Alma – Page 5 – Holy Book of Mormon

Alma 23

1 Behold, now it came to pass that the king of the Lamanites sent a proclamation among all his people, that they should not lay their hands on Ammon or Aaron, or Omner, or Himni, nor neither of their brethren which should go forth preaching the word of God, in whatsoever place they should be, in any part of the land;
2 yea, he sent a decree among them, that they should not lay their hands on them to bind them, or to cast them into prison; neither should they spit upon them, nor smite them, nor cast them out of their synagogues, nor scourge them; neither should they cast stones at them, but that they should have free access to their houses, and also their temples, and their sanctuaries;
3 and thus they might go forth and preach the word according to their desires, for the king had been converted unto the Lord, and all his household; therefore he seat this proclamation throughout the land unto his people, that the word of God might have no obstruction, but that it might go forth throughout all the land, that his people might be convinced concerning the wicked traditions of their fathers, and that they might be convinced that they were all brethren, and that they had not ought to murder, nor to plunder, nor to steal, nor to commit adultery, not to commit any manner of wickedness.
4 And now it came to pass that when the king had sent forth this proclamation, that Aaron and his brethren went forth from city to city, and from one house of worship to another, establishing churches, and consecrating priests and teachers throughout the land among the Lamanites, to preach and to teach the word of God among them; and thus they began to have great success.
5 And thousands were brought to the knowledge of the Lord, yea, thousands were brought to believe in the traditions of the Nephites; and they were taught the records and the prophecies which were handed down, even to the present time;
6 and as sure as the Lord liveth, so sure as many as believed, or as many as were brought to the knowledge of the truth, through the preaching of Ammon and his brethren, according to the spirit of revelation and of prophecy, and the power of God, working miracles in them; yea, I say unto you, as the Lord liveth, as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away,
7 for they became a righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God no more, neither against any of their brethren.
8 Now these are they which were converted unto the Lord:
9 The people of the Lamanites which were in the land of Ishmael,
10 and also the people of the Lamanites which were in the land of Middoni,
11 and also of the people of the Lamanites which were in the city of Nephi,
12 and also of the people of the Lamanites which were in the land of Shilom, and which were in the land of Shemlon, and in the city of Lemuel, and the city of Shimnilom;
13 and these are the names of the cities of the Lamanites which were converted unto the Lord; and these are they that laid down the weapons of their rebellion, yea, all their weapons of war; and they were all Lamanites.
14 And the Amalekites were not converted, save only one; neither was any of the Amulonites; but they did harden their hearts, and also the hearts of the Lamanites in that part of the land whithersoever they dwelt; yea, and all their villages and all their cities;
15 therefore we have named all the cities of the Lamanites in which they did repent and come to the knowledge of the truth, and were converted.
16 And now it came to pass that the king and those people which were converted, were desirous that they might have a name, that thereby they might be distinguished from their brethren; therefore the king consulted with Aaron and many of their priests, concerning the name that they should take upon them, that they might be distinguished.
17 And it came to pass that they called their name Anti-Nephi-Lehies; and they were called by this name, and were no more called Lamanites.
18 And they began to be a very industrious people; yea, and they were friendly with the Nephites; therefore they did open a correspondence with them, and the curse of God did no more follow them.

Alma 22

1 Now as Ammon was thus teaching the people of Lamoni continually, we will return to the account of Aaron and his brethren; for after he departed from the land of Middoni, he was led by the spirit to the land of Nephi; even to the house of the king which was over all the land, save it were the land of Ishmael; and he was the father of Lamoni.
2 And it came to pass that he went in unto him into the king’s palace, with his brethren, and bowed himself before the king, and said unto him, Behold, O king, we are the brethren of Ammon, whom thou hast delivered out of prison.
3 And now, O king, if thou wilt spare our lives, we will be thy servants. And the king saith unto them, Arise, for I will grant unto you your lives, and I will not suffer that ye shall be my servants; but I will insist that ye shall administer unto me; for I have been somewhat troubled in mind, because of the generosity, and the greatness of the words of thy brother Ammon; and I desire to know the cause why he has not come up out of Middoni, with thee.
4 And Aaron saith unto the king, Behold, the spirit of the Lord hath called him another way: he hath gone to the land of Ishmael, to teach the people of Lamoni.
5 Now the king saith unto them, What is this that ye have said concerning the spirit of the Lord? Behold, this is the thing which doth trouble me.
6 And also, what is this that Ammon said? If ye will repent ye shall be saved, and if ye will not repent, ye shall be cast off at the last day?
7 And Aaron answered him and said unto him, Believest thou that there is a God? And the king saith, I know that the Amalekites say that there is a God, and I have granted unto them that they should build sanctuaries, that they might assemble themselves together, to worship him. And if now thou sayest there is a God, behold, I will believe.
8 And now when Aaron heard this, his heart began to rejoice, and he saith, Behold, assuredly, as thou livest, O king, there is a God.
9 And the king saith, Is God that Great Spirit that brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem?
10 And Aaron said unto him, Yea, he is that Great Spirit, and he created all things, both in Heaven and in earth: believest thou this?
11 And he saith Yea, I believe that the Great Spirit created all things, and I desire that ye should tell me concerning all these things, and I will believe thy words.
12 And it came to pass that when Aaron saw that the king would believe his words, he began from the creation of Adam, reading the Scriptures unto the king; how God created man after his own image, and that God gave him commandments, and that because of transgression, man had fallen.
13 And Aaron did expound unto him the Scriptures, from the creation of Adam, laying the fall of man before him, and their carnal state, and also the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would believe on his name.
15 And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king saith, What shall I do, that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, saith he, I will give up all that I possess; yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.
16 But Aaron saith unto him, if thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call. on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.
17 And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying,
18 O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead.
19 And it came to pass that his servants ran and told the queen all that had happened unto the king. And she came in unto the king; and when she saw him lay as if he were dead, and also Aaron and his brethren standing as though they had been the cause of his fall, she was angry with them, and commanded that her servants, or the servants of the king, should take them and slay them.
20 Now the servants had seen the cause of the king’s fall, therefore they durst not lay their hands on Aaron and his brethren; and they plead with the queen, saying, Why commandest thou that we should slay these men, when behold, one of them is mightier than us all? Therefore we shall fall before them.
21 Now when the queen saw the fear of the servants, she also began to fear exceedingly, lest there should some evil come upon her. And she commanded her servants that they should go and call the people, that they might slay Aaron and his brethren.
22 Now when Aaron saw the determination of the queen, and he also knowing the hardness of the hearts of the people, feared lest that a multitude should assemble themselves together, and there should be a great contention, and a disturbance among them; therefore he put forth his hand and raised the king from the earth, and said unto him, Stand: and he stood upon his feet, receiving his strength.
24 Now there was a multitude gathered together because of the commandment of the queen, and there began to be great murmurings among them, because of Aaron and his brethren.
25 But the king stood forth among them, and administered unto them. And it came to pass that they were pacified towards Aaron, and those which were with him.
26 And it came to pass that when the king saw that the people were pacified, he caused that Aaron and his brethren should stand forth in the midst of the multitude, and that they should preach the word unto them.
27 And it came to pass that the king sent a proclamation throughout all the land, amongst all his people which was in all his land, which was in all the regions round about, which was bordering even to the sea, on the east, and on the west, and which was divided from the land of Zarahemla by a narrow strip of wilderness, which ran from the sea, east, even to the sea west, and round about on the borders of the sea shore, and the borders of the wilderness which was on the north, by the land of Zarahemla, through the borders of Manti, by the head of the river Sidon, running from the east towards the west; and thus were the Lamanites and the Nephites divided.
28 Now the more idle part of the Lamanites lived in the wilderness, and dwelt in tents; and they were spread through the wilderness, on the west, in the land of Nephi; yea, and also on the west of the land of Zarahemla, in the borders, by the seashore, and on the west, in the land of Nephi, in the place of their fathers’ first inheritance; and thus bordering along the seashore. And also there was many Lamanites on the east by the seashore,
29 whither the Nephites had driven them. And thus the Nephites were nearly surrounded by the Lamanites; nevertheless the Nephites had taken possession of all the northern parts of the land, bordering on the wilderness, at the head of the river Sidon, from the east to the west, round about on the wilderness side; on the north, even until they came to the land which they called Bountiful.
30 And it bordered upon the land which they called Desolation; it being so far northward that it came into the land which had been peopled, and had been destroyed of whose bones we have spoken, which was discovered by the people of Zarahemla; it being the place of their first landing.
31 And they came from there up into the south wilderness. Thus the land on the northward was called Desolation, and the land on the southward was called Bountiful; it being the wilderness which was filled with all manner of wild animals of every kind; a part of which had come from the land northward, for food.
32 And now it was only the distance of a day and a half’s journey for a Nephite, on the line Bountiful, and the land Desolation, from the East to the West sea; and thus the land of Nephi, and the land of Zarahemla, was surrounded by water; there being a small, neck of land between the land northward, and the land southward.
33 And it came to pass that the Nephites had inhabited the land Bountiful, even from the East unto the West sea, and thus the Nephites in their wisdom, with their guards and their armies, had hemmed in the Lamanites on the south, that thereby they should have no more possession on the north, that they might overrun the land northward;
34 therefore the Lamanites could have no more possessions only in the land of Nephi, and the wilderness round about. Now this was wisdom in the Nephites, as the Lamanites were an enemy to them, they would not suffer their afflictions on every hand, and also that they might have a country whither they might flee, according to their desires.
35 And now I, after having said this, return again to the account of Ammon, and Aaron, Omner and Himni, and their brethren.

