Alma

1 Now after Alma had spoken these words, they sent forth unto him desiring to know whether they should believe in one God, that they might obtain this fruit of which he had spoken, or how they should plant the seed, or the word, of which he had spoken, which he said must be planted in their hearts; or in what manner they should begin to exercise their faith.
2 And Alma said unto them, Behold, ye have said that ye could not worship your God, because ye are cast out of your synagogues. But behold, I say unto you, If ye suppose that ye cannot worship God, ye do greatly err, and ye had ought to search the Scriptures; for if ye suppose that they have taught you this, ye do not understand them.
3 Do ye remember to have read what Zenos, the prophet of old, hath said concerning prayer or worship?
4 for he saith, Thou art merciful O God, for thou hast heard my prayer, even when I was in the wilderness; yea, thou wast merciful when I prayed concerning those which were mine enemies, and thou didst turn them to me;
5 yea, O God, and thou wast merciful unto me when I did cry unto thee in my field; when I did cry unto thee in my prayer, and thou didst hear me.
6 And again, O God, when I did turn to my house thou didst hear me in my prayer,
7 And when I did turn unto my closet, O Lord, and prayed unto thee, thou didst hear me;
8 yea, thou art merciful unto thy children, when they cry unto to thee to be heard of thee, and not of men; and thou wilt hear them;
9 yea, O God, thou hast been merciful unto me, and heard my cries in the midst of thy congregations;
10 yea, and thou hast also heard me when I have been cast out, and have been despised by mine enemies; yea, thou didst hear my cries, and wast angry with mine enemies, and thou didst visit them in thine anger, with speedy destruction;
11 and thou didst hear me because of mine afflictions and my sincerity; and it is because of thy Son that hast been thus merciful unto me; therefore I will cry unto thee in all mine afflictions; for in thee is my joy; for thou hast turned they judgments away from me, because of thy Son.
12 And now Alma saith unto them, Do ye believe those Scriptures which have been written by them of old?
13 Behold, if ye do, ye must believe what Zenos saith; for behold, he saith, Thou hast turned away thy judgments, because of thy Son.
14 Now behold, my brethren, I would ask, if ye have read the Scriptures? If ye have, how can ye disbelieve on the Son of God?
15 For it is not written that Zenos alone spake of these things;
16 for behold, he saith, Thou art angry, O Lord, with this people, because they will not understand of thy mercies which thou hast bestowed upon them, because of they Son.
17 And now my brethren, ye see that a second prophet of old has testified of the Son of God; and because the people would not understand his words, they stoned him to death.
18 But behold, this is not all; these are not the only ones which have spoken concerning the Son of God.
19 Behold, he was spoken of by Moses; yea, and behold, a type was raised up in the wilderness, that whosoever would look upon it might live. And many did look and live.
20 But few understood the meaning of those things, and this because of the hardness of their hearts. But there were many which were so hardened that they would not look; therefore they perished. Now the reason that they would not look, is because they did not believe that it would heal them.
21 O my brethren, if ye could be healed by merely casting about your eyes, that ye might be healed, would ye not behold quickly, or would ye rather harden your hearts in unbelief, and be slothful, that ye would not cast about your eyes, that ye might perish?
22 If so, wo shall come upon you; but if not so, then cast about your eyes, and begin to believe in the Son of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins; and that he shall rise again from the dead, which shall bring to pass the resurrection, that all men shall stand before him, to be judged, at the last and judgment day, according to their works.
23 And now my brethren, I desire that ye should plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell, even so nourish it by your faith. And behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son. And even all this can ye do, if ye will. Amen.

1 And it came to pass that they did go forth, and began to preach the word of God unto the people, entering into their synagogues, and into their houses; yea, and even they did preach the word in their streets.
2 And it came to pass that after much labor among them, they began to have success among the poor class of people; for behold, they were cast out of the synagogues, because of the coarseness of their apparel;
3 therefore they were not permitted to enter into their synagogues to worship God, being esteemed as filthiness; therefore they were poor; yea, they were esteemed by their brethren as dross; therefore they were poor as to things of the world; and also they were poor in heart.
4 Now as Alma was teaching and speaking unto the people upon the hill Onidah, there came a great multitude unto him, which were those of which we have been speaking, of which were poor in heart, because of their poverty as to the things of the world.
5 And they came unto Alma; and the one which was the most foremost among them, saith unto him, Behold, what shall these my brethren do, for they are despised of all men, because of their poverty; yea, and more especially by our priests; for they have cast us out of our synagogues, which we have labored abundantly to build, with our own hands; and they have cast us out because of this our exceeding poverty, that we have no place to worship God; and behold, what shall we do?
