The Book of Mormon Part 92
Alma 60:30 30 Behold, I wait for a.s.sistance from you; and, except ye do administer unto our relief, behold, I come unto you, even in the land of Zarahemla, and smite you with the sword, insomuch that ye can have no more power to impede the progress of this people in the cause of our freedom.
Alma 60:31 31 For behold, the Lord will not suffer that ye shall live and wax strong in your iniquities to destroy his righteous people.
Alma 60:32 32 Behold, can you suppose that the Lord will spare you and come out in judgment against the Lamanites, when it is the tradition of their fathers that has caused their hatred, yea, and it has been redoubled by those who have dissented from us, while your iniquity is for the cause of your love of glory and the vain things of the world?
Alma 60:33 33 Ye know that ye do transgress the laws of G.o.d, and ye do know that ye do trample them under your feet. Behold, the Lord saith unto me: If those whom ye have appointed your governors do not repent of their sins and iniquities, ye shall go up to battle against them.
Alma 60:34 34 And now behold, I, Moroni, am constrained, according to the covenant which I have made to keep the commandments of my G.o.d; therefore I would that ye should adhere to the word of G.o.d, and send speedily unto me of your provisions and of your men, and also to Helaman.
Alma 60:35 35 And behold, if ye will not do this I come unto you speedily; for behold, G.o.d will not suffer that we should perish with hunger; therefore he will give unto us of your food, even if it must be by the sword. Now see that ye fulfil the word of G.o.d.
Alma 60:36 36 Behold, I am Moroni, your chief captain. I seek not for power, but to pull it down. I seek not for honor of the world, but for the glory of my G.o.d, and the freedom and welfare of my country. And thus I close mine epistle.
Alma 61 Chapter 61
Alma 61:1 1 Behold, now it came to pa.s.s that soon after Moroni had sent his epistle unto the chief governor, he received an epistle from Pahoran, the chief governor. And these are the words which he received:
Alma 61:2 2 I, Pahoran, who am the chief governor of this land, do send these words unto Moroni, the chief captain over the army.
Behold, I say unto you, Moroni, that I do not joy in your great afflictions, yea, it grieves my soul.
Alma 61:3 3 But behold, there are those who do joy in your afflictions, yea, insomuch that they have risen up in rebellion against me, and also those of my people who are freemen, yea, and those who have risen up are exceedingly numerous.
Alma 61:4 4 And it is those who have sought to take away the judgment-seat from me that have been the cause of this great iniquity; for they have used great flattery, and they have led away the hearts of many people, which will be the cause of sore affliction among us; they have withheld our provisions, and have daunted our freemen that they have not come unto you.
Alma 61:5 5 And behold, they have driven me out before them, and I have fled to the land of Gideon, with as many men as it were possible that I could get.
Alma 61:6 6 And behold, I have sent a proclamation throughout this part of the land; and behold, they are flocking to us daily, to their arms, in the defence of their country and their freedom, and to avenge our wrongs.
Alma 61:7 7 And they have come unto us, insomuch that those who have risen up in rebellion against us are set at defiance, yea, insomuch that they do fear us and durst not come out against us to battle.
Alma 61:8 8 They have got possession of the land, or the city, of Zarahemla; they have appointed a king over them, and he hath written unto the king of the Lamanites, in the which he hath joined an alliance with him; in the which alliance he hath agreed to maintain the city of Zarahemla, which maintenance he supposeth will enable the Lamanites to conquer the remainder of the land, and he shall be placed king over this people when they shall be conquered under the Lamanites.
Alma 61:9 9 And now, in your epistle you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart. I, Pahoran, do not seek for power, save only to retain my judgment-seat that I may preserve the rights and the liberty of my people. My soul standeth fast in that liberty in the which G.o.d hath made us free.
Alma 61:10 10 And now, behold, we will resist wickedness even unto bloodshed. We would not shed the blood of the Lamanites if they would stay in their own land.
Alma 61:11 11 We would not shed the blood of our brethren if they would not rise up in rebellion and take the sword against us.
Alma 61:12 12 We would subject ourselves to the yoke of bondage if it were requisite with the justice of G.o.d, or if he should command us so to do.
Alma 61:13 13 But behold he doth not command us that we shall subject ourselves to our enemies, but that we should put our trust in him, and he will deliver us.
Alma 61:14 14 Therefore, my beloved brother, Moroni, let us resist evil, and whatsoever evil we cannot resist with our words, yea, such as rebellions and dissensions, let us resist them with our swords, that we may retain our freedom, that we may rejoice in the great privilege of our church, and in the cause of our Redeemer and our G.o.d.
Alma 61:15 15 Therefore, come unto me speedily with a few of your men, and leave the remainder in the charge of Lehi and Teanc.u.m; give unto them power to conduct the war in that part of the land, according to the Spirit of G.o.d, which is also the Spirit of freedom which is in them.
Alma 61:16 16 Behold I have sent a few provisions unto them, that they may not perish until ye can come unto me.
Alma 61:17 17 Gather together whatsoever force ye can upon your march hither, and we will go speedily against those dissenters, in the strength of our G.o.d according to the faith which is in us.
Alma 61:18 18 And we will take possession of the city of Zarahemla, that we may obtain more food to send forth unto Lehi and Teanc.u.m; yea, we will go forth against them in the strength of the Lord, and we will put an end to this great iniquity.
Alma 61:19 19 And now, Moroni, I do joy in receiving your epistle, for I was somewhat worried concerning what we should do, whether it should be just in us to go against our brethren.
Alma 61:20 20 But ye have said, except they repent the Lord hath commanded you that ye should go against them.
Alma 61:21 21 See that ye strengthen Lehi and Teanc.u.m in the Lord; tell them to fear not, for G.o.d will deliver them, yea, and also all those who stand fast in that liberty wherewith G.o.d hath made them free. And now I close mine epistle to my beloved brother, Moroni.
Alma 62 Chapter 62
Alma 62:1 1 And now it came to pa.s.s that when Moroni had received this epistle his heart did take courage, and was filled with exceedingly great joy because of the faithfulness of Pahoran, that he was not also a traitor to the freedom and cause of his country.
Alma 62:2 2 But he did also mourn exceedingly because of the iniquity of those who had driven Pahoran from the judgment-seat, yea, in fine because of those who had rebelled against their country and also their G.o.d.
Alma 62:3 3 And it came to pa.s.s that Moroni took a small number of men, according to the desire of Pahoran, and gave Lehi and Teanc.u.m command over the remainder of his army, and took his march towards the land of Gideon.
Alma 62:4 4 And he did raise the standard of liberty in whatsoever place he did enter, and gained whatsoever force he could in all his march towards the land of Gideon.
Alma 62:5 5 And it came to pa.s.s that thousands did flock unto his standard, and did take up their swords in the defence of their freedom, that they might not come into bondage.
Alma 62:6 6 And thus, when Moroni had gathered together whatsoever men he could in all his march, he came to the land of Gideon; and uniting his forces with those of Pahoran they became exceedingly strong, even stronger than the men of Pachus, who was the king of those dissenters who had driven the freemen out of the land of Zarahemla and had taken possession of the land.
Alma 62:7 7 And it came to pa.s.s that Moroni and Pahoran went down with their armies into the land of Zarahemla, and went forth against the city, and did meet the men of Pachus, insomuch that they did come to battle.
Alma 62:8 8 And behold, Pachus was slain and his men were taken prisoners, and Pahoran was restored to his judgment-seat.
Alma 62:9 9 And the men of Pachus received their trial, according to the law, and also those king-men who had been taken and cast into prison; and they were executed according to the law; yea, those men of Pachus and those king-men, whosoever would not take up arms in the defence of their country, but would fight against it, were put to death.
Alma 62:10 10 And thus it became expedient that this law should be strictly observed for the safety of their country; yea, and whosoever was found denying their freedom was speedily executed according to the law.
Alma 62:11 11 And thus ended the thirtieth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi; Moroni and Pahoran having restored peace to the land of Zarahemla, among their own people, having inflicted death upon all those who were not true to the cause of freedom.
Alma 62:12 12 And it came to pa.s.s in the commencement of the thirty and first year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, Moroni immediately caused that provisions should be sent, and also an army of six thousand men should be sent unto Helaman, to a.s.sist him in preserving that part of the land.
Alma 62:13 13 And he also caused that an army of six thousand men, with a sufficient quant.i.ty of food, should be sent to the armies of Lehi and Teanc.u.m. And it came to pa.s.s that this was done to fortify the land against the Lamanites.
Alma 62:14 14 And it came to pa.s.s that Moroni and Pahoran, leaving a large body of men in the land of Zarahemla, took their march with a large body of men towards the land of Nephihah, being determined to overthrow the Lamanites in that city.
Alma 62:15 15 And it came to pa.s.s that as they were marching towards the land, they took a large body of men of the Lamanites, and slew many of them, and took their provisions and their weapons of war.
Alma 62:16 16 And it came to pa.s.s after they had taken them, they caused them to enter into a covenant that they would no more take up their weapons of war against the Nephites.
Alma 62:17 17 And when they had entered into this covenant they sent them to dwell with the people of Ammon, and they were in number about four thousand who had not been slain.
Alma 62:18 18 And it came to pa.s.s that when they had sent them away they pursued their march towards the land of Nephihah. And it came to pa.s.s that when they had come to the city of Nephihah, they did pitch their tents in the plains of Nephihah, which is near the city of Nephihah.
Alma 62:19 19 Now Moroni was desirous that the Lamanites should come out to battle against them, upon the plains; but the Lamanites, knowing of their exceedingly great courage, and beholding the greatness of their numbers, therefore they durst not come out against them; therefore they did not come to battle in that day.
Alma 62:20 20 And when the night came, Moroni went forth in the darkness of the night, and came upon the top of the wall to spy out in what part of the city the Lamanites did camp with their army.