saw the fierceness and the anger of the Lamanites, they were about to shrink and flee from them. And Moroni perceiving their intent, sent forth and inspired their hearts with these thoughts-yea, the 30thoughts of their lands, their liberty, yea, their freedom from bondage. 49. And it came to pass that they turned upon the Lamanites, and they cried with one voice unto the Lord their God, 3 for their liberty, and their freedom from bondage. 50. And they began to stand against the Lamanites with power and in that self-same hour that they cried unto the Lord for their freedom, the Lamanites began to flee before them; and they fled even to the 3dwaters of Sidon. 51. Now the Lamanites were more numerous, yea, by more than double the number of the Nephites; nevertheless they were driven insomuch that they were gathered together in one body in the valley, upon the bank by the river Sidon; 52. Therefore the armies of Moroni encircled them about, yea, even on both sides of the river, for behold, on the east were the men of Lehi ; 53. Therefore when Zerahemnah saw the men of Lehi on the east of the river Sidon, and the armies of Moroni on the west of the river Sidon, that they were encircled about by the Nephites, they were struck with terror. 54. Now Moroni, when he saw their terror, commanded his men that they should stop shedding their blood. CHAPTER 44. 1. AND it came to pass that they did stop and withdrew a pace from them. And Moroni said unto Zerahemnah, behold Zerahemnah, that we do not desire to be men of blood.-Ye know that ye are in our hands, yet we do not desire to slay you. 2. Behold, we have not come out to battle against you, that we might shed your blood for power; neither do we desire to bring any one to the yoke of bondage. But this is the "very cause for which ye have come against us; yea, and ye are angry with us because of our religion. 3. But now ye behold that the Lord is with us; and ye behold that he has delivered you into our hands. And now I would that ye should understand that this is done unto us 'because of our religion and our faith in Christ. And now ye see that ye cannot destroy this our faith. 4. Now ye see that this is the true faith of God; yea, ye see that God will support, and keep, and preserve us, so long as we are faithful unto him, and unto our faith, and our religion; and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be destroyed, except we should fall into transgression and deny our faith. 5. And now, Zerahemnah, I command you, in the name of that all-powerful God, who has strengthened our arms that we have gained power over you by our faith, by our religion, and by our rites of worship, and by our church, and by the sacred support which we owe to our wives and our children, by that liberty which binds us to our lands. and our country; yea, and also by the maintenance of the sacred word of God, to which we owe all our happiness; and by all that is most dear unto us; 6. Yea, and this is not all; I command you by all the desires which ye have for life, that ye deliver up your weapons of war unto us, and we will seek not your blood, but we will spare your lives, if ye will go your way, and come not again to war against us. 7. And now, if ye do not this, behold, ye are in our hands, and I will command my men that they shall fall upon you, and inflict the wounds of death in your bodies, that ye may become extinct; and then we will see who shall have power over this people; yea, we will see who shall be brought into bondage. 8. And now it came to pass that when Zerahemnah had heard these sayings, he came forth and delivered up his sword and his cimeter, and his bow into the hands of Moroni, and said unto him, behold, here are our weapons of war; we will deliver them up unto you, and we will not suffer ourselves to take an oath unto you, which we know that we shall break, and also our children; but take our weapons of war, and suffer that we may depart into the wilderness;. otherwise we will retain our swords, and we will perish or conquer. 9. Behold, we are not of your faith; we do not believe that it is God that has delivered us into your hands; but we believe that it is your cunning that has preserved you from our swords. Behold, it is your breast-plates, and your shields that has preserved you. 10. And now when Zerahemnah had made an end of speaking these words, Moroni returned the sword and the weapons of war which he had received, unto Zerahemnah, saying, Behold, we will end the conflict. 11. Now I cannot retain the words which I have spoken, therefore as the Lord liveth, ye shall not depart, "except ye depart with an oath that ye will not return again against us to war. Now as ye are in our hands, we will spill your c, see h, II. Nep. 1. d, see 2f, Alma 43. e, Alma 43:20. f, vers... 6, 11, 15, 19, 20. g, see 2p, Alma 43. h, see f blood upon the ground, or ye shall submit to the conditions to which I have proposed. 12. And now when Moroni had said these words, Zerahemnah retained his sword, and he was angry with Moroni, and he rushed forward that he might slay Moroni; but as he raised his sword, behold, one of Moroni's soldiers smote it even to the earth; and it broke by the hilt; and he also smote Zerahemnah, that he took off his scalp, and it fell to the earth. And Zerahemnah withdrew from before them into the midst of his soldiers. 13. And it came to pass that the soldier who stood by, who smote off the scalp of Zerahemnah, took up the scalp from off the ground by the hair, and laid it upon the point of his sword, and stretched it forth unto them, saying unto them with a loud voice, 14. Even as this scalp has fallen to the earth, which is the scalp of your chief, so shall ye fall to the earth, except ye will deliver up your weapons of war and depart with a covenant of peace. 15. Now there were many, when they heard these words and saw the 'scalp which was upon the sword, that were struck with fear, and many came forth and threw down their weapons of war at the feet of Moroni, and entered into a covenant of peace. And as many as entered into a "covenant they suffered to depart into the wilderness. 