6 And now when Alma heard this, he turned him about, his face immediately towards him, and he beheld, with great joy; for he beheld that their afflictions had truly humbled them, and that they were in a preparation to hear the word;
7 therefore he did say no more to the other multitude, but he stretched forth his hand, and cried unto those which he beheld, which were truly penitent, and saith unto them,
8 I beheld that ye are lowly in heart; and if so, blessed are ye.
9 Behold, thy brother hath said, What shall we do? for we are cast out of our synagogues, that we cannot worship God.
10 Behold I say unto you, Do ye suppose that ye cannot worship God, save it be in your synagogues?
11 And moreover, I would ask, Do ye suppose that ye must not worship God only once in a week?
12 I say unto you, It is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues, that ye may be humbled, and that ye may learn wisdom; for it is necessary that ye should learn wisdom; for it is because ye are cast out, that ye are despised of your brethren; because of your exceeding poverty, that ye are brought to a lowliness of heart; for ye are necessarily brought to be humble, blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble,
13 seeketh repentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth, shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
14 And now as I said unto you, That because ye are compelled to be humble, ye were blessed, do ye suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word?
15 Yea, he that truly humbleth himself, and repenteth of his sin, and endureth to the end, the same shall be blessed; yea, much more blessed than they who art compelled to be humble, because of their exceeding poverty;
16 therefore blessed are they who humbleth themselves without being compelled to be humble; or rather, in other words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of God, and is baptized without stubborness of heart; yea, without being brought to know the word, or even compelled to know, before they will believe.
17 Yea, there are many which do say, If thou wilt show unto us a sign from Heaven, then we shall know of a surety; then we shall believe.
18 Now I ask, Is this faith? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for if a man knoweth a thing, he hath no cause to believe, for he knoweth it.
19 And now, how much more cursed is he that only believeth, or only hath cause to believe, and falleth into transgression?
20 Now of this thing, ye must judge. Behold, I say unto you, That it is on the one hand, even as it is on the other; and it shall be unto every man according to his work.
21 And now as I said concerning faith: Faith, is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith, ye hope for things which is not seen, which are true.
22 And now, behold, I say unto you: and I would that ye should remember that God is merciful unto all who believe on his name; therefore he desireth, in the first place, that ye should believe, yea, even on his word.
23 And now, he imparteth his word by angels, unto men; yea, not only men, but women also. Now this is not all: little children doth have words given unto them many times, which doth confound the wise and learned.
24 And now. my beloved brethren, as ye have desired to know of me what shall ye do because ye are afflicted and cast out: now I do not desire that ye should suppose that I mean to judge you only according to that which is true;
25 for I do not mean that ye all of you have been compelled to humble yourselves;. for I verily believe there are some among you which would humble themselves, let them be in whatsoever circumstances they might.
26 Now as I said concerning faith, that it was not a perfect knowledge, even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.
27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith; yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.
28 Now we will compare the word unto a seed. Now if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves, It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding; yea, and it beginneth to be delicious to me.
29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.
30 But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, and then ye must needs say, That the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow.
31 And now behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own likeness;
32 therefore. if a seed groweth, it is good, but if it groweth not, behold, it is not good; therefore it is cast away.
33 And now behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.
34 And now behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing. and your faith is dormant; and this because you know; for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls; and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand.
35 O then, is not this real? I say unto you, yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible; therefore ye must know that it is good. And now behold, after ye have tasted this light, is your knowledge perfect?
36 Behold, I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed, that ye might try the experiment, to know if the seed was good.
37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say, Let us nourish it with great care, that ii may get root, that it may grow up and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care, it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.
38 But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold, it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, and because it hath no root, it whithereth away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.
39 Now this is not because the seed was not good; neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable. But it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree; therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.
40 And thus if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.
41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith, with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, and it shall take root; and behold, it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life;
42 and because of your diligence, and your faith, and your patience with the word, in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by, ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white; yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit, even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.
43 Then my brethren ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.

1 Now it came to pass after the end of Korihor, Alma having received tidings that the Zoramites were perverting the ways of the Lord, and that Zoram, which was their leader, was leading the hearts of the people to bow down to dumb idols, etc., his heart again began to sicken, because of the iniquity of the people;
2 for it was the cause of great sorrow to Alma, to know of iniquity among his people; therefore his heart was exceeding sorrowful, because of the separation of the Zoramites from the Nephites.
3 Now the Zoramites had gathered themselves together in a land which they called Antionum, which was east of the land of Zarahemla, which lay nearly bordering upon the seashore, which was south of the land of Jershon, which also bordered upon the wilderness south, which wilderness was full of the Lamanites.
4 Now the Nephites greatly feared that the Zoramites would enter into a correspondence with the Lamanites, and that it would be the means of a great loss on the part of the Nephites.
5 And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just; yea, it had had more power effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or any thing else, which had happened unto them; therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God.
6 Therefore he took Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner; and Himni he did leave in the church of Zarahemla; but the former three he took with him, and also Amulek and Zeezrom, which were at Melek; and he also took two of his sons.
