9. And now the design of the Nephites was to support their lands, and their houses, and their wives, and their children, that they might preserve them from the hands of their enemies, and also that they might preserve their rights and their privileges; yea, and also their "liberty, that they might worship God according to their desires;

10. For they knew that if they should fall into the hands. of the Lamanites, that whosoever should worship God, in Spirit and in truth, the true and the living God, the Lamanites would destroy;

11. Yea, and they also knew the 'extreme hatred of the Lamanites towards their brethren, who were the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi, who were called the people of Ammon; and they would not take up arms; yea, they had entered 'into a covenant and they would not break it; therefore, if they should fall into the hands of the Lamanites they would be destroyed.

12. And the Nephites would not suffer "that they should be destroyed; therefore they gave them "lands for their inheritance.

13. And the people of Ammon did give unto the Nephites a large portion of their substance to support their armies; and thus the Nephites were compelled, alone, to withstand against the Lamanites, who were a compound of Laman and Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael, and all those who had dissented from the Nephites, who were Amalekites and "Zoramites, and the descendants of the priests of Noah.

14. Now those descendants were as numerous, nearly, as were the Nephites; and thus the Nephites were obliged to contend with their brethren, even unto bloodshed.

15. And it came to pass as the armies of the Lamanites had gathered together in the "land of Antionum, behold, the armies of the Nephites were prepared to meet them in the land of Jershon.

16. Now the leader of the Nephites, or the man who had been appointed to be the chief captain over the Nephites; now the chief captain took the command of all the armies of the Nephites, and his name was Moroni;

17. And Moroni took all the command, and the government of their wars. And he was only twenty and five years old when he was appointed chief captain over the armies of the Nephites.

18. And it came to pass that he met the Lamanites in the borders of Jershon, and his people were armed "with swords, and with cimeters, and all manner of weapons of

war.

26.

19. And when the armies of the Lamanites saw that the

h, see m, Mos. 29.

1, Alma 24: 16-19.

i, Alma 27: 2. j, see t, Alma 23.
m, Alma 27: 23, 24.
9, see f, Mos. 11.

o, Alma 27: 24. P, see 2j, Alma 30.

Alma 31.

8, see q, Alma 27. t, see q, Alma 27.

k, Alma 27: n, Alma 27: 22. r, see b, u, see ƒ, Alma 2.

people of Nephi, or that Moroni had prepared his people with breastplates, and with arm-shields; yea, and also shields to defend their heads; and also they were dressed with thick clothing.

20. Now the army of Zerahemnah was not prepared with any such thing. They had only their swords and their cimeters, their bows and their arrows, their stones and their slings; but they were naked, "save it were a skin which was girded about their loins; yea, all were naked, save it were the Zoramites and the Amalekites.

21. But they were not armed with breast-plates, nor shields; therefore they were exceeding afraid of the armies of the Nephites, because of their armour, notwithstanding their number being so much greater than the Nephites.

22. Behold, now it came to pass that they durst not come against the Nephites in the "borders of Jershon therefore they departed out of the land of Antionum into the wilderness, and took their journey round about in the wilderness, away by the head of the "river Sidon, that they might come into the land of Manti, and take possession of the land; for they did not suppose that the armies of Moroni would know whither they had gone.

23. But it came to pass, as soon as they had departed into the wilderness, Moroni sent spies into the wilderness to watch their camp; and Moroni, also, knowing of the prophecies of Alma, sent certain men unto him, desiring him that he should inquire of the Lord whither the armies of the Nephites should go, to defend themselves against the Lamanites.

24. And it came to pass that the word of the Lord came unto Alma, and Alma informed the messengers of Moroni that the armies of the Lamanites were marching round about in the wilderness, that they might come over into the 2"land of Manti, that they might commence an attack upon the more weak part of the people. And those messengers went and delivered the message unto Moroni.

25. Mow Moroni, leaving a part of his army in the 2'land of Jershon, lest by any means a part of the Lamanites should come into that land and take possession of the city, took the remainder part of his army and marched over into the land of Manti.

26. And he caused that all the people in that quarter of the land should gather themselves together to battle, against the Lamanites, to defend their lands and their country, their rights and their liberties; therefore they were prepared against the time of the coming of the Lamanites.

27. And it came to pass that Moroni caused that his army should be secreted in the valley which was near the bank of

v, ver. 37. Enos 1: 20. Alma 3: 4, 5. w, see q, Alma 27. x, see b, Alma 31. y, see g, Alma 2. z, see h, Alma 16. 2a, see h, Alma 16. 2b, see q, Alma 27. 2c, see h, Alma 16.

the driver don, which was on the west of the river Sidon in the wilderness.

