18. Behold, he was a man like unto Ammon, the son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of Mosiah; yea, and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God.

19. Now behold, Helaman and his brethren were no less serviceable unto the people than was Moroni: for they did preach the word of God, and they did 'baptize unto repentânce all men whosoever would hearken unto their words.

20. And thus they went forth, and the people did humble themselves because of their words, insomuch that they were highly favoured of the Lord, and thus they were free from wars and contentions among themselves; yea, even for the space of four years:

21. But as I have said "in the latter end of the nineteenth year, yea, notwithstanding their peace amongst themselves, they were compelled reluctantly to contend with their brethren, the Lamanites;

22. Yea, and in fine, their wars never did cease for the space of many years with the Lamanites, notwithstanding their much reluctance.

23. Now they were sorry to take up arms against the Lamanites, because they did not delight in the shedding of blood; yea, and this was not all; they were sorry to be the means of sending so many of their brethren out of this world into an eternal world unprepared to meet their God.

24. Nevertheless they could not suffer to lay down their lives, that their wives and their children should be massacred by the barbarous cruelty of those who were once their brethren, yea, and had dissented from their church, and had left them and had gone to destroy them by joining the Lamanites;

25. Yea, they could not bear that their brethren should rejoice over the blood of the Nephites, so long as there were any who should keep the commandments of God, for the promise of the Lord was, "If they should keep his commandments they should prosper in the land.

CHAPTER 49.

1. AND now it came to pass, in the eleventh month of the nineteenth year, on the tenth day of the month, the armies of the Lamanites were seen approaching towards the "land of Ammonihah.

2. And behold, the city had been re-built, and Moroni had stationed an army by the borders of the city, and they had 'cast up dirt round about, to shield them from the arrows and the stones of the Lamanites; for behold, they fought with stones and with arrows.

7, see u, II. Nep. 9. a, see i, Alma 8.

m, ver. 2.
b, see c, Alma 48.

n, see h, II. Nep. 1.

3. Behold, I said that the city of Ammonihah had been re-built. I say unto you, yea, that it was in part re-built, and because the Lamanites had destroyed it once because of the iniquity of the people, they supposed that it would again become an easy prey for them.

4. But behold, how great was their disappointment: for behold, the Nephites had dug up a ridge of earth round about them, which was so high that the Lamanites could not cast their stones and their arrows at them, that they might take effect, neither could they come upon them, save it was by their place of entrance.

5. Now at this time the chief captains of the Lamanites were astonished exceedingly, because of the wisdom of the Nephites in preparing their places of security.

6. Now the leaders of the Lamanites had supposed, because of the greatness of their numbers; yea, they supposed that they should be privileged to come upon them as they had hitherto done; yea, and they had also prepared themselves with shields, and with breast-plates; and they had also prepared themselves with garments of skins; yea, very thick garments to cover their nakedness.

7. And being thus prepared, they supposed that they should easily overpower and subject their brethren to the yoke of bondage, or slay and massacre them according to their pleasure.

8. But behold, to their uttermost astonishment, they were prepared for them, in a manner which never had been known among the children of Lehi. Now they were prepared for the Lamanites, to battle, after the manner of the instructions of Moroni.

9. And it came to pass that the Lamanites, or the Amalickiahites, were exceedingly astonished at their manner of preparation for war.

10. Now if king Amalickiah had come down out of the land of Nephi, at the head of his army, perhaps he would have caused the Lamanites to have attacked the Nephites at the city of "Ammonihah; for behold, he did care not for the blood of his people.

11. But behold, Amalickiah did not come down himself to battle. And behold, his chief captains durst not attack the Nephites at the city of Ammonihah, for Moroni had altered the management of affairs among the Nephites, insomuch that the Lamanites were disappointed in their places of retreat, and they could not come upon them.

12. Therefore they retreated into the wilderness, and took their camp and marched towards the land of Noah, supposing that to be the next best place for them to come against the Nephites;

c, Alma 16: 2, 3, 9-11.

f, see c, Alma 48. 13-15. Alma 16: 3.

d, see c, Alma 48.

e, see 2p, Alma 43. i, vers.

g, see b, II. Nep. 5. h, see i, Alma 8.

13. For they knew not that Moroni had 'fortified or had built forts of security for every city in all the land round about; therefore, they marched forward to the land of Noah, with a firm determination; yea, their chief captains came forward, and took an oath that they would destroy the people of that city.

14. But behold, to their astonishment, the city of Noah, which had hitherto been a weak place, had now, by the means of Moroni, become strong; yea, even to exceed the strength of the 'city Ammonihah."

15. And now behold, this was wisdom in Moroni: for he had supposed that they would be frightened at the city Ammonilah; and as the city of Noah had hitherto been the weakest part of the land, therefore they would march thither to battle; and thus it was, according to his desires.

16. And behold, Moroni had appointed Lehi to be chief captain over the men of that city; and it was that "same Lehi who fought with the Lamanites in the valley, on the east of the river Sidon.