7 Now the eldest of his sons he took not with him; and his name was Helaman; but the names of those which he took with him, were Shiblon and Corianton: and these are the names of those which went with him among the Zoramites, to preach unto them the word.
8 Now the Zoramites were dissenters from the Nephites; therefore they had the word of God preached unto them.
9 But they had fell into great errors, for they would not observe to keep the commandments of God, and his statutes, according to the law of Moses;
10 neither would they observe the performances of the church, to continue in prayer and supplication to God daily, that they might not enter into temptation;
11 yea, in fine, they did pervert the ways of the Lord in very many instances; therefore, for this cause, Alma and his brethren went into the land, to preach the word unto them.
12 Now when they had come into the land, behold, to their astonishment, they found that the Zoramites had built synagogues, and that they did gather themselves together on one day of the week, which they did call the day of the Lord; and they did worship after a manner which Alma and his brethren had never beheld;
13 for they had a place built up in the center of their synagogue, a place of standing, which was high above the head; and the top thereof would only admit one person.
14 Therefore, whosoever desired to worship, must go forth and stand upon the top thereof, and stretch forth his hands towards heaven, and cry with a loud voice, saying:
15 Holy, holy God; we believe that thou art God. And we believe that thou art holy, and that thou wast a spirit, and that thou art a spirit, and that thou wilt be a spirit forever.
16 Holy God, we believe that thou hast separated us from our brethren; and we do not believe in the tradition of our brethren, which was handed down to them by the childishness of their fathers; but we believe that thou hast elected us to be thy holy children; and also thou hast made it known unto us that there shall be no Christ;
17 but thou art the same, yesterday, today, and forever; and thou hast elected us, that we shall be saved, whilst all around us are elected to be cast by thy wrath down to hell; for the which holiness, O God, we thank thee; and we also thank thee that thou hast elected us, that we may not be led away after the foolish traditions of our brethren, which doth bind them down to a belief of Christ, which doth lead their hearts to wander far from thee, our God.
18 And again: We thank thee, O God, that we are a chosen and a holy people. Amen.
19 Now it came to pass that after Alma and his brethren, and his sons, had heard these prayers, they were astonished beyond all measure.
20 For behold, every man did go forth and offer up the same prayers.
21 Now the place was called by them Rameumptom, which being interpreted is the Holy Stand.
22 Now from this stand, they did offer up, every man, the selfsame prayer unto God, thanking their God that they were chosen of him, and that he did not lead them away after the tradition of their brethren; and that their hearts were not stolen away to believe in things to come, which they knew nothing about.
23 Now after the people had all offered up thanks after this manner, they returned to their homes, never speaking of their God again, until they had assembled themselves together again, to the holy stand, to offer up thanks after their manner.
24 Now when Alma saw this, his heart was grieved: for he saw that they were a wicked and a perverse people; yea, he saw that their hearts were set upon gold, and upon silver, and upon all manner of fine goods.
25 Yea, and he also saw that their hearts were lifted up into great boasting, in their pride.
26 And he lifted up his voice to Heaven, and cried, saying: O how long O Lord, wilt thou suffer that thy servants shall dwell here below in the flesh, to behold such gross wickedness among the children of men.
27 Behold, O God, they cry unto thee, and yet their hearts are swallowed up in their pride. Behold, O God, they cry unto thee with their mouths, while they are puffed up, even to greatness, with the vain things of the world.
28 Behold, O my God, their costly apparel, and their ringlets, and their bracelets, and their ornaments of gold, and all their precious things which they are ornamented with; and behold, their hearts are set upon them, and yet they cry unto thee and say, We thank thee, O God, for we are a chosen people unto thee, while others shall perish.
29 Yea, and they say that thou hast made it known unto them, that there shall be no Christ.
30 O Lord God, how long wilt thou suffer that such wickedness and iniquity shall be among this people? O Lord, wilt thou give me strength, that I may bear with mine infirmities? for I am infirm, and such wickedness among this people doth pain my soul.
31 O Lord, my heart is exceeding sorrowful; wilt thou comfort my soul in Christ? O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may have strength, that I may suffer with patience these afflictions which shall come upon me, because of the iniquity of this people?
32 O Lord, wilt thou comfort my soul, and give unto me success, and also my fellow laborers which are with me; yea, Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and also Amulek, and Zeezrom, and also my two sons; yea, even all these wilt thou comfort, O Lord? Yea, wilt thou comfort their souls in Christ?
33 Wilt thou grant unto them that they may have strength, that they may bear their afflictions which shall come upon them, because of the iniquities of this people?
34 O Lord, wilt thou grant unto us that we may have success in bringing them again unto thee, in Christ?
35 Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious, and many of them are our near brethren, therefore, give unto us O Lord, power and wisdom, that we may bring these, our brethren, again unto thee.