Alma 21

1 Now when Ammon and his brethren separated themselves in the borders of the land of the Lamanites, behold, Aaron took his journey towards the land which was called by the Lamanites, Jerusalem; calling it after the land of their fathers’ nativity; and it was away joining the borders of Mormon.
2 Now the Lamanites, and the Amalekites, and the people of Amulon, had built a great city, which was called Jerusalem.
3 Now the Lamanites, of themselves, were sufficiently hardened, but the Amalekites, and the Amulonites, were still harder; therefore they did cause the Lamanites that they should harden their hearts, that they should wax stronger in wickedness, and their abominations.
4 And it came to pass that Aaron came to the city of Jerusalem, and firstly began to preach to the Amalekites. And he began to preach to them in their synagogues, for they had built synagogues, after the order of the Nehors; for many of the Amalekites and the Amulonites were after the order of the Nehors.
5 Therefore, as Aaron entered into one of their synagogues to preach unto the people, and as he was speaking unto them, behold there arose an Amalekite, and began to contend with him, saying: What is that that thou hast testified? Hast thou seen an angel? Why do not angels appear unto us? Behold, art not this people as good as thy people?
6 Thou also sayest, Except ye repent, we shall perish. How knowest thou the thought and intent of our hearts? How knowest thou that we have cause to repent? How knowest thou that we are not a righteous people? Behold, we have built sanctuaries, and we do assemble ourselves together to worship God. We do believe that God will save all men.
7 Now Aaron said unto him, Believest thou that the Son of God shall come to redeem mankind from their sins?
8 And the man saith unto him, We do not believe that thou knowest any such thing. We do not believe in these foolish traditions. We do not believe that thou knowest of things to come, neither do we believe that thy fathers, and also that our fathers did know concerning the things which they spake, of that which is to come.
9 Now Aaron began to open the Scriptures unto them, concerning the coming of Christ, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and that there could be no redemption for mankind, save it were through the death and sufferings of Christ, and the atonement of his blood.
10 And it came to pass that as he began to expound these things unto them, they were angry with him, and began to mock him; and they would not hear the words which he spake;
11 therefore, when he saw that they would not hear his words, he departed out of the synagogue, and came over to a village which was called Ani-anti, and there he found Muloki a preaching the word unto them; and also Ammah, and his brethren. And they contended with many about the word.
12 And it came to pass that they saw that the people would harden their hearts; therefore they departed, and came over into the land of Middoni. And they did preach the word unto many, and few believed on the words which they taught.
13 Nevertheless, Aaron, and a certain number of his brethren, were taken and cast into prison, and the remainder of them fled out of the land of Middoni, unto the regions round about.
14 And those which were cast into prison suffered many things, and they were delivered by the hand of Lamoni and Ammon; and they were fed and clothed.
15 And they went forth again to declare the word; and thus they were delivered for the first time out of prison; and thus they had suffered.
16 And they went forth whithersoever they were led by the spirit of the Lord, preaching the word of God in every synagogue of the Amalekites, or in every assembly of the Lamanites, where they could be admitted.
17 And it came to pass that the Lord began to bless them, insomuch that they brought many to the knowledge of the truth; yea, they did convince many of their sins, and of the tradition of their fathers, which were not correct.
18 And it came to pass that Ammon and Lamoni returned from the land of Middoni, to the land of Ishmael, which was the land of their inheritance.
19 And king Lamoni would not suffer that Ammon should serve him, or be his servant;
20 but he caused that there be synagogues built in the land of Ishmael; and he caused that his people, or the people which was under his reign, should assemble themselves together.
21 And he did rejoice over them, and he did teach them many things. And he did also declare unto them that they were a people which was under him, and that they were a free people; that they were free from the oppressions of the king, his father; for that his father had granted unto him that he might reign over the people which were in the land of Ishmael, and in all the land round about.
22 And he also declared unto them that they might have the liberty of worshiping the Lord their God, according to their desires, in whatsoever place they were in, if it were in the land which was under the reign of king Lamoni.
23 And Ammon did preach unto the people of king Lamoni. And it came to pass that he did teach them all things concerning things pertaining to righteousness. And he did exhort them daily, with all diligence; and they gave heed unto his word, and they were zealous for keeping the commandments of God.