17. And now behold it came to pass, that when the Lamanites had found that Lehi commanded the city, they were again disappointed, for they feared Lehi exceedingly; nevertheless their chief captains had sworn with an oath, to attack the city; therefore, they brought up their armies.

18. Now behold, the Lamanites could not get into their forts of security, by any other way save by the entrance, because of the "highness of the bank which had been thrown up, and the depth of the ditch which had been dug round about, save it were by the entrance.

19. And thus were the Nephites prepared to destroy all such as should attempt to climb up to enter the fort by any other way, by casting over stones and arrows at them.

20. Thus they were prepared; yea, a body of their most strong men, with their swords and their slings, to smite down all who should attempt to come into their place of security by the place of "entrance: and thus were they prepared to defend themselves against the Lamanites.

21. And it came to pass that the captains of the Lamanites brought up their armies before the place of entrance, and began to contend with the Nephites, to get into their place of security; but behold, they were driven back from time to time, insomuch that they were slain with an immense slaughter.

22. Now when they found that they could not obtain power over the Nephites by the pass, they began to 'dig down their banks of earth, that they might obtain a pass to their armies, that they might have an equal chance to fight; but behold in these attempts they were swept off by the

stones and arrows which were thrown at them and instead of filling up their ditches by pulling down the banks of earth, they were filled up in a measure, with their dead and wounded bodies.

23. Thus the Nephites had all power over their enemies; and thus the Lamanites did attempt to destroy the Nephites, until their "chief captains were all slain: yea, and more than a thousand of the Lamanites were slain; while on the other hand, there was not a single soul of the Nephites which was slain.

24. There were about fifty who were wounded, who had been exposed to the arrows of the Lamanites through the "pass, but they were "shielded by their shields, and their breast-plates, and their head-plates, insomuch that their wounds were upon their legs, many of which were very

severe.

25. And it came to pass, that when the Lamanites saw that their chief captains were all slain, they fled into the wilderness. And it came to pass that they returned to the land of Nephi, to inform their king, Amalickiah, who was a Nephite by birth, concerning their great loss.

26. And it came to pass that he was exceeding angry with his people, because he had not obtained his desire over the Nephites; he had not subjected them to the yoke of bondage;

27. Yea, he was exceeding wroth, and he did curse God, and also Moroni, and swearing with an oath that he would drink his blood; and this because Moroni had kept the commandments of God in preparing for the safety of his people.

28. And it came to pass, that on the other hand, the people of Nephi did thank the Lord their God, because of his matchless power in delivering them from the hands of their enemies.

29. And thus ended the nineteenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi;

30. Yea, and there was continual peace among them, and exceeding great prosperity in the church because of their heed and diligence which they gave unto the word of God, which was declared unto them by Helaman, and Shiblon, and Corianton, and Ammon and his brethren, &c.: yea, and by all those who had been ordained by the 2 aholy order of God, being baptized unto repentance, and sent forth to preach among the people, &c.

CHAPTER 50.

1. AND now it came to pass that Moroni did not stop making preparations for war, or to defend his people against

u, Alma 48: 5. y, sec b, 11. Nep. 5.

v, see r. w, see 2 p, Alma 43.
z, Alma 51: 9, 10. 2 a, see g, Mos. 26.

x, Alma 48: 5.

the Lamanites; for he caused that his armies should commence in the commencement of the twentieth year of the reign of the Judges, that they should commence in digging up heaps of earth round about all the cities, throughout all the land which was possessed by the Nephites;

2. And upon the top of these ridges of earth he caused that there should be timbers; yea, works of timbers built up to the height of a man, round about the cities.

3. And he caused that upon those works of timbers, there should be a frame of pickets built upon the timbers round about; and they were strong and high;

4. And he caused towers to be erected that overlooked those works of pickets, and he caused places of security to be built upon those towers, that the stones and the arrows of the Lamanites could not hurt them.

5. And they were prepared, that they could cast stones from the top thereof, according to their pleasure and their strength, and slay him who should attempt to approach near the walls of the city.

6. Thus Moroni did prepare strong holds against the coming of their enemies, round about every city in all the land.

7. And it came to pass that Moroni caused that his armies should go forth into the east wilderness; yea, and they went forth and drove all the Lamanites who were in the east wilderness into their own lands, which were south of the 'land of Zarahemla;

8. And the land of Nephi did run in a straight course from the east sea to the west.

9. And it came to pass that when Moroni had driven all the Lamanites out of the east wilderness, which was north of the lands of their own possessions, he caused that the inhabitants who were in the land of Zarahemla, and in the land round about, should go forth into the east wilderness, even to the borders by the sea shore, and possess the land.

10. And he also placed armies on the south, in the borders of their possessions, and caused them to erect "fortifications, that they might secure their armies and their people from the hands of their enemies.

11. And thus he cut off all the strong holds of the Lamanites, in the east wilderness; yea, and also on the west, fortifying the line between the Nephites and the Lamanites, between the land of Zarahemla and the land of Nephi; from the west sea, running by the head of the "river Sidon; the Nephites possessing all the land northward; yea, even all the land which was northward of the land Bountiful, according to their pleasure.