28. And Moroni placed spies round about, that he might know when the camp of the Lamanites should come.

29. And now as Moroni knew the intention of the Lamanites, that it was their intention to destroy their brethren, or to subject them and bring them into bondage that they might establish a kingdom unto themselves, over all the land;

30. And he also knowing that it was the 2/only desire of the Nephites to preserve their lands, and their liberty, and their church, therefore he thought it no sin that he should defend them by stratagem; therefore he found by his 29spies, which course the Lamanites were to take.

31. Therefore he divided his army, and brought a part over into the valley, and concealed them on the east, and on the south of the 2"hill Riplah;

32. And the remainder he concealed in the west valley, on the west of the river Sidon, and so down into the 2/borders of the land Manti.

33. And thus having placed his army according to his desire, he was prepared to meet them.

34. And it came to pass that the Lamanites came up on the north of the hill where a part of the army of Moroni was concealed.

35. And as the Lamanites had passed the 'hill Riplab, and come into the valley, and began to cross the 2mriver Sidon, the army which was concealed on the south of the hill, which was led by a man whose name was Lehi; and he led his army forth and encircled the Lamanites about on the east in their rear.

36. And it came to pass that the Lamanites, when they saw the Nephites coming upon them in their rear, turned them about, and began to contend with the army of Lehi;

37. And the work of death commenced on both sides, but it was more dreadful on the part of the Lamanites, for their "nakedness was exposed to the heavy blows of the Nephites, 20with their swords and their cimeters, which brought death almost at every stroke;

38. While on the other hand there was now and then a man fell among the Nephites, by their swords and the loss of blood; they being shielded from the more vital parts of the body, or the more vital parts of the body being shielded from the strokes of the Lamanites, 2by their breast-plates, and their arm-shields, and their head-plates: and thus the

44: 5. See m, Mos. 29. Alma 46: 12-20. 48: 10-16. 2h, vers. 34, 35. 2 i, see g, Alma 2.

27, vers. 31, 34.
2p, vers. 19, 21, 44.

2f, vers. 9,
2j, see h, Alma 16.
2n, ver. 20.
49:6, 24.

2m, see g, Alma 2.
Alma 44:9. 46: 13.

45, 48, 49. Alma 2 g, vers. 23, 28. 2k, vers. 31, 35.

See v.

20, ver. 18.

Hela. 1: 14.

Mor.

Nephites did carry on the work of death among the Lamanites.

39. And it came to pass that the Lamanites became frightened, because of the great destruction among them, even until they began to flee towards the 29river Sidon.

40. And they were pursued by Lehi and his men, and they were driven by Lehi into the waters of Sidon; and they crossed the waters of Sidon. And Lehi retained his armies upon the 2 bank of the river Sidon, that they should not

cross.

41. And it came to pass that Moroni and his army met the Lamanites in the valley, on the other side of the river Sidon, and began to fall upon them and to slay them.

42. And the Lamanites did flee again before them, 2utowards the land of Manti; and they were met again by the armies of Moroni.

43. Now in this case the Lamanites did fight exceedingly; yea, never had the Lamanites been known to fight with such exceeding great strength and courage, no, not even from the beginning;

44. And they were inspired by the 2"Zoramites and the Amalekites, who were their chief captains and leaders, and by Zerahemnah, who was their chief captain, or their chief leader and commander; yea, they did fight like dragons, and many of the Nephites were slain by their hands, yea, for they did smite in two 2"many of their head-plates, and they did pierce many of their breast-plates, and they did smite off many of their arms; and thus the Lamanites did smite in their fierce anger.

45. Nevertheless, the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for monarchy nor power, but they were 2*fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all; yea, for their rites of worship and their church;

46. And they were doing that which they felt was the duty which they owed to their God; for the Lord had said unto them, and also unto their fathers, That 2inasmuch as ye are not guilty of the first offence, neither the second, ye shall not suffer yourselves to be slain by the hands of your enemies.

47. And again, the Lord has said That ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed; therefore for this cause were the Nephites contending with the Lamanites, to 2defend themselves, and their families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and their religion.

48. And it came to pass that when the men of Moroni

2q, see y, Alma 2. 2 r, east bank.

28, ver. 32.

2t, west side, 2 v, ver. 6. 2y, Doc. and Cov. 98:

ver. 32. 2u, down near the west bank, northward, ver. 32.
220, see 2 p.
2x, vers. 30, 47. Alma 44 5.

23-48. Alma 48: 14--16.

2z, see 2 f.

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 thoughts 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, 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.