Alma 20

1 And it came to pass that when they established a church in that land, that king Lamoni desired that Ammon should go with him to the land of Nephi, that he might show unto his father.
2 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to Ammon, saying: Thou shalt not go up to the land of Nephi, for behold, the king will seek thy life; but thou shalt go to the land of Middoni; for behold, thy brother Aaron, and also Muloki and Ammah are in prison.
3 Now it came to pass that when Ammon had heard this, he saith unto Lamoni, Behold, my brother and brethren are in prison at Middoni, and I go that I may deliver them.
4 Now Lamoni saith unto Ammon, I know, in the strength of the Lord, thou canst do all things. But behold, I will go with thee to the land of Middoni; for the king of the land of Middoni, whose name is Antiomno, is a friend unto me; therefore I go to the land of Middoni, that I may flatter the king of the land; and he will cast thy brethren out of prison. Now Lamoni saith unto him, Who told thee that my brethren were in prison?
5 And Ammon saith unto him, No one hath told me, save it be God: and he said unto me, Go and deliver thy brethren, for they are in prison in the land of Middoni.
6 Now when Lamoni had heard this, he caused that his servants should make ready his horses, and his chariots.
7 And he saith unto Ammon, Come, I will go with thee down to the land of Middoni, and there I will plead with the king, that he will cast thy brethren out of prison.
8 And it came to pass that as Ammon and Lamoni was a journeying thither, that they met the father of Lamoni, who was king over all the land.
9 And behold, the father of Lamoni saith unto him, Why did ye not come to the feast, on that great day when I made feast unto my sons, and unto my people?
10 And he also saith, Whither art thou going with this Nephite, which is one of the children of a liar?
11 And it came to pass that Lamoni rehearst unto him whither he was going, for he feared to offend him.
12 And he also told him all the cause of his tarrying in his own kingdom, that he did not go unto his father, to the feast which he had prepared.
13 And now when Lamoni had rehearsed unto him all these things, behold, to his astonishment, his father was angry with him, and saith, Lamoni, thou art going to deliver these Nephites, which are the sons of a liar. Behold, he robbed our fathers; and now his children are also come amongst us, that they may, by their cunning and lyings, deceive us, that they again may rob us of our property.
14 Now the father of Lamoni commanded him that he should slay Ammon, with the sword. And he also commanded him that he should not go to the land of Middoni, but that he should return with him, to the land of Ishmael.
15 But Lamoni saith unto him, I will not slay Ammon, neither will I return to the land of Ishmael, but I go to the land of Middoni, that I may release the brethren of Ammon, for I know that they are just men, and holy prophets of the true God.
16 Now when his father heard these words, he was angry with him, and he drew his sword that he might smite him to the earth.
17 But Ammon stood forth and saith unto him, Behold, thou shalt not slay thy son; nevertheless, it were better that he should fall than thee: for behold, he hath repented of his sins; but if thou shouldst fall at this time, in thine anger, thy soul could not be saved.
18 And again: It is expedient that thou shouldst forbear; for if thou shouldst slay thy son, (he being and innocent man,) his blood would cry from the ground, to the Lord his God, for vengeance to come upon thee; and perhaps thou wouldst lose thy soul.
19 Now when Ammon had said these words unto him, he answered him, saying: I know that if I should slay my son, that I should shed innocent blood; for it is thou that hast sought to destroy him:
20 and he stretched forth his hand to slay Ammon. But Ammon withstood his blows, and also smote his arm that he could not use it.
21 Now when the king saw that Ammon could slay him, he began to plead with Ammon, that he would spare his life.
22 But Ammon raised his sword, and said unto him, Behold, I will smite thee, except thou wilt grant unto me that my brethren may be cast out of prison.
23 Now the king, fearing that he should lose his life, said, if thou wilt spare me, I will grant unto thee whatsoever thou wilt ask, even to the half of the kingdom.
24 Now when Ammon saw that he had wrought upon the old king according to his desire. he saith unto him, If thou wilt grant that my brethren may be cast out of prison, and also that Lamoni may retain his kingdom, and that ye be not displeased with him, but grant that he may according to his own desires, in whatsoever thing he thinketh, and then will I spare thee; otherwise I will smite thee to the earth.
25 Now when Ammon had said these words, the king began to rejoice because of his life.
26 And when he saw that Ammon had no desires to destroy him, and when he also saw the great love he had for his son Lamoni, he was astonished exceedingly, and saith, Because this is all that thou hast desired, that I would release thy brethren, and suffer that my son Lamoni should retain his kingdom, behold, I will grant unto you that my son retain his kingdom from this time and forever; and I will govern him no more.
27 And I will also grant unto thee that thy brethren may be cast out of prison, and thou and thy brethren may come unto me, in my kingdom; for I shall greatly desire to see thee; for the king was greatly astonished at the words which had been spoken, and also at the words which had been spoken by his son Lamoni; therefore he was desirous to learn them.
28 And it came to pass that Ammon and Lamoni proceeded on their journey towards the land of Middoni. And it came to pass that Lamoni found favor in the eyes of the king of the land; therefore the brethren of Ammon was brought forth out of prison.
29 And when Ammon did meet them, he was exceeding sorrowful, for behold, they were naked, and their skins were worn exceedingly, because of being bound with strong cords. And they also had suffered hunger, thirst, and all kind of afflictions; nevertheless they were patient in all their sufferings.
30 And as it happened, it was their lot to have fallen into the hands of a more hardened and a more stiffnecked people; therefore they would not hearken unto their words, and they had cast them out, and had smote them, and had driven them from house to house, and from place to place, even until they had arriven to the land of Middoni; and there they were taken and cast into prison, and bound with strong cords, and kept in prison for many days; and were delivered by Lamoni and Ammon.