36 Now it came to pass, that when Alma had said these words, that he clapped his hands upon all they which were with him. And behold, as he clapped his hands upon them, they were filled with the holy Spirit.
37 And after that, they did separate themselves one from another, taking no thoughts for themselves what they should eat, or what they should drink, or what they should put on.
38 And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith.

1 Behold, now it came to pass that after the people of Ammon were established in the land of Jershon, yea, and also after the Lamanites were driven out of the land, and their dead were buried by the people of the land.
2 Now their dead were not numbered, because of the greatness of their numbers; neither were the dead of the Nephites numbered. But it came to pass that after they had buried their dead, and also after the days of fasting, and mourning, and prayer—and it was in the sixteenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi—there began to be continual peace throughout all the land;
3 yea, and the people did observe to keep the commandments of the Lord; and they were strict in observing the ordinances of God, according to the law of Moses; for they were taught to keep the law of Moses, until it should be fulfilled;
4 and thus the people did have no disturbance in all the sixteenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi.
5 And it came to pass in the seventeenth year of the reign of the Judges, there was continual peace.
6 But it came to pass in the latter end of the seventeenth year, there came a man into the land of Zarahemla; and he was anti-Christ, for he began to preach unto the people against the prophecies which had been spoken by the prophets concerning the coming of Christ.
7 Now there was no law against a man’s belief; for it was strictly contrary to the commands of God, that there should be a law which should bring men on to unequal grounds.
8 For thus saith the Scripture: Choose ye this day, whom ye will serve.
9 Now if a man desired to serve God, it was his privilege to serve him; but if he did not believe in him, there was no law to punish him.
10 But if he murdered, he was punished unto death; and if he robbed, he was also punished; and if he stole, he was also punished; and if he committed adultery, he was also punished; yea, for all this wickedness, they were punished:
11 for there was a law, that men should be judged according to their crimes. Nevertheless, there was no law against a man’s belief; therefore, a man was punished only for the crimes which he had done; therefore all men were on equal grounds.
12 And this anti-Christ, whose name was Korihor, and the law could have no hold upon him. And he began to preach unto the people, that there should be no Christ. And after this manner did he preach, saying:
13 O ye that are bound down under a foolish and a vain hope, why do ye yoke yourselves with such foolish things? Why do ye look for a Christ? For no man can know of any thing which is to come.
14 Behold, these things which ye call prophecies, which ye say are handed down by the holy prophets, behold, they are foolish traditions of your fathers.
15 How do ye know of their surety? Behold, ye cannot know of things which ye do not see; therefore ye cannot know that there shall be a Christ.
16 Ye look forward and say, that ye see a remission of your sins. But behold, it is the effects of a frenzied mind; and this derangement of your minds comes because of the tradition of your fathers, which lead you away into a belief of things which are not so.
17 And many more such things did he say unto them, telling them that there could be no atonement made for the sins of men, but every man fared in this life, according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did, was no crime.
18 And thus he did preach unto them, leading away the hearts of many, causing them to lift up their heads in their wickedness; yea, leading away many women, and also men, to commit whoredoms; telling them that when a man was dead, that was the end thereof.
19 Now this man went over to the land of Jershon, also, to preach these things among the people of Ammon, which were once the people of the Lamanites.
20 But behold, they were more wise than many of the Nephites; for they took him, and bound him, and carried him before Ammon, which was a High Priest over that people.
21 And it came to pass that he caused that he should be carried out of the land. And it came to pass that he came over into the land of Gideon, and began to preach unto them also; and here he did not have much success, for he was taken and bound, and carried before the High Priest, and also the Chief Judge over the land.
22 And it came to pass that the High Priest saith unto him, Why do ye go about perverting the ways of the Lord? Why do ye teach this people that there shall be no Christ, to interrupt their rejoicings? Why do ye speak against all the prophecies of the holy prophets?
23 Now the High Priest’s name was Giddonah. And Korihor saith unto him, Because I do not teach the foolish traditions of your fathers, and because I do not teach this people to bind themselves down under the foolish ordinances and performances which are laid down by ancient priests, to usurp power and authority over them, to keep them in ignorance, that they may not lift up their heads, but be brought down according to thy words.
24 Yea, say that this people is a free people. Behold, I say they are in bondage. Ye say that those ancient prophecies are true. Behold, I say that ye do not know that they are true.
25 Ye say that this people is a guilty and a fallen people, because of the transgression of a parent. Behold, I say that a child is not guilty because of its parents.
26 And ye also say that Christ shall come. But behold, I say that ye do not know that there shall be a Christ. And ye say also, that he shall be slain for the sins of the world;
27 and thus ye lead away this people after the foolish traditions of your fathers, and according to your own desires; and ye keep them down, even as it were, in bondage that ye may glut yourselves with the labors of their hands, that they durst not look up with boldness, and that they durst not enjoy their rights and privileges;
28 yea, they durst not make use of that which is there own, lest they should offend their priests, which do yoke them according to their desires, and hath brought them to believe by their traditions, and their dreams, and their whims, and their visions, and their pretended mysteries, that they should, if they did not do according to their words, offend some unknown being, which they say is God; a being which never hath been seen not known, which never was nor ever will be.
