But he did not march forth, until I had gone forth with my little army, and came near the city Antiparah.
34 And now in the city of Antiparah, were stationed the strongest army of the Lamanites; yea, the most numerous.
35 And it came to pass that when they had been informed by their spies, they came forth with their army, and marched against us.
36 And it came to pass that we did flee before them, northward. And thus we did lead away the most powerful army of the Lamanites;
37 yea, even to a considerable distance, insomuch that when they saw the army of Antipus pursuing them, with their mights, they did not turn to the right nor to the left, but pursued their march in a straight course after us; and, as we supposed, it was their intent to slay us before Antipus should overtake them, and this that they might not be surrounded by our people.
38 And now Antipus, beholding our danger, did speed the march of his army. But behold, it was night; therefore they did not overtake us, neither did Antipus overtake them; therefore we did camp for the night.
39 And it came to pass that before the dawn of the morning behold, the Lamanites were pursuing us. Now we were not sufficiently strong to contend with them, yea, I would not suffer that my little sons should fall into their hands; therefore we did continue our march; and we took our march into the wilderness.
40 Now they durst not turn to the right nor to the left, lest they should be surrounded; neither would I turn to the right or to the left, lest they should overtake me, and we could not stand against them, but be slain, and they would make their escape; and thus we did flee all that day into the wilderness, even until it was dark.
41 And it came to pass that again when the light of the morning came, we saw the Lamanites upon us, and we did flee before them.
42 But it came to pass that they did not pursue us far, before they halted; and it was in the morning of the third day, on the seventh month.
43 And now whether they were overtaken by Antipus, we knew not; but I said unto my men, Behold, we know not but they have halted for the purpose that we should come against them, that they might catch us in their snare;
44 therefore, what say ye, my sons, will ye go against them to battle?.
45 And now I say unto you, my beloved brother Moroni, That never had I seen so great courage, nay, not amongst all the Nephites.
46 For as I had ever called them my sons,(for they were all of them very young,) even so they said unto me, Father, behold, our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we shall fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our brethren, if they would let us alone; therefore let us go, lest they should overpower the army of Antipus.
47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers, than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, that God would deliver them.
48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.
49 And it came to pass that I did return with my two thousand, against these Lamanites which had pursued us. And now behold, the armies of Antipus had overtaken them, and a terrible battle had commenced.
50 The army of Antipus being weary, because of their long march in so short a space of time, were about to fall into the hands of the Lamanites; and had I not returned with my two thousand, they would have obtained their purpose:
51 for Antipus had fallen by the sword, and many of his leaders, because of their weariness, which was occasioned by the speed of their march; therefore the men of Antipus being confused, because of the fall of their leaders began to give way before the Lamanites.
52 And it came to pass that the Lamanites took courage, and began to pursue them; and thus were the Lamanites pursuing them with great vigor, when Helaman came upon their rear with his two thousand, and began to slay them, exceedingly, insomuch that the whole army of the Lamanites halted, and turned on Helaman.
53 Now when the people of Antipus saw that the Lamanites had turned them about, they gathered together their men, and came again upon the rear of the Lamanites.
54 And now it came to pass that we, the people of Nephi, the people of Antipus, and I with my two thousand, did surround the Lamanites, and did slay them; yea, insomuch that they were compelled to deliver up their weapons of war, and also themselves as prisoners of war.
55 And now it came to pass that when they surrendered themselves up unto us, behold, I numbered those young men which had fought with me, fearing lest there were many of them slain.
56 But behold, to my great joy, there had not one soul of them fallen to the earth; yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never was men known to have fought with such miraculous strength; and with such mighty power did they fall upon the Lamanites, that they did frighten them; and for this cause did the Lamanites deliver themselves up as prisoners of war.
57 And as we had no place for our prisoners, that we could guard them to keep them from the armies of the Lamanites, therefore we sent them to the land of Zarahemla, and a part of those men which were not slain of Antipus, with them; and the remainder I took and joined them to my stripling Ammonites, and took our march back to the city of Judea.

1 Now it came to pass that when Moroni received this epistle, he was more angry, because he knew that Ammoron had a perfect knowledge of his fraud; yea, he knew that Ammoron knew that it was not a just cause that had caused him to wage war against the people of Nephi.