Alma 19

1 And it came to pass that after two days and two nights, they were about to take his body and lay it in a sepulchre which they had made for the purpose of burying their dead.
2 Now the queen having heard of the fame of Ammon, therefore she sent and desired that he should come unto her.
3 And it came to pass that Ammon did as he was commanded, and went in unto the queen, and desired to know what she would that he should do.
4 And she saith unto him, The servants or my husband have made it known unto me, that thou art a prophet of a Holy God., and that thou hast the power to do many mighty works in his name;
5 therefore, if this is the case, I would that ye should go in and see my husband, for he has been laid upon his bed for the space of two days and two nights; and some say that he is not dead, but others say that he is dead, and that he stinketh, and that he ought to be placed in the sepulchre; but as for myself, to me he doth not stink.
6 Now this was what Ammon desired, for he knew that king Lamoni was under the power of God; he knew that the dark veil of unbelief being cast away from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind, which was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvellous light of his goodness; yea, this light had infused such joy into his soul, the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and the light of everlasting light was lit up in his soul; yea, he knew that this had overcame his natural frame, and he was carried away in God;
7 therefore, what the queen desired of him, was his only desire. Therefore he went in to see the king, according as the queen desired him; and he saw the king, and he knew that he was not dead. And he saith unto the queen, He is not dead,
8 but he sleepeth in God, and on the morrow he shall rise again; therefore bury him not.
9 And Ammon saith unto her, Believest thou this? And she asid unto him, I have had no witness, save thy word, and the word of our servants; nevertheless, I believe that it shall be according as thou hast said.
10 And Ammon said unto her, Blessed art thou, because of thy exceeding faith; I say unto thee, woman, there has not been such great faith among all the people of the Nephites.
11 And it came to pass that she watched over the bed of her husband, from that time, even until that time on the morrow which Ammon had appointed that he should rise.
12 And it came to pass that he arose, according to the words of Ammon; and as he arose, he stretched forth his hand unto the woman, and said, Blessed be the name of God, and blessed art thou:
13 for as sure as thou livest, behold, I have seen my Redeemer; and he shall come forth, and be born of a woman, and he shall redeem all mankind who believe on his name. Now when he had said these words, his heart was swollen within him, and he sunk again with joy; and the queen also sunk down, being overpowered by the spirit.
14 Now Ammon seeing the spirit of the Lord poured out according to his prayers upon the Lamanites, his brethren, which had been the cause of so much mourning among the Nephites, or among all the people of God, because of their iniquities and their traditions; and Ammon fell upon his knees, and began to pour out his soul in prayer and thanksgiving to God, for what he had done for his brethren; and he was also overpowered with joy; and thus they all three had sunk to the earth.
15 Now when the servants of the king had seen that they had fallen, they also began to cry unto God, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them also: for it was they which had stood before the king, and testified unto him concerning the great power of Ammon.
16 And it came to pass that they did call on the name of the Lord in their might, even until they had fallen to the earth, save it were one of the Lamanitish women, whose name was Abish, she having been converted unto the Lord for many years, on account of a remarkable vision of her father;
17 thus having been converted to the Lord, never had made it known; therefore when she saw that all the servants of Lamoni had fallen to the earth, and also her mistress, the queen, and the king, and Ammon lay prostrate upon the earth, she knew that it was the power of God; and supposing that this opportunity, by making known unto the people what had happened among them, that by beholding this scene, it would cause them to believe in the power of God, therefore she ran forth from house to house, making it known unto the people;
18 and they began to assemble themselves together unto the house of the king. And there came a multitude, and to their astonishment, they beheld the king, and the queen, and their servants, prostrate upon the earth, and they all lay there as though they were dead; and they also saw Ammon, and behold, he was a Nephite.
19 And now the people began to murmur among themselves; some saying, That it was a great evil that had come upon them, or upon the king and his house, because he had suffered that the Nephite should remain in the land.
20 But others rebuked them, saying, The king hath brought this evil upon his house, because he slew his servants who had their flocks scattered by those men which had stood at the waters of Sebus,
21 and scattered the flocks which belonged to the king, for they were angry with Ammon because of the number which he had slain of their brethren at the waters of Sebus, while defending the flocks of the king.
22 Now one of them, whose brother had been slain with the sword of Ammon, being exceeding angry with Ammon, drew his sword and went forth that he might let it fall upon Ammon, to slay him; and as he lifted the sword to smite him, behold, he fell dead.
23 Now we see that Ammon could not be slain, for the Lord had said unto Mosiah, his father, I will spare him, and it shall be unto him according to thy faith; therefore Mosiah trusted him unto the Lord.
24 And it came to pass that when the multitude beheld the man had fell dead, who lifted the sword to slay Ammon, fear came upon them all, and they durst not put forth their hands to touch him, or any of those which had fallen; and they began to marvel again among themselves, what could be the cause of this great power, or what all these things could mean.
25 And it came to pass that there was many among them, who said that Ammon was the Great Spirit, and others said he was sent by the Great Spirit;
26 but others rebuked them all, saying, That he was a monster, which hath been sent from the Nephites to torment us;
27 and there were some which said that Ammon was sent by the Great Spirit to afflict them, because of their iniquities, and that it was the Great Spirit that had always attended the Nephites, which had ever delivered them out of their hands; and they said that it was this Great Spirit which had destroyed so many of their brethren, the Lamanites;
28 and thus the contention began to be exceeding sharp among them. And while they were thus contending, the woman servant which had caused the multitude to be gathered together came; and when she saw the contention which was among the multitude, she was exceeding sorrowful, even unto tears.
29 And it came to pass that she went and took the queen by the hand, that perhaps she might raise her from the ground; and as soon as she touched her hand, she arose and stood upon her feet, and cried with a loud voice, saying: O blessed Jesus, who has saved me from the awful hell! O blessed God, have mercy on this people.
30 And when she had said this, she clasped her hands, being filled with joy, speaking many words which were not understood; and when she had done this, she took the king, Lamoni, by the hand, and behold, he arose and stood upon his feet;
31 and he immediately, seeing the contention among his people, went forth and began to rebuke them, and to teach them the words which he had heard from the mouth of Ammon; and as many as heard his words, believed, and were converted unto the Lord.
32 But there were many among them which would not hear his words; therefore they went their way.
33 And it came to pass that when Ammon arose, he also administered unto them, and also did all the servants of Lamoni; and they did all declare unto the people the selfsame thing: and their hearts had been changed; that they had no more desire to do evil.
34 And behold, many did declare unto the people that they had seen angels, and had conversed with them; and thus they had told them things of God, and of his righteousness,
35 And it came to pass that there was many that did believe in their words; and as many as did believe, were baptized; and they became a righteous people, and they did establish a church among them:
36 and thus the work of the Lord did commence among the Lamanites; thus the Lord did begin to pour out his spirit upon them; and we see that his arm is extended to all people who will repent and believe on his name.

Alma 18

1 And it came to pass that king Lamoni caused that his servants should stand forth and testify to all the things which they had seen concerning the matter.
2 And when they had all testified to the things which they had seen, and he had learned of the faithfulness of Ammon in preserving his flocks, and also of his great power in contending against those who sought to slay him, he was astonished exceedingly, and saith, Surely, this is more than a man. Behold, is not this the Great Spirit which doth send such great punishments upon his people, because of their murders?
3 And they answered the king, and said, Whether he be the Great Sprit or a man, we know not; but this much we do know, that he cannot be slain by the enemies of the king; neither can they scatter the king’s flocks when he is with us, because of his expertness and great strength; therefore, we know that he is a friend to the king. And now, O king, we do not believe that a man hath such great power, for we know that he cannot be slain.
4 And now when the king heard these words, he said unto them, Now I know that it is the Great Spirit; and he hath come down at this time to preserve your lives, that I might not slay you as I did your brethren. Now this is the Great Spirit of which our fathers have spoken.
5 Now this was the tradition of Lamoni, which he had received from his father, that there was a Great Spirit. Notwithstanding they believed in a Great Spirit, they supposed that whatsoever they did, was right; nevertheless, Lamoni began to fear exceedingly, with fear lest he had done wrong in slaying his servants:
6 for he had slew many of them, because their brethren had scattered their flocks at the place of water; and thus because they had their flocks scattered, they were slain.
7 Now it was the practice of the Lamanites, to stand by the waters of Sebus, to scatter the flocks of the people, that thereby they might drive away many that were scattered, unto their own land, it being a practice of plunder among them.
8 And it came to pass that king Lamoni inquired of his servants, saying: Where is this man that hath such great power?
9 And they said unto him, Behold, he is feeding thy horses. Now the king had commanded his servants previous to the time of the watering of their flocks, that they should prepare his horses and chariots, and conduct him forth to the land of Nephi: for their had been a great feast appointed at the land of Nephi, by the father of Lamoni, who was king over all the land.
10 Now when king Lamoni heard that Ammon was preparing his horses and his chariots, he was more astonished, because of the faithfulness of Ammon, saying: Surely, there has not been any servant among all my servants, that has been so faithful as this man; for even he doth remember all my commandments to execute them.
11 Now I surely know that this is the Great Spirit; and I would desire him that he come in unto me, but I durst not.
12 And it came to pass that when Ammon had made ready the horses and the chariots for the king and his servants, he went in unto the king, and he saw that the countenance of the king was changed; therefore he was about to return out of his presence;
13 and one of the king’s servants said unto him, Rabbanah, which is, being interpreted, powerful, or great king, considering their kings to be powerful; and thus he said unto him, Rabbanah, the king desireth thee to stay;
14 therefore, Ammon turned himself unto the king, and saith unto him, What will thou that I should do for thee, O king? And the king answered him not for the space of an hour, according to their time, for he knew not what he should say unto him.
15 And it came to pass that Ammon said unto him again, What desireth thou of me? But the king answered him not.
16 And it came to pass that Ammon, being filled with the spirit of God, therefore he perceived the thoughts of the king. And he saith unto him, It is because that thou hast heard that I defended thy servants and thy flocks, and slew seven of their brethren with the sling, and with the sword, and smote off the arms of others, in order to defend thy flocks and thy servants; behold, is it this that causeth thy marvellings?
17 I say unto you, what is it, that thy marvellings are so great? Behold, I am a man, and am thy servant; therefore, whatsoever thou desirest which is right, that will I do.
18 Now when the king had heard these words, he marvelled again, for he beheld that Ammon could discern his thoughts; notwithstanding this, king Lamoni did open his mouth, and said unto him, Who art thou ? Art thou that Great Spirit, which knows all things?
19 Ammon answered and said unto him, I am not.
20 And the king saith, How knowest thou the thoughts of my heart? Thou mayest speak boldly, and tell me concerning these things; and also tell me by what power ye slew and smote off the arms of my brethren, that scattered my flocks.
21 And now if thou wilt tell me concerning these things, whatsoever thou desirest, I will give unto thee; and if it were needed, I would guard thee with my armies; but I know that thou art more powerful than all they; nevertheless, whatsoever thou desirest of me, I will grant it unto thee.
22 Now Ammon being wise, yet harmless, he saith unto Lamoni, Wilt thou hearken unto my words, if I tell thee by what power I do these things? and this is the thing that I desire of thee.
23 And the king answered him, and said, Yea, I will believe all thy words; and thus he was caught with guile.
24 And Ammon began to speak unto him with boldness, and said unto him, Believest thou that there is a God?
25 And he answered, and said unto him, I do not know what that meaneth.
26 And the Ammon saith, Believest thou that there is a Great Spirit?
27 And he saith, Yea.
28 And Ammon saith, This is God. And Ammon saith unto him again, Believest thou that this Great Spirit, which is God, created all things, which is in Heaven and the Earth?
29 And he saith, Yea, I believe that he created all things which is in the earth; but I do not know the Heavens.
30 And Ammon saith unto him, The Heavens is a place where God dwells, and all his holy angels.
31 And king Lamoni saith, Is it above the earth?
32 And Ammon saith, Yea, and he looketh down upon all the children of men; and he knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart: for by his hand were they all created, from the beginning.
33 And king Lamoni saith, I believe all these things which thou hast spoken. Art thou sent from God?
34 Ammon saith unto him, I am a man; and man in the beginning, was created after the image of God; and I am called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true;
35 and a portion of that Spirit dwelleth in me, which giveth me knowledge, and also power, according to my faith and desires which is in God.
36 Now when Ammon had said these words, he began to the creation of the world, and also to the creation of Adam, and told him all the things concerning the fall of man, and rehearsed and laid before him the records and the Holy Scriptures of the people, and which had been spoken by the prophets, even down to the time that their father Lehi left Jerusalem;
38 and he also rehearsed unto them concerning the rebellions of Laman and Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael, yea, all their rebellions did he relate unto them, and he expounded unto them all the records and Scriptures, from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem, down to the present time;
39 but this is not all, for he expounded unto them the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world; and he also made known unto them concerning the coming of Christ; and all the works of the Lord did he make known unto them.
40 And it came to pass that after he said all these things, and expounded them to the king, that the king believed all his words.
41 And he began to cry unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, have mercy; according to thy abundant mercy which thou hast had upon the people of Nephi, have upon me and my people.
42 And now when he had said this, he fell unto the earth, as if he were dead.
43 And it came to pass that his servants took him and carried him in unto his wife, and laid him upon a bed; and he lay as if he were dead, for the space of two days and two nights; and his wife, and his sons, and his daughters mourned over him, after the manner of the Lamanites, greatly lamenting his loss.