29 Now when the High Priest and the Chief Judge saw the hardness of his heart; yea, when they saw that he would revile even against God, they would not make any reply to his words; but they caused that he should be bound; and they delivered him up into the hands of the officers, and sent him to the land of Zarahemla, that he might be brought before Alma, and the Chief Judge, which was governor over all the land.
30 And it came to pass that when he was brought before Alma and the Chief Judge, that he did go on in the same manner as he did in the land of Gideon; yea, he went on to blaspheme.
31 And he did rise up in great swelling words before Alma, and did revile against the priests and teachers, accusing them of leading away the people after the silly traditions of their fathers, for the sake of glutting in the labors of the people.
32 Now Alma saith unto him, Thou knowest that we do not glut ourselves upon the labors of this people; for behold, I have labored even from the commencement of the reign of Judges, until now, with mine own hands, for my support, notwithstanding my many travels round about the land, to declare the word of God unto my people.
33 And notwithstanding the many labors which I have performed in the church, I have never received so much as even one senine for my labor; neither hath any of my brethren, save it were in the judgment seat; and then we have received only according to the law, for our time.
34 And now if we do not receive any thing for our labors in the church, what doth it profit us to labor in the church, save it were to declare the truth, that we may have rejoicings in the joy of our brethren?
35 Then why sayest thou that we preach unto this people to get gain, when thou thyself knowest that we receive no gain? And now, believest thou that we deceive this people, that causeth such joy in their hearts?
36 And Korihor answered him, Yea.
37 And then Alma saith unto him, Believest thou that there is a God?
38 And he answered, Nay,
39 Now Alma saith unto him, If ye deny again that there is a God, and also deny the Christ: for behold, I say unto you, I know there is a God, and also that Christ shall come.
40 And now, what evidence have ye that there is no God, or that Christ cometh not? I say unto you that ye have none, save it be your word only.
41 But behold, I have all things as a testimony that these things are true; and ye also have all things as a testimony unto you that they are true; and will ye deny them? Believest thou that these things are true?
42 Behold, I know that thou believest, but thou are possessed with a lying spirit, and ye have put off the spirit of God, that it may have no place in you; but the Devil hath power over you, and he doth carry you about, working devices, that he may destroy the children of God.
43 And now Korihor saith unto Alma, If thou wilt shew me a sign, that I may be convinced that there is a God, yea, shew unto me that he hath power, and then I will be convinced of the truth of my words.
44 But Alma saith unto him, Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Shew unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The Scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that is upon the face of it, yea, and its motion; yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form, doth witness that there is a Supreme Creator;
45 and yet do ye go about, leading away the hearts of this people, testifying unto them there is no God. And yet will ye deny against all these witnesses? And he said, Yea, I will deny, except ye shall shew me a sign.
46 And now it came to pass that Alma said unto him, Behold, I am grieved because of the hardness of your heart; yea, that ye will resist the spirit of the truth, that thy soul may be destroyed.
47 But behold, it is better that thy soul should be lost, than that thou shouldst be the means of bringing many souls down to destructions, by thy lying and by thy flattering words; that thou shalt become dumb, that thou shalt never open thy mouth any more, that thou shalt not deceive this people any more.
48 Now Korihor saith unto him, I do not deny the existence of a God, but I do not believe that there is a God; and I say also, that ye do not know that there is a God; and except ye shew me a sign, I will not believe.
49 Now Alma saith unto him, This will I give unto thee for a sign, that thou shalt be struck dumb, according to my words; and I say, that in the name of God, that ye shall be struck dumb, that ye shall no more have utterance.
50 Now when Alma said these words, Korihor was struck dumb, that he could not have utterance, according to the words of Alma.
51 And now when the Chief Judge saw this, he put forth his hand and wrote unto Korihor, saying: Art thou convinced of the power of a God? In whom did ye desire that Alma shew forth his sign? Would ye that he should afflict others, to shew unto thee a sign? Behold, he hath showed unto you a sign; and now, will ye dispute more?
52 And Korihor put forth his hand, and wrote saying: I know that I am dumb, for I cannot speak; and I know that nothing, save it were the power of god could bring this upon me; yea, and I also knew that there was a God.
53 But behold, the Devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto me in the form of an angel, and said unto me, Go and reclaim this people, for they have all gone astray after an unknown God. And he saith unto me, There is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his words; and I taught them, because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind; and I taught them, even until I had much success, insomuch that I verily believed that they were true; and for this cause, I withstood the truth, even until I have brought this great curse upon me.
