5. And the king granted unto him that he might speak. And Gideon said unto him, 6. Behold the back pass, through the back wall, on the back side of the city. The Lamanites, or the guards of the Lamanites, by night, are. drunken; therefore let us send a proclamation among all this people, that they gather together their flocks and herds, that they may drive them into the wilderness by night. 7. And I will go according to thy command, and pay the last tribute of wine to the Lamanites, and they will be drunken; and we will pass through the secret pass on the left of the camp, when they are drunken and asleep : 8. Thus we will depart with our women and our children, our flocks, and our herds into the wilderness; and we will travel around the land of Shilom. 9. And it came to pass that the king hearkened unto the words of Gideon. 10. And king Limhi caused that his people should gather their flocks together: and he sent the "tribute of wine to the Lamanites; and he also sent more wine, as a present unto them and they did drink freely of the wine which king Limhi did send unto them. 11. And it came to pass that the people of king Limhi did depart by night into the wilderness with their flocks and their herds, and they went 'round about the land of Shilom in the wilderness, and bent their course towards the land of Zarahemla, being led by Ammon and his brethren. 12. And they had taken all their gold, and silver, and their precious things, which they could carry; and also their provisions with them, into the wilderness; and they pursued their journey. 13. And after being many days in the wilderness, they arrived in the "land of Zarahemla, and joined his people, and became his subjects. 14. And it came to pass that Mosiah received them with joy; and he also received their "records, and also the 'records which had been found by the people of Limhi. 15. And now it came to pass when the Lamanites had found that the people of Limhi had departed out of the land by night, that they sent an Parmy into the wilderness to pursue them; 16. And after they had pursued them two days, they could no longer follow their tracks; therefore they were 'lost in the wilderness. d, Mos. 19: 26. e, vers. 6-10. h, ver. 7. i, vers. 6, 7. c, ver. 7. see f, Mos. 7. k, see h, Omni 1. Mos. 9. o, see k, Mos. 8. ƒ, ver. 6. g, ver. 11, j, ver. 8, see J, Mos. 7. q, Mos. 23: 30, 36, 37. 1, Mos. 7: 2, 3. m, see h, Omnil. n, Record of Zeniff, P, Mos. 23: 30-39. An account of Alma and the people of the Lord, who were driven into the wilderness by the people of king Noah CHAPTER 23. 1. Now Alma, having been warned of the Lord that the armies of king Noah would come upon them, and had made it known to his people; therefore they gathered together their flocks, and took of their grain, and departed into the wilderness before the armies of king Noah. 2. And the Lord did strengthen them, that the people of king Noah could not overtake them, to destroy them. 3. And they fled 'eight days' journey into the wilderness. 4. And they came to a land, yea, even a very beautiful and pleasant land; a land of pure water. 5. And they pitched their tents, and began to till the ground, and began to build buildings, &c. ; yea, they were industrious, and did labour exceedingly. 6. And the people were desirous that Alma should be their king, for he was beloved by his people. 7. But he said unto them, Behold, it is not expedient that we should have a king; for thus saith the Lord: Ye shall not esteem one flesh above another, or one man shall not think himself above another; therefore I say unto you, it is not expedient that ye should have a king. 8. Nevertheless, if it were possible that ye could always have just men to be your kings, it would be well for you to have a king. 9. But remember the iniquity of king Noah and his priests and I myself was caught in a snare, and did many things which were abominable in the sight of the Lord, which caused me "sore repentance; 10. Nevertheless, after much tribulation, the Lord did hear my cries, and did answer my prayers, and has made me an instrument in his hands, in bringing "so many of you to a knowledge of his truth. 11. Nevertheless, in this I do not glory, for I am unworthy to glory of myself. 12. And now I say unto you, ye have been oppressed by king Noah, and have been in bondage to him and his priests, and have been brought into iniquity by them: therefore ye were bound with the bands of iniquity. 13. And now as ye have been delivered by the power of God out of these bonds; yea, even out of the hands of king Noah and his people, and also from the bonds of iniquity, even so I desire that ye should stand fast in this liberty a, Mos. 18: 34, 35. b, Mos. 18: 33, 34. 19: 1. c, Eight days' journey from Mormon, on the borders of Nephi. d, vers. 8-15. Mos. 18: 2111: 1-15. f, Mos. 17: 1-4 i, Mos. 11: 2-15. j, vers wherewith ye have been made free, and that ye trust *no man to be a king over you; 14. And also trusting 'no one to be your teacher nor your minister, except he be a man of God, walking in his ways and keeping his commandments. 15. Thus did Alma teach his people, that every man should love his neighbour mas himself: that there should be no contention among them. 16. And now Alma was their "high priest, he being the founder of their church. 17. And it came to pass that none received authority to preach or to teach, except it were by him from God. Therefore he consecrated all their priests, and all their teachers, and none were consecrated except they were just men. 18. Therefore they did watch over their people, and did nourish them with things pertaining to righteousness. 19. And it came to pass that they began to prosper exceedingly in the land; and they called the land 'Helam. 20. And it came to pass that they did multiply and prosper exceedingly in the land of Helam; and they built a city, which they called the city of Helam. 21. Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith. 22. Nevertheless, whosoever putteth his trust in him, the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people. 23. For behold, I will shew unto you that they were brought into bondage, and none could deliver them but the Lord their God; yea, even the God of Abraham and Isaac, and of Jacob. 24. And it came to pass that he did deliver them, and he did shew forth his mighty power unto them, and great were their rejoicings. 25. For behold, it came to pass that while they were in the land of Helam, yea, in the city of Helam, while tilling the land round about, behold an army of the Lamanites were in the borders of the land. 26. Now it came to pass that the brethren of Alma fled from their fields, and gathered themselves together in the city of Helam; and they were much frightened because of the appearance of the Lamanites. 27. But Alma went forth and stood among them, and exhorted them that they should not be frightened, but that they should remember the Lord their God, and he would deliver them; 28. Therefore they hushed their fears, and began to cry unto the Lord, that he would soften the hearts of the Lamanites, that they would spare them, and their wives, and their children. 29. And it came to pass that the Lord did soften the hearts of the Lamanites. And Alma and his brethren went forth and delivered themselves up into their hands; and the Lamanites took possession of the "land of Helam. 30. Now the armies of the Lamianites which had followed after the people of king Limhi, had been lost in the wilderness for many days. 31. And behold, they had found those 'priests of king Noah, in a place which they called "Amulon; and they had began to possess the land of Amulon, and had began to till the ground. 32. Now the name of the leader of those priests was Amulon. 33. And it came to pass that Amulon did plead with the Lamanites; and he also sent forth their wives, who were the "daughters of the Lamanites, to plead with their brethren, that they should not destroy their husbands. 34. And the Lamanites had compassion on Amulon and his brethren, and did not destroy them, because of "their wives. 35. And Amulon and his brethren did join the Lamanites, and they were travelling in the wilderness in search of the land of Nephi, when they discovered the land of "Helam, which was possessed by Alma and his brethren. 36. And it came to pass that the Lamanites promised unto Alma and his brethren, that if they would shew them the way which led to the land of Nephi, that they would grant unto them their lives and their liberty. 37. But after Alma had shewn them the way that led to the land of Nephi, the Lamanites would not keep their promise; but they set guards round about the land of Helam, over Alma and his brethren. : 38. And the remainder of them went to the land of Nephi and a part of them returned to the land of Helam, and also brought with them the wives and the children of the guards who had been left in the land. 39. And the king of the Lamanites had granted unto 2a Amulon that he should be a king and a ruler over his people, who were in the land of Helam; nevertheless he should have no power to do anything contrary to the will of the king of the Lamanites. CHAPTER 24. 1. AND it came to pass that Amulon did gain favour in the eyes of the king of the Lamanites; therefore, the king of Mos. u, vers. 32, 35, 39. 23 14. w, ver. 33. 24: 1, 28-30. 25: x, see o. y, see r, see o. s, Mos. 22: 16. t, see f, Mos. 11. 24: 1, 4, 5, 8-11. 25:12. Alma 21: 2-4. 4-12. 43: 13, 14. v, Mos. 20:5, 6, 18. b, II. Nep. 5. z, ver. 38. 2a, see u. the Lamanites granted unto him and his brethren, that they should be appointed "teachers over his people; yea, even over the people who were in the land of 'Shemlon, and in the land of Shilom, and in the land of Amulon; 2. For the Lamanites had taken possession of all these lands; therefore, the king of the Lamanites had appointed kings over all these lands. 3. And now the name of the king of the Lamanites was Laman, being called after the name of his father; and therefore he was called king Laman. And he was king over a numerous people; 4. And he appointed teachers of the brethren of Amulon, in every land which was possessed by his people: and thus the language of Nephi began to be taught among all the people of the Lamanites. 5. And they were a people friendly one with another; nevertheless they knew not God; neither did the "brethren of Amulon teach them anything concerning the Lord their God, neither the law of Moses; nor did they teach them the words of Abinadi; 6. But they taught them that they should keep their record, and that they might write one to another. 7. And thus the Lamanites began to increase in riches, and began to trade one with another, and wax great, and began to be a cunning and a wise people, as to the wisdom of the world; yea, a very cunning people; delighting in all manner of wickedness and plunder, except it were among their own brethren. 8. And now it came to pass that Amulon began to exercise authority over Alma and his brethren, and began to persecute him, and cause that his children should persecute their children: 9. For Amulon knew Alma, that he had been 'one of the king's priests, and that it was he that believed the words of Abinadi, and was driven out before the king; and therefore he was wroth with him, for he was subject to king Laman; yet he exercised authority over them, and put tasks upon them, and put task-masters over them. 10. And it came to pass that so great were their afflic tions, that they began to cry mightily to God. 11. And Amulon commanded them that they should stop their cries; and he put guards over them to watch them, that whosoever should be found calling upon God, should be put to death. 12. And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to a, vers. 4-6. b, see d, Mos. 10. c, see f, Mos. 7. d, see u, Mos. 23. Mos. 9:10, 11. 10: 6. ƒ, ver. 1. 9, About 470 years had elapsed since the Nephites and Lamanites were separated, during which the Nephite language, among the Lamanites, had become corrupted. h, see f, Mos. 11. the Lamanite History. j, in the Nephite characters. 7 Mos. 17: 2-4. k, Mos. 23:32. |