16. Now it came to pass that Zerahemnah was exceeding wroth, and he did stir up the remainder of his soldiers to anger, to contend more powerfully against the Nephites. 17. And now Moroni was angry, because of the stubbornness of the Lamanites; therefore he commanded his people that they should fall upon them and slay them. And it came to pass that they began to slay them: yea, and the Lamanites did contend with their swords and their mights. 18. But behold, their "naked skins and their bare heads were exposed to the sharp swords of the Nephites; yea, behold they were pierced and smitten; yea, and did fall exceeding fast before the swords of the Nephites; and they began to be swept down, even as the soldier of Moroni had prophesied. 19. Now Zerahemnah, when he saw that they were all about to be destroyed, cried mightily unto Moroni, promising that he would covenant, and also his people with them, if they would spare the remainder of their lives, that they never would come to war again against them. 20. And it came to pass that Moroni caused that the work of death should cease again among the people. And he took the weapons of war from the Lamanites; and after they had entered into a covenant with him of peace, they were suffered to depart into the wilderness. 21. Now the number of their dead were not numbered, because of the greatness of the number; yea, the number of their dead were exceeding great, both on the Nephites and on the Lamanites. 22. And it came to pass that they did cast their dead into the "waters of Sidon, and they have gone forth and are buried in the depths of the sea. 23. And the armies of the Nephites, or of Moroni, returned, and came to their houses and their lands. 24. And thus ended the eighteenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi. Ånd thus ended the record of Alma, which was written upon the plates of Nephi. The account of the people of Nephi, and their wars and dissensions, in the days of Helaman, according to the record of Helaman, which he kept in his days. CHAPTER 45. 1. BEHOLD, now it came to pass that the people of Nephi were exceedingly rejoiced, because the Lord had again delivered them out of the hands of their enemies; therefore they gave thanks unto the Lord their God; yea, and they did "fast much and 'pray much, and they did worship God with exceeding great joy. 2. And it came to pass in the nineteenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi, that Alma came unto his son Helaman and said unto him, Believest thou the words which I spake unto thee "concerning those records which have been kept? 3. And Helaman said unto him, Yea, I believe. 4. And Alma said again, Believest thou in Jesus Christ, who shall come? 5. And he said, Yea, I believe all the words which thou hast spoken. 6. And Alma said unto him again, Will ye keep my commandments? 7. And he said, Yea, I will keep thy commandments with all my heart. 8. Then Alma said unto him, Blessed art thou; and the Lord shall prosper thee in this land. 9. But behold, I have somewhat to prophesy unto thee; but what I prophesy unto thee, ye shall not make known; yea, what I prophesy unto thee shall not be made known, even until the prophecy is fulfilled; therefore write the words which I shall say. 7, see g, Alma 2. 8, see f, I. Nep. 1. a, see t, Mos. 27. b, see e, 11. Nep. 32. c, Alma 37. 10. And these are the words: Behold, I perceive that this very people, the Nephites, according to the Spirit of revelation which is in me, in "four hundred years from the time that Jesus Christ shall manifest himself unto them, shall dwindle in unbelief; 11. Yea, and then shall they see wars and pestilences, yea, famines and bloodshed, even until the people of Nephi shall become extinct; 12. Yea, and this because they shall dwindle in unbelief, and fall into the works of darkness, and lasciviousness, and all manner of iniquities; yea, say unto you, that because they shall sin against so great light and knowledge; yea, I say unto you, that from that day, even the fourth generation shall not all pass away, before this great iniquity shall come; 13. And when that great day cometh, behold, the time very soon cometh that those who are now, or the seed of those who are now numbered among the people of Nephi, shall no more be numbered among the people of Nephi ; 14. But whosoever remaineth, and is not destroyed in that great and dreadful day, shall be "numbered among the Lamanites, and shall become like unto them, all, save it be a few, who shall be called the disciples of the Lord; and them shall the Lamanites pursue, even until they shall become extinct. And now, because of iniquity, this prophecy shall be fulfilled. 15. And now it came to pass that after Alma had said these things to Helaman, he blessed him, and also his other sons; and he also blessed the earth for the righteous' sake; 16. And he said, Thus saith the Lord God: Cursed shall be the land, yea, this land, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, unto destruction, which do wickedly, when they are fully ripe; and as I have said, so shall it be; for this is the cursing and the blessing of God upon the land, for the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. 17. And now, when Alma had said these words, he blessed the church, yea, all those who should stand fast in the faith from that time henceforth; 18. And when Alma had done this, he departed out of the land of Zarahemla, as if to go into the land of Melek. And it came to pass that he was never heard of more; as to his death or burial we know not of. 19. Behold, this we know, that he was a righteous man; and the saying went abroad in the church, that he was taken up by the Spirit, or buried by the hand of the Lord, even as Moses. But behold, the scriptures saith the Lord took Moses unto himself; and we suppose that he has also received Alma d, see d, 1. Nep. 12. e, Moro. 9. g, see d, 1. Nep. 12. h, Moro. 9: 24. j, see d, II. Nep. 1. k, see h, Omni 1. f, II. Nep. 26: 10. Mor. 6. i, Moro. 1:1 - 3. 1. Nep. 13: 31. 1, see c, Alma 8. |