54 Now when he had said this, he besought that Alma should pray unto god, that the curse might be taken from him.
55 But Alma said unto him, If this curse should be taken from thee thou wouldst again lead away the hearts of this people; therefore, it shall be unto thee, even as the Lord will.
56 And it came to pass that the curse was not taken off of Korihor; but he was cast out, and went about from house to house, a begging for his food.
57 Now the knowledge of what had happened unto Korihor, was immediately published throughout all the land; yea, the proclamation was sent forth by the Chief Judge, to all the people in the land, declaring to those who had believed in the words of Korihor, that they must speedily repent, lest the same judgments would come unto them.
58 And it came to pass that they were all convinced of the wickedness of Korihor; therefore they were all converted again unto the Lord; and this put an end to the iniquity after the manner of Korihor. And Korihor did go about from house to house, a begging food for his support.
59 And it came to pass that as he went forth among the people, yea, among a people which had separated themselves from the Nephites, and called themselves Zoramites, being led by a man whose name was Zoram; and as he went forth amongst them, behold, he was run upon, and trodden down, even until he was dead;
60 and thus we see the end of him who perverteth the ways of the Lord; and thus we see that the Devil will not Support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell.

1 O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people;
2 yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, Repentance, and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto God, that there might not be no more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.
3 But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I had ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.
4 I had not ought to harrow up in my desires, the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desires, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills; whether it be unto salvation or unto destruction;
5 yea, and I know that good and evil hath come before all men; or he that knoweth not good from evil, is blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires; whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience.
6 Now seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?
7 Why should I desire that I was an angel, that I could speak unto all the ends of the earth?
8 For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word; yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true.
9 I know that which the Lord commanded me, and I glory in it; I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God, to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.
10 And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me; yea, that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me;
11 yea, and I also remember the captivity of my fathers; for I surely do know that the Lord did deliver them out of bondage, and by this did establish his church; yea, the Lord God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, did deliver them out of bondage;
12 yea, I have always remembered the captivity of my fathers; and that same God who delivered them out of the hands of the Egyptians, did deliver them out of bondage;
13 yea, and that same God did establish his church among them; yea, and that same God hath called me by a holy calling, to preach the word unto his people, and hath given me much success, in the which my joy is full;
14 but I do not joy in my own success alone, but my joy is more full because of the success of my brethren, which have been up to the land of Nephi.
15 Behold, they have labored exceedingly, and have brought forth much fruit; and how great shall be their reward.
16 Now when I think of the success of these my brethren, my soul is carried away, even to the separation of it from the body, as it were, so great is my joy.
17 And now may God grant unto these my brethren, that they may sit down in the kingdom of God; yea, and also all those which are the fruit of their labors, that they may go no more out, but that they may praise him forever. And may God grant that it may be done according to my words, even as I have spoken. Amen.

1 And now it came to pass that after the people of Ammon were established in the land of Jershon, and a church also established in the land of Jershon; and the armies of the Nephites were set round about the land of Jershon; yea, in all the borders round about the land of Zarahemla; behold the armies of the Lamanites had followed their brethren into the wilderness.
2 And thus a tremendous battle; yea, even such an one as never had been known among all the people, in the land from the time Lehi left Jerusalem; yea, and tens of thousands of the Lamanites were slain and scattered abroad.
3 Yea, and also there was a tremendous slaughter among the people of Nephi, nevertheless, the Lamanites were driven and scattered, and the people of Nephi returned again to their land.
4 And now this was a time that there was a great mourning and lamentation heard throughout all the land, among all the people of Nephi;
5 yea, the cry of widows mourning for their husbands, and also fathers mourning for their sons, and the daughter for the brother; yea, the brother for the father: and thus the cry of mourning was heard among every one of them; mourning for their kindred which had been slain.
6 And now surely this was a sorrowful day; yea, a time of solemnity, and a time of much fasting and prayer:
7 and thus ended the fifteenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi;
8 and this is the account of Ammon and his brethren, their journeyings in the land of Nephi, their sufferings in the land, their sorrows, and their afflictions, and their incomprehensible joy, and the reception and safety of the brethren in the land of Jershon. And now may the Lord, the Redeemer of all men, bless their souls forever.
9 And this is the account of the wars and contentions among the Nephites, and also the wars between the Nephites and the Lamanites; and the fifteenth year of the reign of the Judges is ended;
10 and from the first year to the fifteenth, has brought to pass the destruction of many thousand lives; yea, it has brought to pass an awful scene of bloodshed;
11 and the bodies of many thousands are laid low in the earth, while the bodies of many thousands are mouldering in heaps upon the face of the earth; yea, and many thousands are mourning for the loss of their kindred, because they have reason to fear, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are consigned to a state of endless wo;
12 while many thousands of others truly mourn for the loss of their kindred, yet they rejoice and exult in the hope, and even know, according to the promises of the Lord, that ye are raised to dwell at the right hand of God, in a state of never ending happiness:
13 and thus we see how great the iniquity of man is because of sin and transgression, and the power of the Devil, which comes by the cunning plans which he hath devised to ensnare the hearts of men;
14 and thus we see the great call of diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord; and thus we see the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing: sorrow because of death and destruction among men, and joy because of the light of Christ unto life.