2 And he said, Behold, I will not exchange prisoners with Ammoron, save he will withdraw his purpose, as I have stated in my epistle; for I will not grant unto him that he shall have any more power than what he hath got.
3 Behold, I know the place where the Lamanites doth guard my people, which they have taken prisoners; and as Ammoron would not grant unto me mine epistle, behold, I will give unto him according to my words; yea, I will seek death among them, until they shall sue for peace.
4 And now it came to pass that when Moroni had said these words, he caused that a search should be made among his men, that perhaps he might find a man which was a descendant of Laman among them.
5 And it came to pass that they found one, whose name was Laman; and he was one of the servants of the king which was murdered by Amalickiah.
6 Now Moroni caused that Laman and a small number of his men, should go forth unto the guard which were over the Nephites.
7 Now the Nephites were guarded in the city of Gid; therefore Moroni caused that Laman and a small number of men which was appointed to go with him.
8 And it came to pass that when it was evening, Laman went to the guards which were over the Nephites, and behold, they saw him coming, and they hailed him. But he saith unto them, Fear not. Behold, I am a Lamanite. Behold, we have escaped from the Nephites, and they sleepeth; and behold, we have took of their wine, and brought with us.
9 Now when the Lamanites heard these words, they received him with joy. –And they said unto him, Give us of your wine, that we may drink; we are glad that ye have thus taken wine with you, for we are weary.
10 But Laman saith unto them, Let us keep of our wine till we go against the Nephites to battle. But this saying only made them more desirous to drink of the wine.
11 –For, said they, We are weary; therefore let us take of the wine, and by and by we shall receive wine for our rations, which will strengthen us to go against the Nephites.
12 And Laman saith unto them, You may do according to your desires.
13 And it came to pass that they did take of the wine freely, and it was pleasant to their taste; therefore they took of it more freely; and it was strong, having been prepared in its strength.
14 And it came to pass they did drink and were merry, and by and by they were all drunken.
15 Now when Laman and his men saw that they were all drunken, and were in a deep sleep, they returned to Moroni, and told him all the things that had happened.
16 And now this was according to the design of Moroni. And Moroni had prepared his men with weapons of war; and he went to the city of Gid, while the Lamanites were in a deep sleep, and drunken, and cast in the weapons of war in unto the prisoners, insomuch that they were all armed;
17 yea, even to their women, and all those of their children, as many as were able to use a weapon of war; when Moroni had armed all those prisoners. And all those things were done in a profound silence.
18 But had they awoke the Lamanites, behold they were drunken, and the Nephites could have slain them.
19 But behold this was not the desire of Moroni. He did not delight in murder or bloodshed; but he delighted in the saving of his people from destruction; and for this cause he might not bring upon him injustice, he would not fall upon the Lamanites and destroy them in their drunkennes.
20 But he had obtained his desires; for he had armed those prisoners of the Nephites which were within the wall of the city, and had gave them power to gain possession of those parts which were within the walls;
21 and then he caused the men which were with him, to withdraw a pace from them, and surround the armies of the Lamanites.
22 Now behold, this was done in the night time, so that when the Lamanites awoke in the morning, they beheld that they were surrounded by the Nephites without, and that their prisoners were armed within.
23 And thus they saw that the Nephites had power over them; and in these circumstances they found it was not expedient that they should fight with the Nephites; therefore their Chief Captains demanded their weapons of war, and they brought them forth, and cast them at the feet of the Nephites, pleading for mercy.
24 Now behold, this was the desire of Moroni. He took them prisoners of war, and took possession of the city, and caused that all prisoners should be liberated, which were Nephites; and they did join the army of Moroni, and were a great strength to his army.
25 And it came to pass that he did cause the Lamanites which he had taken prisoners, that they should commence a labor in strengthening the fortifications round about the city of Gid.
26 And it came to pass that when he had fortified the city of Gid, according to his desires, he caused that his prisoners be taken to the city Bountiful. And he also guarded that city with an exceeding strong force.
27 And it came to pass that they did, notwithstanding all the intrigues of the Lamanites, keep and protect all the prisoners which they had taken, and also maintain all the ground and the advantage which they had retaken.
28 And it came to pass that the Nephites began again to be victorious, and to reclaim their rights and privileges.
29 Many time did the Lamanites attempt to encircle them about by night, but these attempts they did lose many prisoners.
30 –And many times did they atempt to administer of their wine to the Nephites, that they might destroy them with poison or with drunkenness.
31 But behold, the Nephites were not slow to remember the Lord their God, in this their times of affliction. They could not be taken in their snares; yea, they would not partake of their wine; yea, they would not take of wine, save they had firstly given to some of the Lamanite prisoners.
32 And they were thus cautious, that no poison should be administered among them; for if their wine would poison a Lamanite, it would also poison a Nephite; and thus they did try all their liquors.
33 And now it came to pass that it was expedient for Moroni to make preparations to attack the city of Morianton. –For behold, the Lamanites had, by their labors, fortified the city of Morionton until it had become an exceeding strong hold;
34 and they were continually bringing new forces into that city, and also new supplies of provisions.
35 And thus ended the twenty and ninth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi.

1 And now it came to pass in the twenty and ninth year of the reign of the Judges, that Ammoron sent unto Moroni, desiring that he would exchange prisoners.
2 And it came to pass that Moroni felt to rejoice exceedingly at this request, for he desired the provisions which was imparted for the support of the Lamanite prisoners, for the support of his own people; and he also desired his own people for the strengthening of his army.
3 Now the Lamanites had taken many women and children; and there was not a woman nor a child among all the prisoners of Moroni, or the prisoners which Moroni had taken; therefore Moroni resolved upon a stratagem, to obtain as many prisoners of the Nephites from the Lamanites, as it were possible;
4 therefore he wrote and epistle, and sent it by the servant of Ammoron, the same who had brought an epistle to Moroni. Now these are the words which he wrote unto Ammoron, saying:
5 Behold, Ammoron, I have wrote unto you somewhat concerning this war which we have waged against my people, or rather which thy brother hath waged against them, and which ye are still determined to carry on after his death.
6 Behold, I would tell you something concerning the justice of God, and the sword of his Almighty wrath, which doth hang over you: Except ye repent and withdraw your armies into your own lands, or the lands of your possessions, which is the land of Nephi;
7 yea, I would tell you these things, if ye were capable of hearkening unto them; yea, I would tell you concerning that awful hell that awaits to receive such murderers as thou and thy brother hath been, except ye repent and withdraw your murderous purposes, and return with your armies to your own lands;
8 but as ye have rejected these things, and have fought against the people of the Lord. even so I may expect you will do it again.
9 And now behold, we are prepared to receive you; yea, and except you withdraw your purposes, behold, ye will pull down the wrath of that God whom you have rejected, upon you, even to your utter destruction;
10 but as the Lord liveth, our armies shall come upon you, except ye withdraw, and ye shall soon be visited with death, for we will retain our cities and our lands; yea, and we will maintain our religion and the cause of our God.
11 But behold, it supposeth me that I talk to you concerning these things in vain; or it supposeth me that that thou art a child of hell; therefore I will close my epistle, by telling you that I will not exchange prisoners, save it be on conditions that ye will deliver up a man, and his wife, and his children, for one prisoner; if this be the case that ye will do it, I will exchange.
12 And behold, if ye do not do this, I will come against you with my armies; yea, even I will arm my women and my children, and I will come against you, and I will follow you even into your own land, which is the land of our first inheritance; yea, and it shall be blood for blood; yea, life for life; and I will give you battle, even until you are destroyed from off the face of the earth.
13 Behold, I am in my anger, and also my people; ye have sought to murder us, and we have only sought to defend ourselves. But behold, if ye seek to destroy us more, we will seek to destroy you; yea, and we will seek our land, the lands of our first inheritance.
14 Now I close my epistle. I am Moroni; I am a leader of the people of the Nephites.
15 Now it came to pass that Ammoron, when he had received this epistle, he was angry, and he wrote another epistle unto Moroni; and these are the words which he wrote, saying:
16 I am Ammoron, the king of the Lamanites; I am the brother of Amalickiah, whom ye have murdered. Behold, I will avenge his blood upon you; yea, And I will come upon you with my armies, for I fear not your threatenings.
17 For behold, your fathers did wrong their brethren, insomuch that they did rob them of their right to the government, when it rightly belonged unto them.
18 And now behold, if ye will lay down pour arms, and subject yourselves to be governed by those whom the government doth rightly belong, then will I cause that my people shall lay down their weapons, and shall be at war no more.
19 Behold, ye have breathed out many threatenings against me and my people; but behold, we fear not your threatenings;
20 nevertheless, I will grant to exchange prisoners according to your request, gladly, that I may preserve my food for my men of war; and we will wage a war which shall be eternal, either to subjecting the Nephites to our authority, or to their eternal extinction.
21 And concerning that God whom ye say we have rejected, behold, we know not such a being; neither do ye; but if it so be that there is such a being, we know not but that he hath made us as well as you;
22 and if it so be that there is a Devil and a hell, behold, will he not send you there, to dwell with my brother, which ye have murdered, which ye have hinted that he hath gone to such a place?. But behold, these things mattereth not.
23 I am Ammoron, and a descendant of Zoram, whom your fathers pressed and brought out of Jerusalem.
24 And behold, now, I am a bold Lamanite. Behold, this war has been waged, to avenge their wrongs, and to maintain, and to obtain their rights to the government; and I close my epistle to Moroni.

1 And it came to pass that they did set guards over the prisoners of the Lamanites, and did compel them to go forth and bury their dead; yea, and also the dead of the Nephites which were slain; and Moroni placed men over them to guard them while they should perform their labors.
2 And Moroni went to the city of Mulek with Lehi, and took command of the city, and gave it unto Lehi. Now behold this Lehi was a man who had been with Moroni in the more part of all his battles; and he was a man like unto Moroni; and they rejoiced in each other’s safety; yea, they were beloved by each other, and also beloved by all the people of Nephi.
3 And it came to pass that after the Lamanites had finished burying their dead, and also the dead of the Nephites, they were marched back into the land Bountiful; and Teancum, by the orders of Moroni, caused that they should commence in laboring in digging a ditch round about the land, or the city Bountiful;
4 and he caused that they should build a breastwork of timbers upon the inner bank of the ditch; and they cast up dirt out of the ditch against the breastwork of timbers; and thus they did cause the Lamanites to labor, until they had encircled the city of Bountiful round about with a strong wall of timbers and earth, to an exceeding height.
5 And this city became an exceeding strong hold ever after; and in this city they did guard the prisoners of the Lamanites; yea, even within a wall, which they had caused them to build with their own hands. Now Moroni was compelled to cause the Lamanites to labor, because it were easy to guard them while at their labor; and he desired all his forces, when he should make an attack upon the Lamanites.
6 And it came to pass that Moroni had thus gained a victory over one of the greatest of the armies of the Lamanites, and had obtained possession of the city of Mulek, which was one of the strongest hold of the Lamanites in the land of Nephi; and thus he had built a strong hold to retain his prisoners.
7 And it came to pass that he did no more attempt a battle with the Lamanites in that year, but he did employ his men in preparing for war; yea, and in making fortifications to guard against the Lamanites; yea, and also delivering their women and their children from famine and affliction, and providing food for their armies.
8 And now it came to pass that the armies of the Lamanites, on the West Sea, south, while in the absence of Moroni, on account of some intrigue amongst the Nephites, which caused dissensions amongst them, had gained some ground over the Nephites, yea, insomuch that they obtained possession of a number of their cities in that part of the land;
9 and thus because of iniquity amongst themselves, yea, because of dissensions and intrigue among themselves, they were placed in the most dangerous circumstances.
10 And now behold, I have somewhat to say concerning the people of Ammon, which, in the beginning, were Lamanites; but by Ammon and his brethren, or rather by the power and word of god, they had been converted unto the Lord; and they had been brought down into the land of Zarahemla, and had ever since been protected by the Nephites;
11 and because of their oath, they had been kept from taking up arms against their brethren; for they had an oath, that they never would shed blood more; and according to their oath, they would have perished; yea, they would have suffered themselves to have fallen into the hands of their brethren, had it not been for the pity and the exceeding love which Ammon and his brethren had had for them;
12 and for this cause, they were brought down into the land of Zarahemla; and they ever had been protected by the Nephites.
13 But it came to pass that when they saw the danger, and the many afflictions and tribulations which the Nephites bore for them, they were moved with compassion, and were desirous to take up arms in the defence of their country.
14 But behold, as they were about to take their weapons of war, they were overpowered by the persuasions of Helaman and his brethren, for they were about to break the oath which they had made;
15 and Helaman feared lest by so doing, they should lose their souls; therefore all those which had entered into this covenant, were compelled to behold their brethren wade through their afflictions, in their dangerous circumstances, at this time.
16 But behold, it came to pass they had many sons, which had not entered into a covenant that they would not take their weapons of war to defend themselves against their enemies; therefore they did assemble themselves together at this time, as many as were able to take up arms; and they called themselves Nephites;
17 and they entered into a covenant, to fight for there liberty of the Nephites; yea, to protect the land unto the laying down of their lives; yea, even they covenanted that they never would give up their liberty, but they would fight in all cases to protect the Nephites and themselves from bondage.
18 Now behold, there were two thousand of those young men which entered into this covenant, and took their weapons of war to defend their country.
19 And now behold, as they never had hitherto been a disadvantage of the Nephites, they became now at this period of time also a great support; for they took their weapons of war, and they would that Helaman should be their leader.
20 And they were all young men, and they were exceeding valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all: they were men which were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted;
21 yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God, and walk uprightly before him.
22 And now it came to pass that Helaman did march at the head of his two thousand stripling soldiers, to the support of the people in the borders of the land on the south, by the West Sea.
23 And thus ended the twenty and eighth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi, etc.

1 And now it came to pass in the twenty and sixth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi, behold, when the Lamanites awoke on the first morning of the first month, behold, they found Amalickiah was dead, in his own tent; and they also saw that Teancum was ready to give them battle on that day.
2 And now when the Lamanites saw this, they were affrighted; and they abandoned their design in marching into the land northward, and retreated with all their army into the city of Mulek, and sought protection in their fortifications,
3 And it came to pass that the brother of Amalickiah was appointed king over the people; and his name was Ammoron: thus king Ammoron, the brother of king Amalickiah, was appointed to reign in his stead.
4 And it came to pass that he did command that his people should maintain those cities which they had taken by the shedding of blood; for they had not taken any cities, save they had lost much blood.
5 And now Teancum saw that the Lamanites were determined to maintain those cities which they had taken, and those parts of the land which they had obtained possession of; and also seeing the enormity of their number, Teancum thought it was not expedient that he should attempt to attack them in their forts;
6 but he kept his men round about, as if making preparations for war; yea, and truly he was preparing to defend himself against them, by casting up walls round about, and preparing places of resort.
7 And it came to pass that he kept thus preparing for war, until Moroni had sent a large number of men to strengthen his army;
8 and Moroni also sent orders unto him, that he should retain all the prisoners which fell into his hands; for as the Lamanites had taken many prisoners, that he should retain all the prisoners of the Lamanites, as a ransom for those which the Lamanites had taken.
9 And he also sent orders unto him, that he should fortify the land Bountiful, and secure the narrow pass which led into the land northward, lest the Lamanites should obtain that point, and should have power to harrass them on every side.
10 And Moroni also sent unto him, desiring that he would be faithful in maintaining that quarter of the land, and that he would seek every opportunity to scourge the Lamanites in that quarter, as much as was his power, that perhaps he might take again, by stratagem or some other way, those cities which had been taken out of their hands; and that he also would fortify and strengthen the cities round about, which had not fallen into the hands of the Lamanites.
11 And he also said unto him, I would come unto you, but behold, the Lamanites are upon us in the borders of the land by the West Sea; and behold, I go against them, therefore I cannot come unto you.
12 Now the king (Ammoron,) had departed out of the land of Zarahemla, and had made known unto the queen concerning the death of his brother, and had gathered together a large number of men, and had marched forth against the Nephites, on the borders of the West Sea;
13 and thus he was endeavoring to harrass the Nephites, and to draw away a part of their forces to that part of the land, while he had commanded those which he had left to possess the cities which he had taken, that they should also harrass the Nephites on the borders by the East Sea; and should take possession of their lands as much as it were in their power, according to the power of their armies.
14 And thus were the Nephites in those dangerous circumstances, in the ending of the twenty and sixth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi.
15 But behold, it came to pass in the twenty and seventh year of the reign of the Judges, that Teancum, by the command of Moroni, who had established armies to protect the south and the west borders of the land, had began his march towards the land Bountiful, that he might assist Teancum with his men, in retaking the cities which they had lost.
16 And it came to pass that Teancum had received orders to make an attack upon the city of Mulek, and retake it if it were possible.
17 And it came to pass that Teancum made preparations to make an attack upon the city of Mulek, and march forth with his army against the Lamanites; but he saw that it was impossible that he could overpower them while they were in their fortifications; therefore he abandoned his designs, and returned again to the city Bountiful, to wait for the coming of Moroni, that he might receive strength to his army.
18 And it came to pass that Moroni did arrive with his army to the land of Bountiful, in the latter end of the twenty and seventh year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi.
19 And in the commencement of the twenty and eighth year, Moroni and Teancum, and many of the Chief Captains, held a council of war, what they should do to cause the Lamanites to come out against them to battle; or that they might by some means, flatter them out of their strong holds, that they might gain advantage over them, and take again the city of Mulek.
20 And it came to pass that they sent embassies to the army of the Lamanites, which protected the city of Mulek, to their leader, whose name was Jacob, desiring him that he would come out with his armies to meet them upon the plains, between the two cities. But behold, Jacob, which was a Zoramite, would not come out with his army to meet them upon the plains.
21 And it came to pass that Moroni, having no hopes of meeting them upon fair grounds, therefore he resolved upon a plan that he might decoy the Lamanites out of their strong holds.
22 Therefore he caused that Teancum should take a small number of men, and march down near the seashore; and Moroni and his army, by night, marched into the wilderness, on the west of the city of Mulek; and thus, on the morrow, when the guards of the Lamanites had discovered Teancum, they ran and told it unto Jacob, their leader.
23 And it came to pass that the armies of the Lamanites did march forth against Teancum, supposing by their numbers to overpower Teancum, because of the smallness of his numbers. And as Teancum saw the armies of the Lamanites coming out against him, he began to retreat down by the seashore, northward.
24 And it came to pass that when the Lamanites saw that he began to flee, they took courage and pursued them with vigor. And while Teancum was thus leading away the Lamanites which were pursuing them in vain, behold, Moroni commanded that a part of his army which were with him, should march forth into the city, and take possession of it.
25 And thus they did, and slew all those who had been left to protect the city; yea, all those who would not yield up their weapons of war.
26 And thus Moroni had obtained a possession of the city of Mulek, with a part of his army, while he marched with the remainder to meet the Lamanites, when they should return from the pursuit of Teancum.
27 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did pursue Teancum until they came near the city Bountiful, and then they were met by Lehi, and a small army, which had been left to protect the city Bountiful.
28 And now Behold, when the Chief Captains of the Lamanites had beheld Lehi, with his army, coming against them, they fled in much confusion, lest perhaps they should not obtain the city Mulek, before Lehi should overtake them; for they were wearied because of their march; and the men of Lehi were fresh.
29 Now the Lamanites did not know that Moroni had been in their rear with his army; and all they feared, was Lehi and his men.
30 Now Lehi was not desirous to overtake them, till they should meet Moroni and his army.
31 And it came to pass that before the Lamanites had retreated far, they were surrounded by the Nephites; by the men of Moroni on one hand, and the men of Lehi on the other, all of whom were fresh and full of strength; but the Lamanites were wearied, because of their long march.
32 And Moroni commanded his men that they should fall upon them, until they had given up their weapons of war.
33 And it came to pass that Jacob, being their leader, being also a Zoramite, and having an unconquerable spirit, he led the Lamanites forth to battle, with exceeding fury against Moroni.
34 Moroni being in their course of march, therefore Jacob was determined to slay them, and cut his way through to the city of Mulek. But behold, Moroni and his men were more powerful; therefore they did not give away before the Lamanites.
35 And it came to pass that they fought on both hands with exceeding fury; and there were many slain on both sides; yea, and Moroni was wounded, and Jacob was killed.
36 And Lehi pressed upon their rear with such fury, with his strong man, that the Lamanites in the rear delivered up their weapons of war; and the remainder of them, being much confused, knew not whether to go or to strike.
37 Now Moroni seeing their confusion, he said unto them, if ye will bring forth your weapons of war, and deliver them up, behold we will forbear shedding your blood.
38 And it came to pass that when the Lamanites had heard these words, their Chief Captains, all those which were not slain, came forth and threw down their weapons of war at the feet of Moroni, and also commanded their men that they should do the same;
39 but behold, there were many that would not; and those who would not deliver up their swords, were taken and bound, and their weapons of war were taken from them, and they were compelled to march with their brethren forth into the land Bountiful.
40 And now the number of prisoners which were taken, exceeded more than the number of those which had been slain; yea, more than those which had been slain on both sides.

1 And now it came to pass, in the commencement of the twenty and fifth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi, they having established peace between the people of Lehi and the people of Morianton concerning their lands, and having commenced the twenty and fifth year in peace;
2 nevertheless, they did not long maintain an entire peace in the land for there began to be a contention among the people concerning the Chief Judge, Pahoran; for behold, there were a part of the people which desired that a few particular points of the law should be altered;
3 therefore he did not hearken to those who had sent in their voices with their petitions, concerning the altering of the law;
4 therefore those which were desirous that the law should be altered, were angry with him, and desired that he should no longer be Chief Judge over the land; therefore there arose a warm dispute concerning the matter; but not unto bloodshed.
5 And it came to pass that those who were desirous that Pahoran should be dethroned from the judgment seat, were called king-men, for they were desirous that the law should be altered in a manner to overthrow the free government, and to establish a king over the land.
6 And those who were desirous that Pahoran should remain Chief Judge over the land, took upon them the name of freemen; and thus was the division among them: for the freemen had sworn or covenanted to maintain their rights, and privileges of their religion, by a free government.
7 And it came to pass that this matter of their contention was settled, by the voice of the people. And it came to pass that the voice of the people came in the favor of the freemen, and Pahoran retained the judgment seat, which caused much rejoicing among the brethren of Pahoran, and also many of the people of liberty; which also put the king-men to silence, that they durst not oppose, but were obliged to maintain the cause of freedom.
8 Now those which were in favor of kings, were those of high birth; and they sought to be kings; and they were supported by those which sought power and authority over the people.
9 But behold, this was a critical time for such contentions to be among the people of Nephi; for behold, Amalickiah had again stirred up the hearts of the people of the Lamanites, against the people of the Nephites, and he was gathering together soldiers, from all parts of his land, and arming them, and preparing for war, with all diligence; for he had sworn to drink the blood of Moroni.
10 But behold, we shall see that his promise which he made was rash; nevertheless, he did prepare himself and his armies, to come to battle against the Nephites.
11 Now his armies were not so great as they had hitherto been, because of the many thousands which had been slain by the hand of the Nephites; but notwithstanding their great loss, Amalickiah had gathered together a wonderful army, insomuch that he feared not to come down to the land of Zarahemla.
12 Yea, even Amalickiah did himself come down, at the head of the Lamanites. And it was in the twenty and fifth year of the reign of the Judges; and it was at the same time that they began to settle the affairs of their contentions concerning the Chief Judge, Pahoran.
13 And it came to pass that when the men which were called king-men, had heard that the Lamanites were coming down to battle against them, they were glad in their hearts, and they refused to take up arms; for they were so wroth with the Chief Judge, and also with the people of liberty, that they would not take up arms to defend their country.
14 And it came to pass that when Moroni saw this, and also saw that the Lamanites were coming into the borders of the land, he was exceeding wroth, because of the stubbornness of those people, of whom he had labored with so much diligence to preserve; yea, he was exceeding wroth; his soul was filled with anger against them.
15 And it came to pass that he sent a petition, with the voice of the people, unto the Governor of the land, desiring that he should read it, and give him, (Moroni,) power to compel those dissenters to defend their country, or to put them to death;
16 for it was his first care to put an end to such contentions, and dissensions among the people; for behold, this had been hitherto a cause of all their destruction. –And it came to pass that it was granted, according to the voice of the people.
17 And it came to pass that Moroni commanded that his army should go against those king-men, to pull down their pride and their nobility, and level them with the earth, or they should take up arms and support the cause of liberty.
18 And it came to pass that the armies did march forth against them; and they did pull down their pride and their nobility, insomuch, that as they did lift their weapons of war to fight against the men of Moroni, they were hewn down, and leveled to the earth.
19 And it came to pass that there were four thousand of those dissenters, which were hewn down by the sword; and those of their leaders which were not slain in battle, were taken and cast into prison, for there was no time for their trials at this period;
20 and the remainder of those dissenters, rather than to be smote down to the earth by the sword, yielded to the standard of liberty, and were compelled to hoist the title of liberty upon their towers, and in their cities, and to take up arms in defence of their country.
21 And thus Moroni put an end to those king-men, that there were not any known by the appellation of king-men; and thus he put an end to the stubborness, and the pride of those people which professed the blood of nobility; but they were brought down to humble themselves like unto their brethren, and to fight valiantly for their freedom from bondage.
22 Behold, it came to pass that while Moroni was thus breaking down the wars and contentions among his own people, and subjecting them to peace and civilization, and making regulations to prepare for war against the Lamanites, behold, the Lamanites had come into the land of Moroni, which was in the borders by the seashore.
23 And it came to pass that the Nephites were not sufficiently strong in the city of Moroni; therefore Amalickiah did drive them slaying many. And it came to pass that Amalickiah took possession of the city; yea, possession of all their fortifications.
24 And those which fled out of the city of Moroni, came to the city of Nephihah; and also the people of Lehi gathered themselves together, and made preparations, and were ready to receive the Lamanites to battle. But it came to pass that Amalickiah would not suffer the Lamanites to go against the city of Nephihah to battle,
25 but kept them down by the seashore, leaving men in every city to maintain and defend it;
26 and thus he went on, taking possession of many cities: the city of Nephihah, and the city of Lehi, and the city of Morianton, and the city of Omner, and the city of Gid, and the city of Mulek, all of which were on the east borders, by the seashore.
27 And thus had the Lamanites obtained, by the cunning of Amalickiah, so many cities, by their numberless hosts, all of which were strongly fortified, after the manner of the fortifications of Moroni; all of which afforded strong holds for the Lamanites.
28 And it came to pass that they marched to the borders of the land Bountiful, driving the Nephites before them, and slaying many.
29 But it came to pass that they were met by Teancum, who had slain Morianton, and had headed his people in his flight.
30 And it came to pass that he headed Amalickiah also, as he was marching forth with his numerous army, that he might take possession of the land Bountiful, and also the land northward.
31 But behold, he met with a disappointment, by being repulsed by Teancum and his men, for they were great warriors: for every man of Teancum did exceed the Lamanites in their strength, and in their skills of war, insomuch they did gain advantage over the Lamanites.
32 And it came to pass that they did harass them, insomuch that they did slay them even until it was dark. And it came to pass that Teancum and his men did pitch their tents in the borders of the land of Bountiful; and Amalickiah did pitch his tents in the borders on the beach by the seashore: and after this manner they were driven.
33 And it came to pass that when the night had come, Teancum and his servant stole forth and went out by night, and went into the camp of Amalickiah; and behold, sleep had overpowered them, because of their much fatigue, which was caused by the labors and the heat of the day.
34 And it came to pass that Teancum stole privily into the tent of the king, and put a javelin to his heart; and he did cause the death of the king immediately, that he did not awake his servants.
35 And he returned again privily to his own camp, and behold, his men were asleep; and he awoke them, and told them all the things that he had done.
36 And he caused that his armies should stand in readiness, lest the Lamanites had awoke, and should come upon them.
37 And thus ended the twenty and fifth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi; and thus ended the days of Amalickiah.