Alma 17

1 And now it came to pass that as Alma was journeying from the land of Gideon, southward, away to the land of Manti, behold, to his astonishment, he met with the sons of Mosiah, a journeying towards the land of Zarahemla.
2 Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly, to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding, and they had searched the Scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.
3 But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting, therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority, even as with the power and authority of God.
4 And they had been teaching the word of God for the space of fourteen years, among the Lamanites, having had much success in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth; yea, by the power of their words, many were brought before the alter of God, to call on his name, and confess their sins before him.
5 Now these are the circumstances which attended them in their journeyings, for they had many afflictions; they did suffer much, both in body and in mind; such as hunger, thirst and fatigue, and also much labor in the spirit.
6 Now these were their journeyings, having taken leave of their father Mosiah, in the first year of the reign of the Judges; having refused the kingdom which their father was desirous to confer upon them; and also this was the minds of the people;
7 nevertheless they departed out of the land of Zarahemla, and took their swords, and their spears, and their bows, and their arrows, and their slings; and this they done that they might provide food for themselves while in the wilderness:
8 and thus they departed into the wilderness, with their numbers which they had selected, to go up to the land of Nephi, to preach the word of God unto the Lamanites.
9 And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much, and prayed much, that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God, to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth; to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct.
10 And it came to pass that the Lord visit them with his spirit, and said unto them, Be comforted; and they were comforted.
11 And the Lord said unto them also, Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long suffering and afflictions, that ye may shew forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands, unto the salvation of many souls.
12 And it came to pass that the hearts of the sons of Mosiah, and also those which were with them, took courage to go forth unto the Lamanites, to declare unto them the word of God.
13 And it came to pass when they had arriven in the borders of the land of the Lamanites, that they separated themselves, and departed one from another, trusting in the Lord, that they should meet again at the close of their harvest: for they supposed that great was the work which they had undertaken.
14 And assuredly it was great, for they had undertaken to preach the word of God to a wild, and a hardened, and a ferocious people; a people which delighted in the murdering the Nephites, and robbing, and plundering them; and their hearts were set upon riches, or upon gold, and silver, and precious stones; yet they sought to obtain these things by murdering and plundering, that they might not labor for them with their own hands:
15 thus they were a very indolent people, many of whom did worship idols, and the curse of God had fell upon them because of the traditions of their fathers; notwithstanding, the promises of the Lord were extended unto them, on the conditions of repentance;
16 therefore this was the cause for which the sons of Mosiah had undertaken the work, that perhaps they might bring them unto repentance; that perhaps they might bring them to know of the plan of redemption;
17 therefore they separated themselves one from another; and went forth among them every man alone, according to the word and power of God, which was given unto him.
18 Now Ammon being the chief among them, or rather he did administer unto them; and he departed from them, after having blessed them according to their several stations, having imparted the word of God unto them, or administered unto them before his departure; and thus they took their several journeys throughout the land.
19 And Ammon went to the land of Ishmael, the land being called after the sons of Ishmael, which also became Lamanites.
20 And as Ammon entered the land of Ishmael, the Lamanites took him and bound him, as was their custom, to bind all the Nephites which fell into their hands, and carry them before the king; and thus it was left to the pleasure of the king to slay them, or to retain them in captivity, or to cast them into prison, or to cast them out of his land, according to his will and pleasure;
21 and thus Ammon was carried before the king which was over the land of Ishmael; and his name was Lamoni; and he was a descendant of Ishmael.
22 And the king inquired of Ammon if it were desirous to dwell in the land among the Lamanites, or among his people?
23 And Ammon said unto him, Yea, I desire to dwell among this people for a time; yea, and perhaps until the day I die.
24 And it came to pass that king Lamoni was much pleased with Ammon, and caused that his bands should be loosed; and he would that Ammon should take one of his daughters to wife.
25 But Ammon saith unto him, Nay, but I will be thy servant; therefore Ammon became a servant to king Lamoni. And it came to pass that he was set, among other servants, to watch the flocks of Lamoni, according to the custom of the Lamanites.
26 And it came to pass that after he had been in the service of the king three days, that as he was, with the Lamanitish servants, a going forth with their flocks, to the place of water, which was called the water of Sebus; (and all the Lamanites drive their flocks hither, that they might have water;)
27 therefore as Ammon and the servants of the king were driving forth their flocks to this place of water, behold, a certain number of the Lamanites who had been with their flocks to water, stood and scattered the flocks of Ammon, and the servants of the king, and they scattered them insomuch that they fled many ways.
28 Now the servants of the king began to murmur, saying: Now the king will slay us, as he has our brethren, because their flocks were scattered by the wickedness of these men. And they began to weep exceedingly, saying, Behold our flocks are scattered already.
29 Now they wept because of the fear of being slain. Now when Ammon saw this, his heart was swollen within him, with joy, for, said he, I will shew forth my power unto these my fellow servants, or the power which is in me, in restoring these flocks unto the king, that I may win the hearts of these my fellow servants, that I may lead them to believe in my words.
30 Now these were the thoughts of Ammon, when he saw the afflictions of those which he termed to be his brethren.
31 And it came to pass that he flattered them by his words, saying: My brethren, be of good cheer and let us go in search of the flocks, and we will gather them together, and bring them back unto the place of water; and thus we will reserve the flocks unto the king, and he will not slay us.
32 And it came to pass that they went in search of the flocks, and they did follow Ammon, and they rushed forth with much swiftness, and did head the flocks of the king, and did gather them together again, to the place of water.
33 And those men again stood to scatter their flocks; but Ammon saith unto his brethren, Encircle the flocks round about, that they flee not; and I go and contend with these men which do scatter our flocks.
34 Therefore they did as Ammon commanded them, and he went forth and stood to contend with those which stood by the waters of Sebus; and they were not in number a very few;
35 therefore they did not fear Ammon, for they supposed that one of their men could slay him, according to their pleasure, for they knew not that the Lord had promised Mosiah that he would deliver his sons out of their hands; neither did they know any thing concerning the Lord; therefore they delighted in the destruction of their brethren; and for this cause they stood to scatter the flocks of the king.
36 But Ammon stood forth and began to cast stones at them with his sling; yea, with mighty power he did sling stones amongst them; and thus he slew a certain number of them, insomuch that they began to be astonished at his power; nevertheless they were angry because of the slain of their brethren, and they were determined that he should fall; therefore, seeing that they could not hit him with their stones, they came forth with clubs to slay him.
37 But behold, every man that lifted his club to smite Ammon, he smote off their arms with his sword; for he did withstand their blows by smiting their arms with the edge of his sword, insomuch that they began to be astonished, and began to flee before him; yea, and they were not few in number; and he caused them to flee by the strength of his arm.
38 Now six of them had fallen by the sling, but he slew none save it were their leader; and he smote off as many of their arms as was lifted against him, and they were not a few.
39 And when he had driven them afar off, he returned, and they watered their flocks and returned them to the pasture of the king, and then went in unto the king, bearing the arms which had been smote off by the sword of Ammon, of those who sought to slay him; and they were carried in unto the king, for a testimony of the things which they had done.

Alma 16

1 And it came to pass in the eleventh year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi, on the fifth day of the second month, there having been much peace in the land of Zarahemla; there having been no wars nor contentions for a certain number of years; even until the fifth day of the second month, in the eleventh year, there was a cry of war heard throughout the land;
2 for behold, the armies of the Lamanites had come in on the wilderness side, into the borders of the land, even into the city of Ammonihah, and began to slay the people, and to destroy the city.
3 And now it came to pass before the Nephites could raise a sufficient army to drive them out of the land, they had destroyed the people which were in the city of Ammonihah, and also some around the borders of Noah, and taking others captive into the wilderness.
4 Now it came to pass that the Nephites were desirous to obtain those which had been carried away captive into the wilderness;
5 therefore he that had been appointed Chief Captain over the armies of the Nephites, (and his name was Zoram, and he had two sons, Lehi and Aha:) Now Zoram and his two sons, knowing that Alma was High Priest over the Church, and having heard that he had the spirit of Prophecy, therefore they went unto him and desired of him to know whether the Lord would that they should go into the wilderness in search of their brethren, who had been captive by the Lamanites.
6 And it came to pass that Alma inquired of the Lord concerning the matter. And Alma returned and said unto them, Behold the Lamanites will cross the river Sidon in the south wilderness, away up beyond the borders of the land of Manti. And behold there shall ye meet them, on the east of the river Sidon, and there the Lord will deliver unto thee thy brethren which have been taken captive by the Lamanites.
7 And it came to pass that Zoram and his sons crossed over the river Sidon, with their armies, and marched away beyond the borders of Manti, into the south wilderness, which was on the east side of the river Sidon.
8 And they came upon the armies of the Lamanites, and the Lamanites were scattered and driven into the wilderness; and they took their brethren which had been taken captive by the Lamanites, and there was not one soul of them which had been lost, that were taken captive. And they were brought by their brethren to possess their own lands.
9 And thus ended the eleventh year of the Judges, the Lamanites having been driven out of the land, and the people of Ammonihah were destroyed; yea, every living soul of the Ammonihahites were destroyed, and also their great city, which they said God could not destroy, because of its greatness.
10 But behold, in one day it was left desolate; and their carcases were mangled by dogs and wild beasts of the wilderness;
11 nevertheless, after many days, their dead bodies were heaped up upon the face of the earth, and they were covered with a shallow covering. And now so great was the scent thereof, that the people did not go in to possess the land of Ammonihah for many years. And it was called desolation of Nehors; for they were of the profession of Nehor, which were slain; and their lands remained desolate.
12 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did not come again to war against the Nephites until the fourteenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi. And thus for three years did the people of Nephi have continual peace in all the land.
13 And Alma and Amulek went forth preaching repentance unto the people in their tempels, and in their sanctuaries, and also in their synagogues, which was built after the manner of the Jews.
14 And as many as would hear their words, unto them they did impart the word of God, without any respects of persons continually.
15 And thus did Alma and Amulek go forth, and also many more which had been chosen for the work, to preach the word throughout the land. And the establishment of the Church became general throughout all the land, in all the region round about, among all the people of the Nephites.
16 And there was no inequality among them, for the Lord did pour out his spirit on all the face of the land, for to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming,
17 that they might not be hardened against the word,, that they might not be unbelieving, and go on to destruction, but that they might receive the word with joy, and as a branch be grafted into the true vine, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord their God.
18 Now those priests which did go forth among the people, did preach against all lyings, and deceivings, and envyings, and strifes, and malice, and revilings, and stealing, robbing, plundering, murdering, committing adultry, and all manner of lasciviousness, crying that these things ought not so to be;
19 holding forth things which must shortly come; yea, holding forth the coming of the Son of God, his sufferings and death, and also the resurrection of the dead.
20 And many of the people did inquire concerning the place where the Son of God should come; and they were taught that he would appear unto them after his resurrection; and this the people did hear with great joy and gladness.
21 And now after the Church having been established throughout the land, having got the victory over the Devil, and the word of God being preached in its purity in all the land; and the Lord pouring out his blessings upon the people; and thus ended the fourteenth year of the reign of the Judges, over the people of Nephi.

Alma 15

1 And it came to pass that Alma and Amulek were commanded to depart out of the city; and they departed, and came out even into the land of Sidom; and behold, there they found all the people which had departed out of the land of Ammonihah, who had been cast out and stoned, because they believed in the words of Alma.
2 And they related unto them all that had happened unto their wives and children, and also concerning themselves, and of their power of deliverance.
3 And also Zeezrom lay sick at Sidom, with a burning fever, which was caused by the great tribulations of his mind, on account of his wickedness, for he supposed that Alma and Amulek was no more; and he supposed that they had been slain, by the cause of his iniquity. And this great sin, and his many other sins, did harrow up his mind until it did become exceeding sore, having no deliverance; therefore he began to be scorched with a burning heat.
4 Now when he heard that Alma and Amulek was in the land of Sidom, his heart began to take courage; and he sent a message immediately unto them, desiring them to come unto him.
5 And it came to pass that they went immediately, obeying the message which he had sent unto them; and they went in unto the house unto Zeezrom; and they found him upon his bed sick, being very low with a burning fever; and his mind also was exceeding sore, because of his iniquities; and when he saw them, he stretched forth his hand, and besought them that they would heal him.
6 And it came to pass that Alma said unto him, taking him by the hand, Believest thou in the power of Christ unto salvation?
7 And he answered and said, Yea, I belive all the words that thou hast taught.
8 And Alma saith, If thou believest in the redemption of Christ, thou canst be healed.
9 And he saith, Yea, I believe according to thy words.
10 And then Alma cried unto the Lord, saying, O Lord our God, have mercy on this man, and heal him according to his faith which is in Christ.
11 And it came to pass that when Alma said these words, that Zeezrom leaped upon his feet, and began to walk; and this was done to the great astonishment of all the people; and the knowledge of this went forth throughout all the land of Sidom.
12 And Alma baptized Zeezrom unto the Lord; and he began from that time forth to preach unto the people.
13 And Alma established a Church in the land of Sodom, and consecrated Priests and teachers in the land to baptize unto the Lord whosoever were desirous to be baptized.
14 And it came to pass that they were many; for they did flock in from all the region round about Sidom, and were baptized;
15 but as to the people that were in the land of Ammonihah, they yet remained a hardhearted and a stiffnecked people; and they repented not of their sins, ascribing all the power of Alma and Amulek to the Devil: for they were of the profession of Nehor, and did not believe in the repentance of their sins.
16 And it came to pass that Alma and Amulek, Amulek having forsaken all his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, which was in the land of Ammonihah, for the word of God, he being rejected by those which were once his friends, and also by his father and his kindred;
17 therefore, after Alma having established the Church at Sidom, seeing a great check, yea, seeing that the people were checked as to the pride of their hearts, and began to humble themselves before God, and began to assemble together at their sanctuaries to worship God before the alter, watching and praying continually, that they might be delivered from Satan, and from death, and from destruction:
18 Now as I said, Alma having seen all these things, therefore he took Amulek and came over to the land of Zarahemla, and took him to his own house, and did administer unto him in his tribulations, and strengthened him in the Lord.
19 And thus ended the tenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi.

Alma 14

1 And it came to pass that after he had made an end of speaking unto the people, many of them did believe on his words, and began to repent, and to search the Scriptures;
2 but the more part of them were desirous that they might destroy Alma and Amulek: for they were angry with Alma, because of the plainness of his words unto Zeezrom; and they also said that Amulek had lied unto them, and had reviled against their law, and also against their Lawyers and Judges.
3 And they were also angry with Alma and Amulek; and because they had testified so plainly against their wickedness, they sought to put them away privily.
4 But it came to pass that they did not; but they took them and bound them with strong cords, and took them before the Chief Judge of the land.
5 And the people went forth and witnessed against them, testifying that they had reviled against the law, and their Lawyers and Judges of the land, and also all the people that were in the land; and also testified that there was but one God, and that he should send his Son among the people, but he should not save them; and many such things did the people testify against Alma and Amulek. And it came to pass that it was done before the Chief Judge of the land.
6 And it also came to pass that Zeezrom was astonished at the words which had been spoken; and he also knew concerning the blindness of the minds which he had caused among the people, by his lying words; and his soul began to be harrowed up, under a consciousness of his own guilt; yea, he began to be encircled about by the pains of hell.
7 And it came to pass that he began to cry unto the people, saying: Behold, I am guilty, and these men are spotless before God. And it came to pass that he began to plead for them, from that time forth; but they reviled him, saying: Art thou also possessed with the Devil? And it came to pass that they spit upon him, and cast him out from among them, and also all those that believed in the words which had been spoken by Alma and Amulek; and they cast them out, and sent men to cast stones at them.
8 And they brought their wives and children together, and whosoever believed or had been taught to believe in the word of God, they caused that they should be cast into the fire; and they also brought forth their records which contained the Holy Scriptures, and cast them into the fire also, that they might be burned and destroyed by fire.
9 And it came to pass that they took Alma and Amulek, and carried them forth to the place of martyrdom, that they might witness the destruction of those which were consumed by fire.
10 And it came to pass that when Amulek saw the pains of the women and children which were consuming in the fire, he was also pained; and he saith unto Alma, How can we witness this awful scene? Therefore let us stretch forth our hands, and exercise the power of God which is in us, and save them from the flames.
11 But Alma saith unto him, The spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand; for behold, the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth not suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness if their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath, may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day.
12 Now Amulek saith unto Alma, Behold, perhaps they will burn us also.
13 And Alma saith, Be it according to the will of the Lord. But behold, our work is not finished; therefore they burn us not.
14 Now it came to pass that when the bodies of those which had been cast into the fire, were consumed, and also the records which were cast in with them, the Chief Judge of the land came and stood before Alma and Amulek, as they were bound; and he smote them with his hand upon their cheeks, and saith unto them, After what ye have seen, will ye preach again unto this people, that they shall be cast into a lake of fire and brimstone?
15 Behold, ye see that ye had not power to save these which had been cast into the fire; neither hath God saved them because they were of thy faith. And the Judge smote them again upon their cheeks, and asked, What say ye for yourselves?
16 Now this Judge was after the order and faith of Nehor, which slew Gideon.
17 And it came to pass that Alma and Amulek answered him nothing; and he smote them again, and delivered them to the officers to be cast into prison.
18 And it came to pass that when they had been cast into prison three days, there came many Lawyers, and Judges, and Priests, and teachers, which were of the profession of Nehor; and they came in unto the prison to see them, and they questioned them about many words; but they answered them nothing.
19 And it came to pass that the Judge stood before them, and saith, Why do ye not answer the words of this people? Know ye not that I have the power to deliver ye up unto the flames? And he commanded them to speak; but they answered nothing.
20 And it came to pass that they departed and went their ways, but came again on the morrow; and the Judge also smote them again on their cheeks. And many came forth also, and smote them, saying: Will ye stand again and Judge this people, and condemn our law? If ye have such great power, why do ye not deliver yourselves?
21 And many such things did they say unto them, gnashing their teeth upon them, and spitting upon them, and saying, How shall ye look when we are damned?
22 And many such things, yea, all manner of such things did they say unto them; and thus they did mock them, for many days. And they did withhold food from them. that they might hunger, and water, that they might thirst; and they also did take from them their clothes, that they were naked; and thus they were bound with strong cords, and confined in prison.
23 And it came to pass after they had thus suffered for many days, (and it was on the twelfth day, in the tenth month, in the tenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi,) that the Chief Judge over the land of Ammonihah, and many of their teachers and their Lawyers, went in unto the prison where Alma and Amulek was bound with cords.
24 And the Chief Judge stood before them, and smote them again, and saith unto them, If ye have the power of God, deliver yourselves from these bands, and then we will believe that the Lord will destroy this people according to your words.
25 And it came to pass that they all went forth and smote them, saying the same words, even until the last; and when the last had spoken unto them, the power of God was upon Alma and Amulek, and they arose and stood upon their feet;
26 and Alma cried, saying, How long shall we suffer these great afflictions, O Lord? O Lord, give us strength according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance; and they break the cords with which they were bound; and when the people saw this, they began to flee, for the fear of destruction had come upon them.
27 And it came to pass that so great was their fear, that they fell to the earth, and did not obtain the outer door of the prison; and the earth shook mightily, and the walls of the prison were wrent in twain, so that they fell to the earth; and the Chief Judge, and the Lawyers, and Priests, and teachers which smote upon Alma and Amulek, were slain by the fall thereof.
28 And Alma and Amulek came forth out of the prison, and they were not hurt; for the Lord had granted unto them power, according to their faith which was in Christ. And they straightway came forth out of the prison; and they were loosed from their bands; and the prison had fallen to the earth, and every soul which was within the walls thereof, save it were Alma and Amulek, were slain; and they straightway came forth into the city.
29 Now the people having heard a great noise, came running together by multitudes, to know the cause of it; and when they saw Alma and Amulek coming forth out of the prison, and the walls thereof had fallen to the earth, they were struck with great fear, and fled from the presence of Alma and Amulek, even as a goat fleeth with her young from two lions; and thus they did flee from the presence of Alma and Amulek.