1 Now it came to pass that when those Lamanites which had gone to war against the Nephites, had found after their many struggles for to destroy them, that it was in vain to seek their destruction, they returned again to the land of Nephi.
2 And it came to pass that the Amalekites, because of their loss, were exceeding angry. And when they saw that they could not seek revenge from the Nephites, they began to stir up the people in anger against their brethren, the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi; therefore they began again to destroy them.
3 Now this people again rufused to take their arms, and they suffered themselves to be slain according to the desires of their enemies.
4 Now when Ammon and his brethren saw this work of destruction among those who they so dearly loved, and among those who had so dearly loved them; for they were treated as though they were angels sent from God to save them from everlasting destruction; therefore, when Ammon and his brethren saw this great work of destruction, they were moved with compassion, and they said unto the king,
5 Let us gather together this people of the Lord, and let us go down to the land of Zarahemla, to our brethren, the Nephites, and flee out of the hands of our enemies, that we be not destroyed.
6 But the king saith unto them, Behold, the Nephites will destroy us, because of the many murders and sins we have committed against them.
7 And Ammon saith, I will go and inquire of the Lord, and if he saith unto us, Go down unto our brethren, will ye go?
8 And the king saith unto him Yea; if the Lord saith unto us Go, we will go down unto our brethren, and we will be their slaves until we repair unto them the many murders and sins which we have committed against them.
9 But Ammon saith unto him, It is against the law of our brethren, which was established by my father, that there should be any slaves among them; therefore let us go down and rely upon the mercies of our brethren.
10 But the king saith unto him, Inquire of the Lord, and if he saith unto us Go, we will go; otherwise we will perish in the land.
11 And it came to pass that Ammon went and inquired of the Lord, and the Lord said unto him,
12 Get this people out of this land, that they perish not, for Satan hath great hold on the hearts of the Amalekites, which do stir up the Lamanites to anger against their brethren, to slay them; therefore get thee out of this land; and blessed art this people in this generation; for I will preserve them.
13 And now it came to pass that Ammon went and told the king all the words which the Lord had said unto him.
14 And it came to pass that they gathered together all their people; yea, all the people of the Lord, and did gather together all their flocks and herds, and departed out of the land, and came into the wilderness which divided the land of Nephi from the land of Zarahemla, and came over near the borders of the land.
15 And it came to pass that Ammon saith unto them, Behold, I and my brethren will go forth into the land of Zarahemla, and ye shall remain here until we return; and we will try the hearts of our brethren, whether they will that ye shall come into their land.
16 And it came to pass that as Ammon was going forth into the land, that he and his brethren met Alma, over in the place of which has been spoken; and behold, this was a joyful meeting.
17 Now the joy of Ammon was great, even that he was full; yea, he was swallowed up in the joy of his God, even to the exhausting of his strength; and he fell again to the earth.
18 Now was not this exceeding joy? Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness.
19 Now the joy of Alma in meeting his brethren was truly great, and also the joy of Aaron, of Omner, and Himni; but behold, their joy was not that to exceed their strength.
20 Now it came to pass that Alma conducted his brethren back to the land of Zarahemla, even to his own house. And it came to pass that they went and told the Chief Judge all the things that had happened unto them in the land of Nephi among their brethren, the Lamanites.
21 And it came to pass that the Chief Judge sent a proclamation throughout all the land, desiring the voice of the people concerning the admitting their brethren, which were the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi.
22 And it came to pass that the voice of the people came saying, Behold, we will give up the land of Jershon, which is on the east by the sea, which joins the land Bountiful, which is on the south of the land of Bountiful; and this land Jershon is the land which we will give unto our brethren, for an inheritance.
23 And behold, we will set our armies between the land of Jershon and the land of Nephi, that we may protect our brethren in the land of Jershon; and this we do for our brethren, on account of their fear to take up arms against their brethren, lest they should commit sin; and this their great fear came, because of their sore repentance which they had, on account of their many murders, and their awful wickedness.
24 And now behold, this will we do unto out brethren, that they may inherit the land of Jershon; and we will guard them from their enemies with our armies, on conditions that they will give us a portion of their substance to assist us, that we may maintain our armies.
25 Now it came to pass that when Ammon heard this, he returned to the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi, and also Alma with him, into the wilderness, where they had pitched their tents, and made known unto them all these things. And Alma also related unto them his conversion with Ammon, and Aaron, and his brethren.
26 And it came to pass that it did cause great joy among them. And it came to pass that they went down into the land of Jershon, and took possession of the land of Jershon, and they were called by the Nephites the people of Ammon; therefore they were distinguished by that name ever after;
27 and they were among the people of Nephi, and also numbered among the people which were of the Church of God. And they were also distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end.
28 And they did look upon shedding the blood of their brethren with the great abhorrence; and they never could be prevailed upon to take up arms against their brethren; and they never did look upon death with any degree of terror for their hope and views of Christ and the resurrection; therefore death was swallowed up to them by the victory of Christ over it;
29 therefore they would suffer death in the most aggravating and distressing manner which could be inflicted by their brethren, before they would take the sword or the cimeter to smite them.
30 And thus they were a zealous and beloved people, a highly favored people of the Lord.

1 And now, these are the words of Ammon to his brethren, which sayeth thus: My brothers and my brethren, behold I say unto you, how great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed, when we started from the land of Zarahemla, that God would have granted unto us such great blessings?
2 And now I ask, What great blessings hath he bestowed upon us? Can ye tell?
4 Behold, thousands of them do rejoice, and have been brought into the fold of God.
5 Behold, the field was ripe, and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the sickle, and did reap with your mights, yea, all the day long did ye labor; and behold the number of your sheaves, and they shall be gathered into the garners, that they are not wasted;
6 yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm, at the last day; yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh, they shall be gathered together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds, whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them.
7 But behold, they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest, and they are his; and he will raise them up at the last day.
8 Blessed be the name of our God; let us sing to his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever.
9 For if we had not come up out of the land of Zarahemla, these our dearly beloved brethren, which have so dearly loved us, would still have been racked with hatred against us, yea, and they would also have been strangers to God.
10 And it came to pass that when Ammon had said these words, his brother Aaron rebuked him saying: Ammon, I fear thy joy doth carry thee away unto boasting.
11 But Ammon saith unto him, I do not boast in my own strength, or in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God;
12 yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength, I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God; for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.
13 Behold, how many thousands of our brethren hath he loosed from the pains of hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love; and this because of the power of his word which is in us; therefore have we not great reason to rejoice?
14 Yea, we have reason to praise him forever, for he is the Most High God, and has loosed our brethren from the chains of hell.
16 therefore let us rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long suffering towards the children of men? Behold I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.
17 Who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and polluted state?
18 Behold, we went forth even in wrath, with mighty threatenings to destroy this church.
19 O then, why did he not consign us to an awful destruction; yea, why did he not let the sword of his justice fall upon us, and doom us to eternal despair?
20 O my soul, almost as it were, fleeth at the thought. Behold, he did not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us over that everlasting gulf of death and misery, even to the salvation of our souls.
21 And now behold, my brethren, what natural man is there, that knoweth these things? I say unto you, There is none that knoweth these things, save it be the penitent;
22 yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing: unto such it is given the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such, to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it hath been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance.
23 Now do ye remember, my brethren, that we said unto our brethren in the land of Zarahemla, We go up to the land of Nephi, to preach unto our brethren, the Lamanites, and they laughed us to scorn?
24 For they said unto us, Do ye suppose that ye can bring the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth? Do ye suppose that ye can convince the Lamanites of the incorrectness of the traditions of their fathers, as stiffnecked a people as they are; whose hearts delighteth in the shedding of blood; whose days have been spent in the grossest iniquity; whose ways have been the ways of a transgressor, from the beginning? Now my brethren, ye remember that this was their language.
25 And moreover, they did say, Let us take up arms against them, that we destroy them and their iniquity out of the land, lest they overrun us and destroy us.
26 But behold, my beloved brethren, we came into the wilderness not with the intent to destroy our brethren but with the intent that perhaps we might save some few of their souls.
27 Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said, Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto the success.
29 and we have entered into their houses and taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their temples and their synagogues and taught them; and we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon, and smote upon our cheeks; and we have been stoned, and taken and bound with cords, and cast into prison; and through the power and wisdom of God, we have been delivered again;
30 and we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full, if perhaps we could be the means of saving some.
31 Now behold, we can look forth and see the fruits of our labors; and are they few? I say unto you, Nay, they are many; yea, and we can witness of their sincerity, because of their love towards their brethren, and also towards us.
32 For behold, they had rather sacrifice their lives than even to take the life of their enemy; and they have buried their weapons of war deep in the earth, because of their love towards their brethren.
33 And now behold I say unto you, Has there been so great love in all the land? Behold, I say unto you, Nay, there has not even among the Nephites.
34 For behold, they would take up arms against their brethren; they would not suffer themselves to be slain. But behold, how many of these have laid down their lives; and we know that they have gone to their God, because of their love, and of their hatred to sin.
35 Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, There never was men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all the power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name.
36 Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who hath been mindful of this people, which are a branch of the tree of Israel, and hath been lost from its body, in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who hath been mindful of us wanderers in a strange land.
37 Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, in whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy is over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen.