1 AND now there was no more contention in all the ^aland of Zarahemla, among all the people who belonged to king Benjamin, so that king Benjamin had continual peace all the remainder of his days.
 2 And it came to pass that he had three ^asons ; and he called their names Mosiah, and Helorum, and Helaman. And he caused that they should be ^btaught in all the ^clanguage of his fathers, that thereby they might become men of understanding; and that they might know concerning the prophecies which had been spoken by the mouths of their fathers, which were delivered them by the hand of the Lord.
 3 And he also taught them concerning the records which were engraven on the ^aplates of brass, saying: My sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these ^bplates , which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ^cignorance , even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God.
 4 For it were not possible that our father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have taught them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates; for he having been taught in the ^alanguage of the Egyptians therefore he could read these engravings, and teach them to his children, that thereby they could teach them to their children, and so fulfilling the commandments of God, even down to this present time.
 5 I say unto you, my sons, ^awere it not for these things, which have been kept and ^bpreserved by the hand of God, that we might ^cread and understand of his ^dmysteries , and have his ^ecommandments always before our eyes, that even our fathers would have dwindled in unbelief, and we should have been like unto our brethren, the Lamanites, who know nothing concerning these things, or even do not believe them when they are taught them, because of the ^ftraditions of their fathers, which are not correct.
 6 O my sons, I would that ye should remember that these sayings are true, and also that these records are ^atrue . And behold, also the plates of Nephi, which contain the records and the sayings of our fathers from the time they left Jerusalem until now, and they are true; and we can know of their surety because we have them before our eyes.
 7 And now, my sons, I would that ye should remember to ^asearch them diligently, that ye may profit thereby; and I would that ye should ^bkeep the commandments of God, that ye may ^cprosper in the land according to the ^dpromises which the Lord made unto our fathers.
 8 And many more things did king Benjamin teach his sons, which are not written in this book.
 9 And it came to pass that after king Benjamin had made an end of teaching his sons, that he waxed ^aold , and he saw that he must very soon go the way of all the earth; therefore, he thought it expedient that he should confer the kingdom upon one of his sons.
 10 Therefore, *he had Mosiah brought before him; and these are the words which he spake unto him, saying: My son, I would that ye should make a proclamation throughout all this land among all this ^apeople , or the people of Zarahemla, and the people of Mosiah who dwell in the land, that thereby they may be gathered together; for on the morrow I shall proclaim unto this my people out of mine own mouth that thou art a ^bking and a ruler over this people, whom the Lord our God hath given us.
 11 And moreover, I shall give this people a ^aname , that thereby they may be distinguished above all the people which the Lord God hath brought out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I do because they have been a ^bdiligent people in keeping the commandments of the Lord.
 12 And I give unto them a name that never shall be blotted out, except it be through ^atransgression .
 13 Yea, and moreover I say unto you, that if this highly favored people of the Lord should fall into ^atransgression , and become a wicked and an adulterous people, that the Lord will deliver them up, that thereby they become ^bweak like unto their brethren; and he will no more ^cpreserve them by his matchless and marvelous power, as he has hitherto preserved our fathers.
 14 For I say unto you, that if he had not extended his arm in the preservation of our fathers they must have fallen into the hands of the Lamanites, and become victims to their hatred.
 15 And it came to pass that after king Benjamin had made an end of these sayings to his son, that he gave him ^acharge concerning all the affairs of the kingdom.
 16 And moreover, he also gave him charge concerning the records which were engraven on the ^aplates of brass; and also the plates of Nephi; and also, the ^bsword of Laban, and the ^cball or director, which led our fathers through the wilderness, which was prepared by the hand of the Lord that thereby they might be led, every one according to the heed and diligence which they gave unto him.
 17 Therefore, as they were ^aunfaithful they did not prosper nor progress in their journey, but were ^bdriven back, and incurred the displeasure of God upon them; and therefore they were smitten with famine and sore ^cafflictions , to stir them up in ^dremembrance of their duty.
 18 And now, it came to pass that Mosiah went and did as his father had commanded him, and proclaimed unto all the people who were in the land of Zarahemla that thereby they might gather themselves together, to go up to the ^atemple to hear the words which his father should speak unto them.

* Verse 10  [About 124 B.C.].

 1 AND it came to pass that after Mosiah had done as his father had commanded him, and had made a proclamation throughout all the land, that the people ^agathered themselves together throughout all the land, that they might go up to the ^btemple to ^chear the ^dwords which king Benjamin should speak unto them.
 2 And there were a great number, even so many that they did not number them; for they had multiplied exceedingly and waxed great in the land.
 3 And they also took of the ^afirstlings of their flocks, that they might offer ^bsacrifice and ^cburnt ^dofferings ^eaccording to the law of Moses;
 4 And also that they might give thanks to the Lord their God, who had brought them out of the land of Jerusalem, and who had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies, and had ^aappointed just men to be their ^bteachers , and also a just man to be their king, who had established peace in the ^cland of Zarahemla, and who had taught them to ^dkeep the commandments of God, that they might rejoice and be filled with ^elove towards God and all men.
 5 And it came to pass that when they came up to the temple, they pitched their tents round about, every man according to his ^afamily , consisting of his wife, and his sons, and his daughters, and their sons, and their daughters, from the eldest down to the youngest, every family being separate one from another.
 6 And they pitched their tents round about the temple, every man having his ^atent with the door thereof towards the temple, that thereby they might remain in their tents and hear the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them;
 7 For the multitude being so great that king Benjamin could not teach them all within the walls of the temple, therefore he caused a ^atower to be erected, that thereby his people might hear the words which he should speak unto them.
 8 And it came to pass that he began to speak to his people from the tower; and they could not all hear his words because of the greatness of the multitude; therefore he caused that the words which he spake should be written and sent forth among those that were not under the sound of his voice, that they might also receive his words.
 9 And these are the words which he ^aspake and caused to be written, saying: My brethren, all ye that have assembled yourselves together, you that can hear my words which I shall speak unto you this day; for I have not commanded you to come up hither to ^btrifle with the words which I shall speak, but that you should ^chearken unto me, and open your ears that ye may hear, and your ^dhearts that ye may understand, and your ^eminds that the ^fmysteries of God may be unfolded to your view.
 10 I have not commanded you to come up hither that ye should fear ^ame , or that ye should think that I of myself am more than a mortal man.
 11 But I am like as yourselves, subject to all manner of infirmities in body and mind; yet I have been chosen by this people, and ^aconsecrated by ^bmy father, and was suffered by the hand of the Lord that I should be a ruler and a king over this people; and have been kept and preserved by his matchless power, to serve you with all the might, mind and strength which the Lord hath granted unto me.
 12 I say unto you that as I have been suffered to ^aspend my days in your service, even up to this time, and have not sought ^bgold nor silver nor any manner of riches of you;
 13 Neither have I suffered that ye should be confined in dungeons, nor that ye should make slaves one of another, nor that ye should murder, or plunder, or steal, or commit adultery; nor even have I suffered that ye should commit any manner of wickedness, and have taught you that ye should keep the commandments of the Lord, in all things which he hath commanded you—
 14 And even I, myself, have ^alabored with mine own ^bhands that I might serve you, and that ye should not be ^claden with taxes, and that there should nothing come upon you which was grievous to be borne—and of all these things which I have spoken, ye yourselves are witnesses this day.
 15 Yet, my brethren, I have not done these things that I might ^aboast , neither do I tell these things that thereby I might accuse you; but I tell you these things that ye may know that I can answer a clear ^bconscience before God this day.
 16 Behold, I say unto you that because I said unto you that I had spent my days in your service, I do not desire to boast, for I have only been in the service of God.
 17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn ^awisdom ; that ye may learn that when ye are in the ^bservice of your ^cfellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.
 18 Behold, ye have called me your king; and if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to ^aserve you, then ought not ye to labor to serve one another?
 19 And behold also, if I, whom ye call your king, who has spent his days in your service, and yet has been in the service of God, do merit any thanks from you, O how you ought to ^athank your heavenly ^bKing !
 20 I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the ^athanks and ^bpraise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and ^cpreserved you, and has caused that ye should ^drejoice , and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another—
 21 I say unto you that if ye should ^aserve him who has created you from the beginning, and is ^bpreserving you from day to day, by lending you ^cbreath , that ye may live and move and do according to your own ^dwill , and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your ^ewhole souls yet ye would be ^funprofitable servants.
 22 And behold, all that he ^arequires of you is to ^bkeep his commandments; and he has ^cpromised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth ^dvary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do ^ekeep his ^fcommandments he doth bless you and prosper you.
 23 And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him.
 24 And secondly, he doth ^arequire that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately ^bbless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?
 25 And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were ^acreated of the ^bdust of the earth; but behold, it ^cbelongeth to him who created you.
 26 And I, even I, whom ye call your king, am ^ano better than ye yourselves are; for I am also of the dust. And ye behold that I am old, and am about to yield up this mortal frame to its mother earth.
 27 Therefore, as I said unto you that I had ^aserved you, ^bwalking with a clear conscience before God, even so I at this time have caused that ye should assemble yourselves together, that I might be found blameless, and that your ^cblood should not come upon me, when I shall stand to be judged of God of the things whereof he hath commanded me concerning you.
 28 I say unto you that I have caused that ye should assemble yourselves together that I might ^arid my garments of your blood, at this period of time when I am about to go down to my grave, that I might go down in peace, and my immortal ^bspirit may join the ^cchoirs above in singing the praises of a just God.
 29 And moreover, I say unto you that I have caused that ye should assemble yourselves together, that I might declare unto you that I can no longer be your teacher, nor your king;
 30 For even at this time, my whole frame doth tremble exceedingly while attempting to speak unto you; but the Lord God doth support me, and hath suffered me that I should speak unto you, and hath commanded me that I should declare unto you this day, that my son Mosiah is a ^aking and a ruler over you.
 31 And now, my brethren, I would that ye should do as ye have hitherto done. As ye have kept my commandments, and also the commandments of my father, and have prospered, and have been kept from falling into the hands of your enemies, even so if ye shall keep the commandments of my son, or the commandments of God which shall be delivered unto you by him, ye shall prosper in the land, and your enemies shall have no power over you.
 32 But, O my people, beware lest there shall arise ^acontentions among you, and ye ^blist to ^cobey the evil spirit, which was spoken of by my father Mosiah.
 33 For behold, there is a wo pronounced upon him who listeth to ^aobey that spirit; for if he listeth to obey him, and remaineth and dieth in his ^bsins , the same drinketh ^cdamnation to his own soul; for he receiveth for his wages an ^deverlasting ^epunishment , having transgressed the law of God contrary to his own knowledge.
 34 I say unto you, that there are not any among you, except it be your little children that have not been taught concerning these things, but what knoweth that ye are eternally ^aindebted to your heavenly Father, to render to him ^ball that you have and are; and also have been taught concerning the ^crecords which contain the prophecies which have been spoken by the holy prophets, even down to the time our father, Lehi, left Jerusalem;
 35 And also, all that has been spoken by our fathers until now. And behold, also, they spake that which was commanded them of the Lord; therefore, they are ^ajust and true.
 36 And now, I say unto you, my brethren, that after ye have known and have been taught all these things, if ye should transgress and go ^acontrary to that which has been spoken, that ye do ^bwithdraw yourselves from the Spirit of the Lord, that it may have no place in you to guide you in wisdom’s paths that ye may be blessed, prospered, and preserved—
 37 I say unto you, that the man that doeth this, the same cometh out in open ^arebellion against God; therefore he ^blisteth to obey the evil spirit, and becometh an enemy to all righteousness; therefore, the Lord has no place in him, for he dwelleth not in ^cunholy temples.
 38 Therefore if that man ^arepenteth not, and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine ^bjustice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own ^cguilt , which doth cause him to shrink from the ^dpresence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and ^epain , and ^fanguish , which is like an unquenchable ^gfire , whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever.
 39 And now I say unto you, that ^amercy hath no claim on that man; therefore his final doom is to endure a never-ending ^btorment .
 40 O, all ye ^aold men, and also ye young men, and you little children who can understand my words, for I have spoken plainly unto you that ye might understand, I pray that ye should awake to a ^bremembrance of the awful situation of those that have fallen into transgression.
 41 And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and ^ahappy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are ^bblessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out ^cfaithful to the end they are received into ^dheaven , that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

 1 AND again my brethren, I would call your attention, for I have somewhat more to speak unto you; for behold, I have things to tell you concerning that which is to come.
 2 And the things which I shall tell you are made known unto me by an ^aangel from God. And he said unto me: ^bAwake ; and I awoke, and behold he stood before me.
 3 And he said unto me: Awake, and hear the words which I shall tell thee; for behold, I am come to declare unto you the ^aglad tidings of great ^bjoy .
 4 For the Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath judged of thy ^arighteousness , and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be filled with joy.
 5 For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the ^aLord ^bOmnipotent who ^creigneth , who was, and is from all ^deternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a ^etabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty ^fmiracles , such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the ^gblind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases.
 6 And he shall cast out ^adevils , or the ^bevil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men.
 7 And lo, he shall ^asuffer ^btemptations , and pain of body, ^chunger , thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can ^dsuffer , except it be unto death; for behold, ^eblood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his ^fanguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.
 8 And he shall be called ^aJesus ^bChrist , the ^cSon of God, the ^dFather of heaven and earth, the ^eCreator of all things from the beginning; and his ^fmother shall be called Mary.
 9 And lo, he cometh unto his own, that ^asalvation might come unto the children of men even through ^bfaith on his name; and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a ^cdevil , and shall ^dscourge him, and shall ^ecrucify him.
 10 And he shall ^arise the ^bthird day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to ^cjudge the world; and behold, all these things are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men.
 11 For behold, and also his ^ablood ^batoneth for the sins of those who have ^cfallen by the transgression of Adam, who have died not knowing the ^dwill of God concerning them, or who have ^eignorantly sinned.
 12 But wo, wo unto him who knoweth that he ^arebelleth against God! For salvation cometh to none such except it be through repentance and faith on the ^bLord Jesus Christ.
 13 And the Lord God hath sent his holy ^aprophets among all the children of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue, that thereby whosoever should believe that Christ should come, the same might receive ^bremission of their sins, and rejoice with exceedingly great joy, even ^cas though he had already come among them.
 14 Yet the Lord God saw that his people were a ^astiffnecked people, and he appointed unto them a ^blaw , even the ^claw of Moses.
 15 And many signs, and wonders, and ^atypes , and shadows showed he unto them, concerning his coming; and also holy prophets spake unto them concerning his coming; and yet they ^bhardened their hearts, and understood not that the ^claw of Moses availeth nothing ^dexcept it were through the ^eatonement of his blood.
 16 And even if it were possible that little ^achildren could sin they could not be saved; but I say unto you they are ^bblessed ; for behold, as in Adam, or by nature, they fall, even so the blood of Christ ^catoneth for their sins.
 17 And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be ^ano other name given nor any other way nor means whereby ^bsalvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the ^cLord Omnipotent.
 18 For behold he judgeth, and his judgment is just; and the infant perisheth not that dieth in his infancy; but men drink ^adamnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and ^bbecome as little children, and believe that ^csalvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the ^datoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.
 19 For the ^anatural ^bman is an ^cenemy to God, and has been from the ^dfall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he ^eyields to the enticings of the Holy ^fSpirit , and ^gputteth off the ^hnatural man and becometh a ⁱsaint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a ^jchild , ^ksubmissive , meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.
 20 And moreover, I say unto you, that the time shall come when the ^aknowledge of a ^bSavior shall spread throughout ^cevery nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
 21 And behold, when that time cometh, none shall be found ^ablameless before God, except it be little children, only through repentance and faith on the name of the Lord God Omnipotent.
 22 And even at this time, when thou shalt have taught thy people the things which the Lord thy God hath commanded thee, even then are they found no more blameless in the sight of God, only according to the words which I have spoken unto thee.
 23 And now I have spoken the words which the Lord God hath commanded me.
 24 And thus saith the Lord: They shall stand as a bright testimony against this people, at the judgment day; whereof they shall be judged, every man according to his ^aworks , whether they be good, or whether they be evil.
 25 And if they be evil they are consigned to an awful ^aview of their own guilt and abominations, which doth cause them to shrink from the presence of the Lord into a state of ^bmisery and ^cendless torment, from whence they can no more return; therefore they have drunk damnation to their own souls.
 26 Therefore, they have drunk out of the ^acup of the wrath of God, which justice could no more deny unto them than it could deny that ^bAdam should fall because of his partaking of the forbidden ^cfruit ; therefore, ^dmercy could have claim on them no more forever.
 27 And their ^atorment is as a ^blake of fire and brimstone, whose flames are unquenchable, and whose smoke ascendeth up ^cforever and ever. Thus hath the Lord commanded me. Amen.

 1 AND now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words which had been delivered unto him by the ^aangel of the Lord, that he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold they had ^bfallen to the earth, for the ^cfear of the Lord had come upon them.
 2 And they had ^aviewed themselves in their own ^bcarnal state, even ^cless than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the ^datoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be ^epurified ; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who ^fcreated heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.
 3 And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a ^aremission of their sins, and having peace of ^bconscience , because of the exceeding ^cfaith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the ^dwords which king Benjamin had spoken unto them.
 4 And king Benjamin again opened his mouth and began to speak unto them, saying: My friends and my brethren, my kindred and my people, I would again call your attention, that ye may hear and understand the remainder of my words which I shall speak unto you.
 5 For behold, if the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time has awakened you to a sense of your ^anothingness , and your worthless and fallen state—
 6 I say unto you, if ye have come to a ^aknowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the ^batonement which has been prepared from the ^cfoundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his ^dtrust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body—
 7 I say, that this is the man who receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world for all mankind, which ever were since the ^afall of Adam, or who are, or who ever shall be, even unto the end of the world.
 8 And this is the means whereby salvation cometh. And there is ^anone other salvation save this which hath been spoken of; neither are there any conditions whereby man can be saved except the conditions which I have told you.
 9 Believe in ^aGod ; believe that he is, and that he ^bcreated all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all ^cwisdom , and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not ^dcomprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.
 10 And again, believe that ye must ^arepent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in ^bsincerity of heart that he would ^cforgive you; and now, if you ^dbelieve all these things see that ye ^edo them.
 11 And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have ^atasted of his love, and have received a ^bremission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own ^cnothingness , and his ^dgoodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of ^ehumility , ^fcalling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing ^gsteadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.
 12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the ^alove of God, and always ^bretain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the ^cknowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.
 13 And ye will not have a ^amind to injure one another, but to live ^bpeaceably , and to render to every man according to that which is his due.
 14 And ye will not suffer your ^achildren that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye ^bsuffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and ^cquarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the ^devil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness.
 15 But ye will ^ateach them to ^bwalk in the ways of truth and ^csoberness ; ye will teach them to ^dlove one another, and to serve one another.
 16 And also, ye yourselves will ^asuccor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the ^bbeggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.
 17 Perhaps thou shalt ^asay : The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—
 18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.
 19 For behold, are we not all ^abeggars ? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?
 20 And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a ^aremission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his ^bSpirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with ^cjoy , and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.
 21 And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to ^aimpart of the substance that ye have one to another.
 22 And if ye ^ajudge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your ^bcondemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life ^cbelongeth ; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done.
 23 I say unto you, wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him; and now, I say these things unto those who are ^arich as pertaining to the things of this world.
 24 And again, I say unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I ^agive not because I ^bhave not, but if I had I would ^cgive .
 25 And now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are ^acondemned ; and your condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received.
 26 And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may ^awalk guiltless before God—I would that ye should ^bimpart of your substance to the ^cpoor , every man according to that which he hath, such as ^dfeeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.
 27 And see that all these things are done in wisdom and ^aorder ; for it is not requisite that a man should run ^bfaster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
 28 And I would that ye should remember, that whosoever among you ^aborroweth of his neighbor should return the thing that he borroweth, according as he doth agree, or else thou shalt commit sin; and perhaps thou shalt cause thy neighbor to commit sin also.
 29 And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them.
 30 But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not ^awatch yourselves, and your ^bthoughts , and your ^cwords , and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and ^dcontinue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.

 1 AND now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had thus spoken to his people, he sent among them, desiring to know of his people if they ^abelieved the words which he had spoken unto them.
 2 And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty ^achange in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do ^bevil , but to do good continually.
 3 And we, ourselves, also, through the infinite ^agoodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit, have great views of that which is to come; and were it expedient, we could prophesy of all things.
 4 And it is the faith which we have had on the things which our king has spoken unto us that has brought us to this great knowledge, whereby we do rejoice with such exceedingly great joy.
 5 And we are willing to enter into a ^acovenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a ^bnever -ending torment, as has been spoken by the ^cangel , that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of God.
 6 And now, these are the words which king Benjamin desired of them; and therefore he said unto them: Ye have spoken the words that I desired; and the covenant which ye have made is a righteous covenant.
 7 And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the ^achildren of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are ^bchanged through faith on his name; therefore, ye are ^cborn of him and have become his ^dsons and his daughters.
 8 And under this head ye are made ^afree , and there is ^bno other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other ^cname given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.
 9 And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ.
 10 And now it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall not take upon him the name of Christ must be called by some ^aother name; therefore, he findeth himself on the ^bleft hand of God.
 11 And I would that ye should remember also, that this is the ^aname that I said I should give unto you that never should be blotted out, except it be through transgression; therefore, take heed that ye do not transgress, that the name be not blotted out of your hearts.
 12 I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to ^aretain the name written always in your hearts, that ye are not found on the left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you.
 13 For how ^aknoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?
 14 And again, doth a man take an ass which belongeth to his neighbor, and keep him? I say unto you, Nay; he will not even suffer that he shall feed among his flocks, but will drive him away, and cast him out. I say unto you, that even so shall it be among you if ye know not the name by which ye are called.
 15 Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in ^agood works, that Christ, the ^bLord God Omnipotent, may ^cseal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who ^dcreated all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen.

 1 AND now, king Benjamin thought it was expedient, after having finished speaking to the people, that he should ^atake the names of all those who had entered into a covenant with God to keep his commandments.
 2 And it came to pass that there was not one soul, except it were little children, but who had entered into the covenant and had taken upon them the name of Christ.
 3 And again, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of all these things, and had consecrated his son ^aMosiah to be a ruler and a king over his people, and had given him all the charges concerning the kingdom, and also had ^bappointed ^cpriests to ^dteach the people, that thereby they might hear and know the commandments of God, and to stir them up in remembrance of the ^eoath which they had made, he dismissed the multitude, and they returned, every one, according to their ^ffamilies , to their own houses.
 4 And Mosiah began to reign in his father’s stead. *And he began to reign in the thirtieth year of his age, making in the whole, about four hundred and seventy-six years from the ^atime that Lehi left Jerusalem.
 5 And king Benjamin lived three *years and he died.
 6 And it came to pass that king Mosiah did ^awalk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe his judgments and his statutes, and did keep his commandments in all things whatsoever he commanded him.
 7 And king Mosiah did cause his people that they should till the earth. And he also, himself, did till the earth, that thereby he might ^anot become burdensome to his people, that he might do according to that which his father had done in all things. And there was no contention among all his people for the space of three years.

* Verse 4  [About 124 B.C.]; Verse 5  [About 121 B.C.].

 1 AND now, it came to pass that after king Mosiah had had continual peace for the space of three years, he was desirous to know concerning the people who ^awent up to dwell in the land of ^bLehi -Nephi, or in the city of Lehi-Nephi; for his people had heard nothing from them from the time they left the land of ^cZarahemla ; therefore, they wearied him with their teasings.
 2 And it came to pass that *king Mosiah granted that sixteen of their strong men might go up to the land of Lehi-Nephi, to inquire concerning their brethren.
 3 And it came to pass that on the morrow they started to go up, having with them one ^aAmmon , he being a strong and mighty man, and a ^bdescendant of Zarahemla; and he was also their leader.
 4 And now, they knew not the course they should travel in the wilderness to go up to the land of Lehi-Nephi; therefore they wandered many days in the wilderness, even ^aforty days did they wander.
 5 And when they had wandered forty days they came to a ^ahill , which is north of the land of ^bShilom , and there they pitched their tents.
 6 And ^aAmmon took three of his brethren, and their names were Amaleki, Helem, and Hem, and they went down into the land of ^bNephi .
 7 And behold, they met the king of the people who were in the land of Nephi, and in the land of ^aShilom ; and they were surrounded by the king’s guard, and were ^btaken , and were ^cbound , and were committed to ^dprison .
 8 And it came to pass when they had been in prison two days they were again brought before the king, and their bands were loosed; and they stood before the king, and were permitted, or rather ^acommanded , that they should answer the questions which he should ask them.
 9 And he said unto them: Behold, I am ^aLimhi , the son of Noah, who was the son of Zeniff, who came up out of the ^bland of Zarahemla to inherit this land, which was the land of their fathers, who was made a ^cking by the ^dvoice of the people.
 10 And now, ^aI desire to know the cause whereby ye were so bold as to come near the walls of the city, when I, myself, was with my guards without the ^bgate ?
 11 And now, for this cause have I suffered that ye should be preserved, that I might inquire of you, or else I should have caused that my guards should have put you to death. Ye are permitted to speak.
 12 And now, when Ammon saw that he was permitted to speak, he went forth and ^abowed himself before the king; and rising again he said: O king, I am very thankful before God this day that I am yet alive, and am permitted to speak; and I will endeavor to speak with boldness;
 13 For I am assured that if ye had known me ye would not have suffered that I should have worn these bands. For I am Ammon, and am a ^adescendant of Zarahemla, and have come up out of the ^bland of Zarahemla to inquire concerning our brethren, whom ^cZeniff brought up out of that land.
 14 And now, it came to pass that after Limhi had heard the words of Ammon, he was exceedingly ^aglad , and said: Now, I know of a surety that my brethren who were in the land of Zarahemla are ^byet alive. And now, I will rejoice; and on the morrow I will cause that my people shall rejoice also.
 15 For behold, we are in bondage to the Lamanites, and are ^ataxed with a tax which is grievous to be borne. And now, behold, our brethren will deliver us out of our ^bbondage , or out of the hands of the Lamanites, and we will be their ^cslaves ; for it is better that we be slaves to the Nephites than to pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites.
 16 And now, king Limhi commanded his guards that they should no more bind Ammon nor his brethren, but caused that they should go to the hill which was north of Shilom, and bring their brethren into the city, that thereby they might eat, and drink, and rest themselves from the labors of their journey; for they had suffered many things; they had suffered hunger, thirst, and fatigue.
 17 And now, it came to pass on the morrow that king Limhi sent a proclamation among all his people, that thereby they might gather themselves together to the ^atemple , to hear the words which he should speak unto them.
 18 And it came to pass that when they had gathered themselves together that he ^aspake unto them in this wise, saying: O ye, my people, lift up your heads and be comforted; for behold, the time is at hand, or is not far distant, when we shall no longer be in subjection to our enemies, notwithstanding our many strugglings, which have been in vain; yet I trust there ^bremaineth an effectual struggle to be made.
 19 Therefore, lift up your heads, and rejoice, and put your ^atrust in ^bGod , in that God who was the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; and also, that God who ^cbrought the children of ^dIsrael out of the land of Egypt, and caused that they should walk through the Red ^eSea on dry ground, and fed them with ^fmanna that they might not perish in the wilderness; and many more things did he do for them.
 20 And again, that same God has brought our fathers ^aout of the land of Jerusalem, and has kept and preserved his people even until now; and behold, it is ^bbecause of our iniquities and abominations that he has brought us into bondage.
 21 And ye all are witnesses this day, that Zeniff, who was made king over this people, he being ^aover -zealous to inherit the land of his fathers, therefore being deceived by the cunning and craftiness of king Laman, who having entered into a treaty with king Zeniff, and having yielded up into his hands the possessions of a part of the land, or even the city of Lehi-Nephi, and the city of Shilom; and the land round about—
 22 And all this he did, for the sole purpose of ^abringing this people into subjection or into bondage. And behold, we at this time do pay ^btribute to the king of the Lamanites, to the amount of one half of our corn, and our barley, and even all our grain of every kind, and one half of the increase of our flocks and our herds; and even one half of all we have or possess the king of the Lamanites doth exact of us, or our lives.
 23 And now, is not this grievous to be borne? And is not this, our affliction, great? Now behold, how great reason we have to ^amourn .
 24 Yea, I say unto you, great are the reasons which we have to ^amourn ; for behold how many of our brethren have been slain, and their blood has been spilt in vain, and all because of iniquity.
 25 For if this people had not fallen into transgression the Lord would not have suffered that this great evil should come upon them. But behold, they would not hearken unto his words; but there arose contentions among them, even so much that they did shed blood among themselves.
 26 And a ^aprophet of the Lord have they ^bslain ; yea, a chosen man of God, who told them of their wickedness and abominations, and prophesied of many things which are to come, yea, even the coming of Christ.
 27 And because he said unto them that Christ was the ^aGod , the Father of all things, and said that he should take upon him the ^bimage of man, and it should be the ^cimage after which man was created in the beginning; or in other words, he said that man was created after the image of ^dGod , and that God should come down among the children of men, and take upon him flesh and blood, and go forth upon the face of the earth—
 28 And now, because he said this, they did ^aput him to death; and many more things did they do which brought down the wrath of God upon them. Therefore, who wondereth that they are in bondage, and that they are smitten with sore afflictions?
 29 For behold, the Lord hath said: I will not ^asuccor my people in the day of their transgression; but I will hedge up their ways that they prosper not; and their doings shall be as a ^bstumbling block before them.
 30 And again, he saith: If my people shall sow ^afilthiness they shall ^breap the ^cchaff thereof in the whirlwind; and the effect thereof is poison.
 31 And again he saith: If my people shall sow filthiness they shall reap the ^aeast wind, which bringeth immediate destruction.
 32 And now, behold, the promise of the Lord is fulfilled, and ye are smitten and afflicted.
 33 But if ye will ^aturn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all ^bdiligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage.

* Verse 2  [About 121 B.C.].

 1 AND it came to pass that after king Limhi had made an end of ^aspeaking to his people, for he spake many things unto them and only a few of them have I written in this book, he told his people all the things concerning their brethren who were in the land of Zarahemla.
 2 And he caused that Ammon should stand up before the multitude, and rehearse unto them all that had happened unto their brethren from the time that ^aZeniff went up out of the land even until the time that he ^bhimself came up out of the land.
 3 And he also rehearsed unto them the last words which king Benjamin had ^ataught them, and explained them to the people of king Limhi, so that they might understand all the words which he spake.
 4 And it came to pass that after he had done all this, that king Limhi dismissed the multitude, and caused that they should return every one unto his own house.
 5 And it came to pass that he caused that the ^aplates which contained the ^brecord of his people from the time that they left the ^cland of Zarahemla, should be brought before Ammon, that he might read them.
 6 Now, as soon as Ammon had read the record, the king inquired of him to know if he could ^ainterpret languages, and Ammon told him that he could not.
 7 And the king said unto him: Being grieved for the afflictions of my people, I caused that ^aforty and three of my people should take a journey into the wilderness, that thereby they might find the land of Zarahemla, that we might appeal unto our brethren to deliver us out of bondage.
 8 And they were lost in the wilderness for the space of ^amany days, yet they were diligent, and found not the land of Zarahemla but returned to this land, having traveled in a land among many waters, having discovered a land which was covered with ^bbones of men, and of beasts, and was also covered with ruins of buildings of every kind, having discovered a land which had been peopled with a people who were as numerous as the hosts of Israel.
 9 And for a testimony that the things that they had said are true they have brought ^atwenty -four plates which are filled with engravings, and they are of pure gold.
 10 And behold, also, they have brought ^abreastplates , which are large, and they are of ^bbrass and of copper, and are perfectly sound.
 11 And again, they have brought swords, the hilts thereof have perished, and the blades thereof were cankered with rust; and there is no one in the land that is able to interpret the language or the engravings that are on the plates. Therefore I said unto thee: Canst thou translate?
 12 And I say unto thee again: Knowest thou of any one that can translate? For I am desirous that these records should be translated into our language; for, perhaps, they will give us a knowledge of a remnant of the people who have been destroyed, from whence these records came; or, perhaps, they will give us a knowledge of this very people who have been destroyed; and I am desirous to know the cause of their destruction.
 13 Now Ammon said unto him: I can assuredly tell thee, O king, of a man that can ^atranslate the records; for he has wherewith that he can look, and translate all records that are of ancient date; and it is a gift from God. And the things are called ^binterpreters , and no man can look in them except he be commanded, lest he should look for that he ought not and he should perish. And whosoever is commanded to look in them, the same is called ^cseer .
 14 And behold, the king of the people who are in the land of Zarahemla is the man that is commanded to do these things, and who has this high gift from God.
 15 And the king said that a ^aseer is greater than a prophet.
 16 And Ammon said that a seer is a revelator and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him from God.
 17 But a seer can know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or, rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known.
 18 Thus God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings.
 19 And now, when Ammon had made an end of speaking these words the king rejoiced exceedingly, and gave thanks to God, saying: Doubtless a ^agreat mystery is contained within these plates, and these interpreters were doubtless prepared for the purpose of unfolding all such mysteries to the children of men.
 20 O how marvelous are the works of the Lord, and how long doth he suffer with his people; yea, and how ^ablind and impenetrable are the understandings of the children of men; for they will not seek wisdom, neither do they desire that she should rule over them!
 21 Yea, they are as a wild flock which fleeth from the shepherd, and scattereth, and are driven, and are devoured by the beasts of the forest.

 1 ^aI, ^bZeniff , having been taught in all the language of the Nephites, and having had a knowledge of the land of ^cNephi , or of the land of our fathers’ first inheritance, *and having been sent as a spy among the Lamanites that I might spy out their forces, that our army might come upon them and destroy them—but when I saw that which was good among them I was desirous that they should not be destroyed.
 2 Therefore, I contended with my brethren in the wilderness, for I would that our ruler should make a treaty with them; but he being an austere and a blood-thirsty man commanded that I should be slain; but I was rescued by the shedding of much blood; for father fought against father, and brother against brother, until the greater number of our army was destroyed in the wilderness; and we returned, those of us that were spared, to the land of Zarahemla, to relate that tale to their wives and their children.
 3 And yet, I being ^aover -zealous to inherit the land of our fathers, collected as many as were desirous to go up to possess the land, and started again on our ^bjourney into the wilderness to go up to the land; but we were smitten with famine and sore afflictions; for we were slow to remember the Lord our God.
 4 Nevertheless, after many days’ wandering in the wilderness we pitched our tents in the place where our brethren were slain, which was near to the land of our fathers.
 5 And it came to pass that I went again with four of my men into the city, in unto the king, that I might know of the disposition of the king, and that I might know if I might go in with my people and possess the land in peace.
 6 And I went in unto the king, and he covenanted with me that I might possess the ^aland of Lehi-Nephi, and the land of Shilom.
 7 And he also commanded that his people should depart out of the land, and I and my people went into the land that we might possess it.
 8 And we began to build buildings, and to repair the walls of the city, yea, even the walls of the city of Lehi-Nephi, and the city of Shilom.
 9 And we began to till the ground, yea, even with all manner of ^aseeds , with seeds of corn, and of wheat, and of barley, and with neas, and with sheum, and with seeds of all manner of fruits; and we did begin to multiply and prosper in the land.
 10 Now it was the cunning and the craftiness of king ^aLaman , to ^bbring my people into bondage, that he yielded up the land that we might possess it.
 11 Therefore it came to pass, that after we had dwelt in the land for the space of *twelve years that king Laman began to grow uneasy, lest by any means my people should ^awax strong in the land, and that they could not overpower them and bring them into bondage.
 12 Now they were a ^alazy and an ^bidolatrous people; therefore they were desirous to bring us into bondage, that they might glut themselves with the labors of our hands; yea, that they might feast themselves upon the flocks of our fields.
 13 Therefore it came to pass that king Laman began to stir up his people that they should contend with my people; therefore there began to be wars and contentions in the land.
 14 For, in the *thirteenth year of my reign in the land of Nephi, away on the south of the land of ^aShilom , when my people were watering and ^bfeeding their flocks, and tilling their lands, a numerous host of Lamanites came upon them and began to slay them, and to take off their flocks, and the corn of their fields.
 15 Yea, and it came to pass that they fled, all that were not overtaken, even into the city of Nephi, and did call upon me for protection.
 16 And it came to pass that I did arm them with bows, and with arrows, with swords, and with cimeters, and with clubs, and with slings, and with all manner of weapons which we could invent, and I and my people did go forth against the Lamanites to battle.
 17 Yea, in the ^astrength of the Lord did we go forth to battle against the Lamanites; for I and my people did cry mightily to the Lord that he would ^bdeliver us out of the hands of our enemies, for we were awakened to a remembrance of the deliverance of our fathers.
 18 And God did ^ahear our cries and did answer our prayers; and we did go forth in his might; yea, we did go forth against the Lamanites, and in one day and a night we did slay three thousand and forty-three; we did slay them even until we had driven them out of our land.
 19 And I, myself, with mine own hands, did help to bury their dead. And behold, to our great sorrow and lamentation, two hundred and seventy-nine of our brethren were slain.

* Verse 1  [About 200 B.C.]; Verse 11  [About 188 B.C.]; Verse 14  [About 187 B.C.].

 1 AND it came to pass that we again began to establish the kingdom and we again began to possess the land in peace. And I caused that there should be ^aweapons of war made of every kind, that thereby I might have weapons for my people against the time the Lamanites should come up again to war against my people.
 2 And I set guards round about the land, that the Lamanites might not come upon us again unawares and destroy us; and thus I did guard my people and my flocks, and keep them from falling into the hands of our enemies.
 3 And it came to pass that we did inherit the land of our fathers for many years, yea, *for the space of twenty and two years.
 4 And I did cause that the men should till the ground, and raise all manner of ^agrain and all manner of fruit of every kind.
 5 And I did cause that the women should spin, and toil, and work, and work all manner of fine linen, yea, and ^acloth of every kind, that we might clothe our nakedness; and thus we did prosper in the land—thus we did have continual peace in the land for the space of twenty and two years.
 6 And it came to pass that king ^aLaman died, and his son began to reign in his stead. And he began to stir his people up in rebellion against my people; therefore they began to prepare for war, and to come up to battle against my people.
 7 But I had sent my spies out round about the land of ^aShemlon , that I might discover their preparations, that I might guard against them, that they might not come upon my people and destroy them.
 8 And it came to pass that they came up upon the north of the land of Shilom, with their numerous hosts, men ^aarmed with ^bbows , and with arrows, and with swords, and with cimeters, and with stones, and with slings; and they had their heads shaved that they were naked; and they were girded with a leathern girdle about their loins.
 9 And it came to pass that I caused that the women and children of my people should be hid in the wilderness; and I also caused that all my old men that could bear arms, and also all my young men that were able to bear arms, should gather themselves together to go to battle against the Lamanites; and I did place them in their ranks, every man according to his age.
 10 And it came to pass that we did go up to battle against the Lamanites; and I, even I, in my old age, did go up to battle against the Lamanites. And it came to pass that we did go up in the ^astrength of the Lord to battle.
 11 Now, the Lamanites knew nothing concerning the Lord, nor the strength of the Lord, therefore they depended upon their own strength. Yet they were a strong people, as to the ^astrength of men.
 12 They were a ^awild , and ferocious, and a blood-thirsty people, believing in the ^btradition of their fathers, which is this—Believing that they were driven out of the land of Jerusalem because of the iniquities of their fathers, and that they were ^cwronged in the wilderness by their brethren, and they were also wronged while crossing the sea;
 13 And again, that they were wronged while in the land of their ^afirst inheritance, after they had crossed the sea, and all this because that Nephi was more faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord—therefore ^bhe was favored of the Lord, for the Lord heard his prayers and answered them, and he took the lead of their journey in the wilderness.
 14 And his brethren were ^awroth with him because they ^bunderstood not the dealings of the Lord; they were also wroth with him upon the waters because they hardened their hearts against the Lord.
 15 And again, they were ^awroth with him when they had arrived in the promised land, because they said that he had taken the ^bruling of the people out of their hands; and they sought to kill him.
 16 And again, they were wroth with him because he departed into the wilderness as the Lord had commanded him, and took the ^arecords which were engraven on the plates of brass, for they said that he ^brobbed them.
 17 And thus they have taught their children that they should hate them, and that they should murder them, and that they should rob and plunder them, and do all they could to destroy them; therefore they have an eternal hatred towards the children of Nephi.
 18 For this very cause has king Laman, by his ^acunning , and lying craftiness, and his fair promises, deceived me, that I have brought this my people up into this land, that they may destroy them; yea, and we have suffered these many years in the land.
 19 And now I, Zeniff, after having told all these things unto my people concerning the Lamanites, I did stimulate them to go to battle with their might, putting their trust in the Lord; therefore, we did contend with them, face to face.
 20 And it came to pass that we did drive them again out of our land; and we slew them with a great slaughter, even so many that we did not number them.
 21 And it came to pass that we returned again to our own land, and my people again began to ^atend their flocks, and to till their ground.
 22 And now I, being old, *did confer the kingdom upon one of my sons; therefore, I say no more. And may the Lord ^abless my people. Amen.

* Verse 3  [About 178 B.C.]; Verse 22  [Probably about 160 B.C.].

 1 AND now it came to pass that Zeniff conferred the kingdom upon Noah, one of his sons; therefore Noah began to reign in his stead; and he did not walk in the ways of his father.
 2 For behold, he did not keep the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart. And he had many wives and ^aconcubines . And he did ^bcause his people to commit sin, and do that which was ^cabominable in the sight of the Lord. Yea, and they did commit ^dwhoredoms and ^eall manner of wickedness.
 3 And he laid a ^atax of one fifth part of all they possessed, a fifth part of their gold and of their silver, and a fifth part of their ^bziff , and of their copper, and of their brass and their iron; and a fifth part of their fatlings; and also a fifth part of all their grain.
 4 And all this did he take to ^asupport himself, and his wives and his ^bconcubines ; and also his priests, and their wives and their concubines; thus he had changed the affairs of the kingdom.
 5 For he put down all the priests that had been consecrated by his father, and consecrated new ^aones in their stead, such as were lifted up in the pride of their hearts.
 6 Yea, and thus they were supported in their laziness, and in their idolatry, and in their whoredoms, by the taxes which king Noah had put upon his people; thus did the people labor exceedingly to support iniquity.
 7 Yea, and they also became idolatrous, because they were deceived by the vain and flattering words of the king and priests; for they did speak flattering things unto them.
 8 And it came to pass that king Noah built many elegant and spacious buildings; and he ornamented them with fine work of wood, and of all manner of ^aprecious things, of gold, and of silver, and of iron, and of brass, and of ziff, and of copper;
 9 And he also built him a spacious palace, and a throne in the midst thereof, all of which was of fine wood and was ornamented with gold and silver and with precious things.
 10 And he also caused that his workmen should work all manner of fine work within the walls of the ^atemple , of fine wood, and of copper, and of brass.
 11 And the seats which were set apart for the ^ahigh priests, which were above all the other seats, he did ornament with pure gold; and he caused a breastwork to be built before them, that they might rest their bodies and their arms upon while they should speak lying and vain words to his people.
 12 And it came to pass that he built a ^atower near the temple; yea, a very high tower, even so high that he could stand upon the top thereof and overlook the land of ^bShilom , and also the land of ^cShemlon , which was possessed by the Lamanites; and he could even look over all the land round about.
 13 And it came to pass that he caused many buildings to be built in the land Shilom; and he caused a great tower to be built on the ^ahill north of the land Shilom, which had been a resort for the children of Nephi at the time they ^bfled out of the land; and thus he did do with the riches which he obtained by the taxation of his people.
 14 And it came to pass that he placed his heart upon his riches, and he spent his time in ^ariotous living with his wives and his concubines; and so did also his priests spend their time with harlots.
 15 And it came to pass that he planted vineyards round about in the land; and he built wine-presses, and made ^awine in abundance; and therefore he became a wine-bibber, and also his people.
 16 And it came to pass that the Lamanites began to come in upon his people, upon small numbers, and to slay them in their fields, and while they were tending their flocks.
 17 And king Noah sent guards round about the land to keep them off; but he did not send a sufficient number, and the Lamanites came upon them and killed them, and drove many of their flocks out of the land; thus the Lamanites began to destroy them, and to exercise their hatred upon them.
 18 And it came to pass that king Noah sent his armies against them, and they were driven back, or they drove them back for a time; therefore, they returned rejoicing in their spoil.
 19 And now, because of this great victory they were lifted up in the pride of their hearts; they did ^aboast in their own strength, saying that their fifty could stand against thousands of the Lamanites; and thus they did boast, and did delight in blood, and the shedding of the blood of their brethren, and this because of the wickedness of their king and priests.
 20 And it came to pass that there was a man among them whose name was ^aAbinadi ; *and he went forth among them, and began to prophesy, saying: Behold, thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he commanded me, saying, Go forth, and say unto this people, thus saith the Lord—Wo be unto this people, for I have seen their abominations, and their wickedness, and their whoredoms; and except they repent I will ^bvisit them in mine anger.
 21 And except they repent and turn to the Lord their God, behold, I will deliver them into the hands of their enemies; yea, and they shall be brought into ^abondage ; and they shall be afflicted by the hand of their enemies.
 22 And it shall come to pass that they shall ^aknow that I am the Lord their God, and am a ^bjealous God, visiting the iniquities of my people.
 23 And it shall come to pass that except this people repent and turn unto the Lord their God, they shall be brought into bondage; and none shall ^adeliver them, except it be the Lord the Almighty God.
 24 Yea, and it shall come to pass that when they shall ^acry unto me I will be ^bslow to hear their cries; yea, and I will suffer them that they be smitten by their enemies.
 25 And except they repent in ^asackcloth and ashes, and cry mightily to the Lord their God, I will not ^bhear their prayers, neither will I deliver them out of their afflictions; and thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he commanded me.
 26 Now it came to pass that when Abinadi had spoken these words unto them they were wroth with him, and sought to take away his life; but the Lord ^adelivered him out of their hands.
 27 Now when king Noah had heard of the words which Abinadi had spoken unto the people, he was also wroth; and he said: ^aWho is Abinadi, that I and my people should be judged of him, or ^bwho is the Lord, that shall bring upon my people such great affliction?
 28 I command you to bring Abinadi hither, that I may slay him, for he has said these things that he might ^astir up my people to anger one with another, and to raise contentions among my people; therefore I will slay him.
 29 Now the eyes of the people were ^ablinded ; therefore they ^bhardened their hearts against the words of Abinadi, and they sought from that time forward to take him. And king Noah hardened his heart against the word of the Lord, and he did not repent of his evil doings.

* Verse 20  [About 150 B.C.].

 1 AND it came to pass that *after the space of two years that Abinadi came among them in disguise, that they knew him not, and began to ^aprophesy among them, saying: Thus has the Lord commanded me, saying—Abinadi, go and prophesy unto this my people, for they have hardened their hearts against my words; they have repented not of their evil doings; therefore, I will ^bvisit them in my anger, yea, in my fierce anger will I visit them in their iniquities and abominations.
 2 Yea, wo be unto this generation! And the Lord said unto me: Stretch forth thy hand and prophesy, saying: Thus saith the Lord, it shall come to pass that this generation, because of their iniquities, shall be brought into ^abondage , and shall be smitten on the ^bcheek ; yea, and shall be driven by men, and shall be slain; and the vultures of the air, and the dogs, yea, and the wild beasts, shall devour their ^cflesh .
 3 And it shall come to pass that the ^alife of king Noah shall be valued even as a garment in a hot ^bfurnace ; for he shall know that I am the Lord.
 4 And it shall come to pass that I will smite this my people with sore afflictions, yea, with famine and with ^apestilence ; and I will cause that they shall ^bhowl all the day long.
 5 Yea, and I will cause that they shall have ^aburdens lashed upon their backs; and they shall be driven before like a dumb ass.
 6 And it shall come to pass that I will send forth ^ahail among them, and it shall smite them; and they shall also be smitten with the ^beast wind; and ^cinsects shall pester their land also, and devour their grain.
 7 And they shall be smitten with a great pestilence—and all this will I do because of their ^ainiquities and abominations.
 8 And it shall come to pass that except they repent I will utterly ^adestroy them from off the face of the earth; yet they shall leave a ^brecord behind them, and I will preserve them for other nations which shall possess the land; yea, even this will I do that I may discover the abominations of this people to other nations. And many things did Abinadi prophesy against this people.
 9 And it came to pass that they were angry with him; and they took him and carried him bound before the king, and said unto the king: Behold, we have brought a man before thee who has prophesied evil concerning thy people, and saith that God will destroy them.
 10 And he also prophesieth evil concerning thy ^alife , and saith that thy life shall be as a garment in a furnace of fire.
 11 And again, he saith that thou shalt be as a stalk, even as a dry stalk of the field, which is run over by the beasts and trodden under foot.
 12 And again, he saith thou shalt be as the blossoms of a thistle, which, when it is fully ripe, if the wind bloweth, it is driven forth upon the face of the land. And he pretendeth the Lord hath spoken it. And he saith all this shall come upon thee except thou repent, and this because of thine iniquities.
 13 And now, O king, what great evil hast thou done, or what great sins have thy people committed, that we should be ^acondemned of God or judged of this man?
 14 And now, O king, behold, we are ^aguiltless , and thou, O king, hast not sinned; therefore, this man has ^blied concerning you, and he has prophesied in vain.
 15 And behold, we are strong, we shall not come into bondage, or be taken captive by our enemies; yea, and thou hast prospered in the land, and thou shalt also prosper.
 16 Behold, here is the man, we deliver him into thy hands; thou mayest do with him as seemeth thee good.
 17 And it came to pass that king Noah caused that Abinadi should be cast into prison; and he commanded that the ^apriests should gather themselves together that he might hold a council with them what he should do with him.
 18 And it came to pass that they said unto the king: Bring him hither that we may question him; and the king commanded that he should be brought before them.
 19 And they began to question him, that they might cross him, that thereby they might have wherewith to ^aaccuse him; but he answered them boldly, and withstood all their questions, yea, to their astonishment; for he did ^bwithstand them in all their questions, and did confound them in all their words.
 20 And it came to pass that one of them said unto him: ^aWhat meaneth the words which are written, and which have been taught by our fathers, saying:
 21 ^aHow beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him ^bthat bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth;
 22 ^aThy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion;
 23 Break forth into joy; sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem;
 24 The Lord hath made bare his holy ^aarm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God?
 25 And now Abinadi said unto them: Are you ^apriests , and pretend to teach this people, and to understand the spirit of prophesying, and yet desire to know of me what these things mean?
 26 I say unto you, wo be unto you for perverting the ways of the Lord! For if ye understand these things ye have not taught them; therefore, ye have perverted the ways of the Lord.
 27 Ye have not applied your ^ahearts to ^bunderstanding ; therefore, ye have not been wise. Therefore, what teach ye this people?
 28 And they said: We teach the law of Moses.
 29 And again he said unto them: If ye teach the ^alaw of Moses why do ye not keep it? Why do ye set your hearts upon ^briches ? Why do ye commit whoredoms and ^cspend your strength with harlots, yea, and cause this people to commit sin, that the Lord has cause to send me to prophesy against this people, yea, even a great evil against this people?
 30 Know ye not that I speak the ^atruth ? Yea, ye know that I speak the truth; and you ought to tremble before God.
 31 And it shall come to pass that ye shall be smitten for your iniquities, for ye have said that ye teach the law of Moses. And what know ye concerning the law of Moses? ^aDoth salvation come by the law of Moses? What say ye?
 32 And they answered and said that salvation did come by the law of Moses.
 33 But now Abinadi said unto them: I know if ye ^akeep the commandments of God ye shall be saved; yea, if ye keep the commandments which the Lord delivered unto Moses in the mount of ^bSinai , saying:
 34 ^aI am the Lord thy God, who hath ^bbrought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
 35 Thou shalt have no ^aother God before me.
 36 ^aThou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing in heaven above, or things which are in the earth beneath.
 37 Now Abinadi said unto them, Have ye done all this? I say unto you, Nay, ye have not. And have ye ^ataught this people that they should do all these things? I say unto you, Nay, ye have not.

* Verse 1  [About 148 B.C.].

 1 AND now when the king had heard these words, he said unto his priests: Away with this fellow, and slay him; for what have we to do with him, for he is ^amad .
 2 And they stood forth and attempted to lay their hands on him; but he withstood them, and said unto them:
 3 ^aTouch me not, for God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me, for I have not delivered the message which the Lord sent me to deliver; neither have I told you that which ye ^brequested that I should tell; therefore, God will not suffer that I shall be destroyed at this time.
 4 But I must fulfil the commandments wherewith God has commanded me; and because I have told you the truth ye are angry with me. And again, because I have spoken the word of God ye have judged me that I am mad.
 5 Now it came to pass after Abinadi had spoken these words that the people of king Noah durst not lay their hands on him, for the Spirit of the Lord was upon him; and his face ^ashone with exceeding luster, even as Moses’ did while in the mount of Sinai, while speaking with the Lord.
 6 And he spake with ^apower and authority from God; and he continued his words, saying:
 7 Ye see that ye have not power to slay me, therefore I finish my ^amessage . Yea, and I perceive that it cuts you to your hearts because I tell you the truth concerning your iniquities.
 8 Yea, and my words fill you with wonder and amazement, and with anger.
 9 But I finish my message; and then it ^amatters not whither I go, if it so be that I am saved.
 10 But this much I tell you, what you ^ado with me, after this, shall be as a ^btype and a shadow of things which are to come.
 11 And now I read unto you the remainder of the ^acommandments of God, for I perceive that they are not written in your hearts; I perceive that ye have studied and taught ^biniquity the most part of your lives.
 12 And now, ye remember that I ^asaid unto you: Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of things which are in heaven above, or which are in the earth beneath, or which are in the water under the earth.
 13 And again: Thou shalt not ^abow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generations of them that hate me;
 14 And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
 15 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him ^aguiltless that taketh his name in vain.
 16 Remember the ^asabbath day, to keep it holy.
 17 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work;
 18 But the seventh day, the sabbath of the Lord thy God, thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates;
 19 For in ^asix days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is; wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
 20 ^aHonor thy ^bfather and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
 21 Thou shalt not ^akill .
 22 Thou shalt not commit ^aadultery . Thou shalt not ^bsteal .
 23 Thou shalt not bear ^afalse witness against thy neighbor.
 24 Thou shalt not ^acovet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.
 25 And it came to pass that after Abinadi had made an end of these sayings that he said unto them: Have ye ^ataught this people that they should observe to do all these things for to keep these commandments?
 26 I say unto you, Nay; for if ye had, the Lord would not have caused me to come forth and to prophesy evil concerning this people.
 27 And now ye have said that salvation cometh by the law of Moses. I say unto you that it is expedient that ye should ^akeep the law of Moses as yet; but I say unto you, that the time shall come when it shall ^bno more be expedient to keep the law of Moses.
 28 And moreover, I say unto you, that ^asalvation doth not come by the ^blaw alone; and were it not for the ^catonement , which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses.
 29 And now I say unto you that it was expedient that there should be a law given to the children of Israel, yea, even a very ^astrict law; for they were a stiffnecked people, ^bquick to do iniquity, and slow to remember the Lord their God;
 30 Therefore there was a ^alaw given them, yea, a law of performances and of ^bordinances , a law which they were to ^cobserve strictly from day to day, to keep them in remembrance of God and their duty towards him.
 31 But behold, I say unto you, that all these things were ^atypes of things to come.
 32 And now, did they ^aunderstand the law? I say unto you, Nay, they did not all understand the law; and this because of the hardness of their hearts; for they understood not that there could not any man be saved ^bexcept it were through the redemption of God.
 33 For behold, did not Moses prophesy unto them concerning the coming of the Messiah, and that God should redeem his people? Yea, and even ^aall the prophets who have prophesied ever since the world began—have they not spoken more or less concerning these things?
 34 Have they not said that ^aGod himself should come down among the children of men, and take upon him the form of man, and go forth in mighty power upon the face of the earth?
 35 Yea, and have they not said also that he should bring to pass the ^aresurrection of the dead, and that he, himself, should be oppressed and afflicted?

 1 YEA, even doth not Isaiah say: Who hath ^abelieved our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground; he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him.
 3 He is ^adespised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
 4 Surely he has ^aborne our ^bgriefs , and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
 5 But he was ^awounded for our ^btransgressions , he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are ^chealed .
 6 All we, like ^asheep , have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all.
 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he ^aopened not his mouth; he is brought as a ^blamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb so he opened not his mouth.
 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgressions of my people was he stricken.
 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the ^arich in his death; because he had done no ^bevil , neither was any deceit in his mouth.
 10 Yet it pleased the Lord to ^abruise him; he hath put him to grief; when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his ^bseed , he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
 11 He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied; by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall ^abear their iniquities.
 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the ^agreat , and ^bhe shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sins of many, and made ^cintercession for the transgressors.

 1 AND now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand that ^aGod himself shall ^bcome down among the children of men, and shall ^credeem his people.
 2 And because he ^adwelleth in ^bflesh he shall be called the ^cSon of God, and having subjected the flesh to the ^dwill of the ^eFather , being the Father and the Son—
 3 The Father, ^abecause he was ^bconceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son—
 4 And they are ^aone God, yea, the very ^bEternal ^cFather of heaven and of earth.
 5 And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, ^asuffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and ^bscourged , and cast out, and disowned by his ^cpeople .
 6 And after all this, after working many mighty miracles among the children of men, he shall be led, yea, even ^aas Isaiah said, as a sheep before the shearer is dumb, so he ^bopened not his mouth.
 7 Yea, even so he shall be led, ^acrucified , and slain, the ^bflesh becoming subject even unto death, the ^cwill of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father.
 8 And thus God breaketh the ^abands of death, having gained the ^bvictory over death; giving the Son power to make ^cintercession for the children of men—
 9 Having ascended into heaven, having the bowels of mercy; being filled with compassion towards the children of men; standing betwixt them and justice; having broken the bands of death, taken upon ^ahimself their iniquity and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and ^bsatisfied the demands of justice.
 10 And now I say unto you, who shall declare his ^ageneration ? Behold, I say unto you, that when his soul has been made an offering for ^bsin he shall see his ^cseed . And now what say ye? And who shall be his seed?
 11 Behold I say unto you, that whosoever has heard the words of the ^aprophets , yea, all the holy prophets who have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord—I say unto you, that all those who have hearkened unto their words, and believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins, I say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are the heirs of the ^bkingdom of God.
 12 For these are they whose sins ^ahe has borne; these are they for whom he has died, to redeem them from their transgressions. And now, are they not his seed?
 13 Yea, and are not the ^aprophets , every one that has opened his mouth to prophesy, that has not fallen into transgression, I mean all the holy prophets ever since the world began? I say unto you that they are his seed.
 14 And these are ^athey who have published peace, who have brought good ^btidings of good, who have ^cpublished salvation; and said unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!
 15 And O how beautiful upon the mountains were their feet!
 16 And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that are still publishing peace!
 17 And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who shall hereafter publish peace, yea, from this time henceforth and forever!
 18 And behold, I say unto you, this is not all. For O how beautiful upon the mountains are the ^afeet of him that bringeth good tidings, that is the founder of ^bpeace , yea, even the Lord, who has redeemed his people; yea, him who has granted salvation unto his people;
 19 For were it not for the redemption which he hath made for his people, which was prepared from the ^afoundation of the world, I say unto you, were it not for this, all mankind must have ^bperished .
 20 But behold, the bands of death shall be broken, and the Son reigneth, and hath power over the dead; therefore, he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead.
 21 And there cometh a resurrection, even a ^afirst resurrection; yea, even a resurrection of those that have been, and who are, and who shall be, even until the resurrection of Christ—for so shall he be called.
 22 And now, the resurrection of all the prophets, and all those that have believed in their words, or all those that have kept the commandments of God, shall come forth in the first resurrection; therefore, they are the first resurrection.
 23 They are raised to ^adwell with God who has redeemed them; thus they have eternal life through Christ, who has ^bbroken the bands of death.
 24 And these are those who have part in the first resurrection; and these are they that have died before Christ came, in their ignorance, not having ^asalvation declared unto them. And thus the Lord bringeth about the restoration of these; and they have a part in the first resurrection, or have eternal life, being redeemed by the Lord.
 25 And little ^achildren also have eternal life.
 26 But behold, and ^afear , and tremble before God, for ye ought to tremble; for the Lord redeemeth none such that ^brebel against him and ^cdie in their sins; yea, even all those that have perished in their sins ever since the world began, that have wilfully rebelled against God, that have known the commandments of God, and would not keep them; ^dthese are they that have ^eno part in the first ^fresurrection .
 27 Therefore ought ye not to tremble? For salvation cometh to none such; for the Lord hath redeemed none such; yea, neither can the Lord redeem such; for he cannot deny himself; for he cannot deny ^ajustice when it has its claim.
 28 And now I say unto you that the time shall come that the ^asalvation of the Lord shall be declared to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
 29 Yea, Lord, ^athy ^bwatchmen shall lift up their voice; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.
 30 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
 31 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the ^asalvation of our God.

 1 AND now, it came to pass that after Abinadi had spoken these words he stretched forth his hand and said: The time shall come when all shall see the ^asalvation of the Lord; when ^bevery nation, kindred, tongue, and people shall see eye to eye and shall ^cconfess before God that his ^djudgments are just.
 2 And then shall the ^awicked be ^bcast out, and they shall have cause to howl, and ^cweep , and wail, and gnash their teeth; and this because they would not ^dhearken unto the voice of the Lord; therefore the Lord redeemeth them not.
 3 For they are ^acarnal and devilish, and the devil has power over them; yea, even that old serpent that did ^bbeguile our first parents, which was the ^ccause of their fall; which was the cause of ^dall mankind becoming carnal, sensual, devilish, ^eknowing evil from good, ^fsubjecting themselves to the devil.
 4 Thus all mankind were ^alost ; and behold, they would have been endlessly lost were it not that God redeemed his people from their lost and fallen state.
 5 But remember that he that persists in his own ^acarnal nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, remaineth in his fallen state and the ^bdevil hath all power over him. Therefore, he is as though there was no ^credemption made, being an enemy to God; and also is the ^ddevil an enemy to God.
 6 And now if Christ had not come into the world, speaking of things to come ^aas though they had already come, there could have been no redemption.
 7 And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no ^asting , there could have been no resurrection.
 8 But there is a ^aresurrection , therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of ^bdeath is swallowed up in Christ.
 9 He is the ^alight and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death.
 10 Even this mortal shall put on ^aimmortality , and this ^bcorruption shall put on incorruption, and shall be brought to ^cstand before the bar of God, to be judged of him according to their works whether they be good or whether they be evil—
 11 If they be good, to the resurrection of ^aendless life and ^bhappiness ; and if they be evil, to the resurrection of ^cendless damnation, being delivered up to the devil, who hath subjected them, which is damnation—
 12 Having gone according to their own carnal wills and desires; having never called upon the Lord while the arms of mercy were extended towards them; for the arms of mercy were extended towards them, and they would ^anot ; they being warned of their iniquities and yet they would not depart from them; and they were commanded to repent and yet they would not repent.
 13 And now, ought ye not to tremble and repent of your sins, and remember that only in and through Christ ye can be saved?
 14 Therefore, if ye teach the ^alaw of Moses, also teach that it is a ^bshadow of those things which are to come—
 15 Teach them that redemption cometh through Christ the Lord, who is the very ^aEternal Father. Amen.

 1 AND now it came to pass that when Abinadi had finished these sayings, that the king commanded that the ^apriests should take him and cause that he should be put to ^bdeath .
 2 But there was one among them whose name was ^aAlma , he also being a descendant of Nephi. And he was a young man, and he ^bbelieved the words which Abinadi had spoken, for he knew concerning the iniquity which Abinadi had testified against them; therefore he began to plead with the king that he would not be angry with Abinadi, but suffer that he might depart in peace.
 3 But the king was more wroth, and caused that Alma should be cast out from among them, and sent his servants after him that they might slay him.
 4 But he fled from before them and ^ahid himself that they found him not. And he being concealed for many days did ^bwrite all the words which Abinadi had spoken.
 5 And it came to pass that the king caused that his guards should surround Abinadi and take him; and they bound him and cast him into prison.
 6 And after three days, having counseled with his ^apriests , he caused that he should again be brought before him.
 7 And he said unto him: Abinadi, we have found an accusation against thee, and thou art worthy of death.
 8 For thou hast said that ^aGod himself should come down among the children of men; and now, for this cause thou shalt be put to death unless thou wilt recall all the words which thou hast spoken evil concerning me and my people.
 9 Now Abinadi said unto him: I say unto you, I will ^anot recall the words which I have spoken unto you concerning this people, for they are true; and that ye may know of their surety I have suffered myself that I have fallen into your hands.
 10 Yea, and I will ^asuffer even until death, and I will not recall my words, and they shall stand as a ^btestimony against you. And if ye slay me ye will shed ^cinnocent blood, and this shall also stand as a testimony against you at the last day.
 11 And now king Noah was about to release him, for he feared his word; for he feared that the judgments of God would come upon him.
 12 But the ^apriests lifted up their voices against him, and began to accuse him, saying: He has reviled the king. Therefore the king was stirred up in ^banger against him, and he delivered him up that he might be slain.
 13 And it came to pass that they took him and bound him, and ^ascourged his skin with faggots, yea, even unto ^bdeath .
 14 And now when the flames began to scorch him, he cried unto them, saying:
 15 Behold, even as ye have done unto me, so shall it come to pass that thy ^aseed shall cause that many shall suffer the pains that I do suffer, even the pains of ^bdeath by fire; and this because they believe in the salvation of the Lord their God.
 16 And it will come to pass that ye shall be afflicted with all manner of ^adiseases because of your iniquities.
 17 Yea, and ye shall be smitten on every hand, and shall be driven and scattered to and fro, even as a wild flock is driven by wild and ferocious beasts.
 18 And in that day ye shall be ^ahunted , and ye shall be taken by the hand of your enemies, and then ye shall suffer, as I suffer, the pains of ^bdeath by fire.
 19 Thus God executeth ^avengeance upon those that destroy his people. O God, ^breceive my soul.
 20 And now, *when ^aAbinadi had said these words, he fell, having suffered death by fire; yea, having been put to death because he would not deny the commandments of God, having sealed the truth of his words by his ^bdeath .

* Verse 20  [About 148 B.C.].

 1 AND now, it came to pass that Alma, who had fled from the servants of king Noah, ^arepented of his sins and iniquities, and went about privately among the people, and began to teach the words of Abinadi—
 2 Yea, concerning that which was to come, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and the ^aredemption of the people, which was to be brought to pass through the power, and sufferings, and ^bdeath of Christ, and his resurrection and ascension into heaven.
 3 And as many as would hear his word he did teach. And he taught them privately, that it might not come to the knowledge of the king. And many did believe his words.
 4 And it came to pass that as many as did believe him did go forth to a ^aplace which was called Mormon, having received its name from the king, being in the ^bborders of the land having been infested, by times or at seasons, by wild beasts.
 5 Now, there was in Mormon a fountain of pure water, and Alma resorted thither, there being near the water a thicket of small trees, where he did hide himself in the daytime from the searches of the king.
 6 And it came to pass that as many as believed him went thither to hear his words.
 7 And it came to pass *after many days there were a goodly number gathered together at the place of Mormon, to hear the words of Alma. Yea, all were gathered together that believed on his word, to hear him. And he did ^ateach them, and did preach unto them repentance, and redemption, and faith on the Lord.
 8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are ^adesirous to come into the ^bfold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
 9 Yea, and are ^awilling to mourn with those that ^bmourn ; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as ^cwitnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the ^dfirst resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
 10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being ^abaptized in the ^bname of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a ^ccovenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?
 11 And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts.
 12 And now it came to pass that Alma took Helam, he being one of the first, and went and stood forth in the water, and cried, saying: O Lord, pour out thy Spirit upon thy servant, that he may do this work with holiness of heart.
 13 And when he had said these words, the ^aSpirit of the Lord was upon him, and he said: Helam, I baptize thee, having ^bauthority from the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into a ^ccovenant to serve him until you are dead as to the mortal body; and may the Spirit of the Lord be poured out upon you; and may he grant unto you eternal life, through the redemption of Christ, whom he has prepared from the ^dfoundation of the world.
 14 And after Alma had said these words, both Alma and Helam were ^aburied in the water; and they arose and came forth out of the water rejoicing, being filled with the Spirit.
 15 And again, Alma took another, and went forth a second time into the water, and baptized him according to the first, only he did not bury ^ahimself again in the water.
 16 And after this manner he did baptize every one that went forth to the place of Mormon; and they were in number about two hundred and four souls; yea, and they were ^abaptized in the waters of Mormon, and were filled with the ^bgrace of God.
 17 And they were called the church of God, or the ^achurch of Christ, from that time forward. And it came to pass that whosoever was baptized by the power and authority of God was added to his church.
 18 And it came to pass that Alma, having ^aauthority from God, ^bordained priests; even one priest to every fifty of their number did he ordain to preach unto them, and to ^cteach them concerning the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
 19 And he commanded them that ^athey should ^bteach nothing save it were the things which he had taught, and which had been spoken by the mouth of the holy prophets.
 20 Yea, even he commanded them that they should ^apreach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord, who had redeemed his people.
 21 And he commanded them that there should be no ^acontention one with another, but that they should look forward with ^bone eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts ^cknit together in unity and in love one towards another.
 22 And thus he commanded them to preach. And thus they became the ^achildren of God.
 23 And he commanded them that they should observe the ^asabbath day, and keep it holy, and also every day they should give thanks to the Lord their God.
 24 And he also commanded them that the priests whom he had ordained ^ashould ^blabor with their own hands for their support.
 25 And there was ^aone day in every week that was set apart that they should ^bgather themselves together to teach the people, and to worship the Lord their God, and also, as often as it was in their power, to ^cassemble themselves together.
 26 And the priests were not to depend upon the people for their support; but for their labor they were to receive the ^agrace of God, that they might wax strong in the Spirit, having the ^bknowledge of God, that they might teach with power and authority from God.
 27 And again Alma commanded that the people of the church should impart of their substance, ^aevery one according to that which he had; if he have more abundantly he should impart more abundantly; and of him that had but little, but little should be required; and to him that had not should be given.
 28 And thus they should impart of their ^asubstance of their own free will and good desires towards God, and to those priests that stood in need, yea, and to every needy, naked soul.
 29 And this he said unto them, having been commanded of God; and they did ^awalk uprightly before God, imparting to one another both temporally and spiritually according to their needs and their wants.
 30 And now it came to pass that all this was done in Mormon, yea, by the ^awaters of Mormon, in the forest that was near the waters of Mormon; yea, the place of Mormon, the waters of Mormon, the forest of Mormon, how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer; yea, and how blessed are they, for they shall ^bsing to his praise forever.
 31 And these things were done in the ^aborders of the land, that they might not come to the knowledge of the king.
 32 But behold, it came to pass that the king, having discovered a movement among the people, sent his servants to watch them. Therefore on the day that they were assembling themselves together to hear the word of the Lord they were discovered unto the king.
 33 And now the king said that Alma was stirring up the people to rebellion against him; therefore he sent his ^aarmy to destroy them.
 34 And it came to pass that Alma and the people of the Lord were ^aapprised of the coming of the king’s army; therefore they took their tents and their families and ^bdeparted into the wilderness.
 35 And they were in number about ^afour hundred and fifty souls.

* Verse 7  [About 147 B.C.].

 1 AND it came to pass that the ^aarmy of the king returned, having searched in vain for the people of the Lord.
 2 And now behold, the forces of the king were small, having been reduced, and there began to be a division among the remainder of the people.
 3 And the lesser part began to ^abreathe out threatenings against the king, and there began to be a great contention among them.
 4 And now there was a man among them whose name was Gideon, and he being a strong man and an enemy to the king, therefore he drew his sword, and swore in his wrath that he would slay the king.
 5 And it came to pass that he fought with the king; and when the king saw that he was about to overpower him, he fled and ran and got upon the ^atower which was near the temple.
 6 And Gideon pursued after him and was about to get upon the tower to slay the king, and the king cast his eyes round about towards the land of ^aShemlon , and behold, the army of the Lamanites were within the borders of the land.
 7 And now the king cried out in the anguish of his soul, saying: Gideon, ^aspare me, for the Lamanites are upon us, and they will destroy us; yea, they will destroy my people.
 8 And now the king was not so much concerned about his people as he was about his ^aown life; nevertheless, Gideon did spare his life.
 9 And the king commanded the people that they should flee before the Lamanites, and he himself did go before them, and they did flee into the wilderness, with their women and their children.
 10 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did pursue them, and did overtake them, and began to slay them.
 11 Now it came to pass that the king commanded them that all the men should ^aleave their wives and their children, and flee before the Lamanites.
 12 Now there were many that would not leave them, but had rather stay and perish with them. And the rest left their wives and their children and fled.
 13 And it came to pass that those who tarried with their wives and their children caused that their fair daughters should stand forth and plead with the Lamanites that they would not slay them.
 14 And it came to pass that the Lamanites had compassion on them, for they were charmed with the beauty of their women.
 15 Therefore the Lamanites did spare their lives, and took them captives and carried them back to the land of Nephi, and granted unto them that they might possess the land, under the conditions that they would deliver up king Noah into the hands of the Lamanites, and deliver up their property, even ^aone half of all they possessed, one half of their gold, and their silver, and all their precious things, and thus they should pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites from year to year.
 16 And now there was one of the sons of the king among those that were taken captive, whose name was ^aLimhi .
 17 And now Limhi was desirous that his father should not be destroyed; nevertheless, Limhi was not ignorant of the iniquities of his father, he himself being a just man.
 18 And it came to pass that Gideon sent men into the wilderness secretly, to search for the king and those that were with him. And it came to pass that they met the people in the wilderness, all save the king and his priests.
 19 Now they had sworn in their hearts that they would return to the land of Nephi, and if their ^awives and their children were slain, and also those that had tarried with them, that they would seek revenge, and also perish with them.
 20 And the king commanded them that they should not return; and they were angry with the king, and caused that he should suffer, even unto ^adeath by fire.
 21 And they were about to take the priests also and ^aput them to death, and they fled before them.
 22 And it came to pass that they were about to return to the land of Nephi, and they met the men of Gideon. And the men of Gideon told them of all that had happened to their wives and their children; and that the Lamanites had granted unto them that they might possess the land by paying a tribute to the Lamanites of one half of all they possessed.
 23 And the people told the men of ^aGideon that they had slain the king, and his ^bpriests had fled from them farther into the wilderness.
 24 And it came to pass that after they had ended the ceremony, that they returned to the land of Nephi, rejoicing, because their wives and their children were not slain; and they told Gideon what they had done to the king.
 25 And it came to pass that the king of the Lamanites made an ^aoath unto them, that his people should not slay them.
 26 And also Limhi, being the son of the king, having the kingdom conferred upon him ^aby the people, made ^boath unto the king of the Lamanites that his people should pay ^ctribute unto him, even one half of all they possessed.
 27 And it came to pass that Limhi began to establish the kingdom and to establish ^apeace among his people.
 28 And the king of the Lamanites set ^aguards round about the land, that he might ^bkeep the people of Limhi in the land, that they might not depart into the wilderness; and he did support his guards out of the tribute which he did receive from the Nephites.
 29 And now king Limhi did have continual peace in his kingdom for the space of two years, that the Lamanites did not molest them nor seek to destroy them.

 1 NOW there was a place in ^aShemlon where the daughters of the Lamanites did gather themselves together to sing, and to ^bdance , and to make themselves merry.
 2 And it came to pass that there was one day a small number of them gathered together to sing and to dance.
 3 And now the priests of king Noah, being ashamed to return to the city of Nephi, yea, and also fearing that the people would ^aslay them, therefore they durst not return to their wives and their ^bchildren .
 4 And having tarried in the wilderness, and having discovered the daughters of the Lamanites, they laid and watched them;
 5 And when there were but few of them gathered together to dance, they came forth out of their secret places and took them and carried them into the wilderness; yea, twenty and four of the ^adaughters of the Lamanites they carried into the wilderness.
 6 And it came to pass that when the Lamanites found that their daughters had been missing, they were angry with the people of Limhi, for they thought it was the people of Limhi.
 7 Therefore they sent their armies forth; yea, even the king himself went before his people; and they went up to the land of Nephi to destroy the people of Limhi.
 8 And now Limhi had discovered them from the ^atower , even all their preparations for war did he discover; therefore he gathered his people together, and laid wait for them in the fields and in the forests.
 9 And it came to pass that when the Lamanites had come up, that the people of Limhi began to fall upon them from their waiting places, and began to slay them.
 10 And it came to pass that the battle became exceedingly sore, for they fought like lions for their prey.
 11 And it came to pass that the people of Limhi began to drive the Lamanites before them; yet they were not half so numerous as the Lamanites. But they ^afought for their lives, and for their ^bwives , and for their children; therefore they exerted themselves and like dragons did they fight.
 12 And it came to pass that they found the king of the Lamanites among the number of their dead; yet he was not dead, having been wounded and left upon the ground, so speedy was the flight of his people.
 13 And they took him and bound up his wounds, and brought him before Limhi, and said: Behold, here is the king of the Lamanites; he having received a wound has fallen among their dead, and they have left him; and behold, we have brought him before you; and now let us slay him.
 14 But Limhi said unto them: Ye shall not slay him, but bring him hither that I may see him. And they brought him. And Limhi said unto him: What cause have ye to come up to war against my people? Behold, my people have not broken the ^aoath that I made unto you; therefore, why should ye break the oath which ye made unto my people?
 15 And now the king said: I have broken the oath because thy people did carry away the daughters of my people; therefore, in my anger I did cause my people to come up to war against thy people.
 16 And now Limhi had heard nothing concerning this matter; therefore he said: I will search among my people and whosoever has done this thing shall perish. Therefore he caused a search to be made among his people.
 17 Now when ^aGideon had heard these things, he being the king’s captain, he went forth and said unto the king: I pray thee forbear, and do not search this people, and lay not this thing to their charge.
 18 For do ye not remember the priests of thy father, whom this people sought to destroy? And are they not in the wilderness? And are not they the ones who have stolen the daughters of the Lamanites?
 19 And now, behold, and tell the king of these things, that he may tell his people that they may be pacified towards us; for behold they are already preparing to come against us; and behold also there are but few of us.
 20 And behold, they come with their numerous hosts; and except the king doth pacify them towards us we must perish.
 21 For are not the words of Abinadi ^afulfilled , which he prophesied against us—and all this because we would not hearken unto the words of the Lord, and turn from our iniquities?
 22 And now let us pacify the king, and we fulfil the ^aoath which we have made unto him; for it is better that we should be in bondage than that we should lose our ^blives ; therefore, let us put a stop to the shedding of so much blood.
 23 And now Limhi told the king all the things concerning his father, and the ^apriests that had fled into the wilderness, and attributed the carrying away of their daughters to them.
 24 And it came to pass that the king was pacified towards his people; and he said unto them: Let us go forth to meet my people, without arms; and I swear unto you with an ^aoath that my people shall not slay thy people.
 25 And it came to pass that they followed the king, and went forth without arms to meet the Lamanites. And it came to pass that they did meet the Lamanites; and the king of the Lamanites did bow himself down before them, and did plead in behalf of the people of Limhi.
 26 And when the Lamanites saw the people of Limhi, that they were without arms, they had ^acompassion on them and were pacified towards them, and returned with their king in peace to their own land.

 1 AND it came to pass that Limhi and his people returned to the city of Nephi, and began to dwell in the land again in peace.
 2 And it came to pass that after many days the Lamanites began again to be stirred up in anger against the Nephites, and they began to come into the borders of the land round about.
 3 Now they durst not slay them, because of the ^aoath which their king had made unto Limhi; but they would smite them on their ^bcheeks , and exercise authority over them; and began to put heavy ^cburdens upon their backs, and drive them as they would a dumb ass—
 4 Yea, all this was done that the ^aword of the Lord might be ^bfulfilled .
 5 And now the afflictions of the Nephites were great, and there was no way that they could deliver themselves out of their hands, for the Lamanites had ^asurrounded them on every side.
 6 And it came to pass that the people began to murmur with the king because of their afflictions; and they began to be desirous to go against them to battle. And they did afflict the king sorely with their complaints; therefore he granted unto them that they should do according to their desires.
 7 And they gathered themselves together again, and put on their armor, and went forth against the Lamanites to drive them out of their land.
 8 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did beat them, and drove them back, and ^aslew many of them.
 9 And now there was a great ^amourning and lamentation among the people of Limhi, the widow mourning for her husband, the son and the daughter mourning for their father, and the brothers for their brethren.
 10 Now there were a great many ^awidows in the land, and they did cry mightily from day to day, for a great fear of the Lamanites had come upon them.
 11 And it came to pass that their continual cries did stir up the remainder of the people of Limhi to anger against the Lamanites; and they went again to battle, but they were driven back again, suffering much loss.
 12 Yea, they went again even the third time, and suffered in the like manner; and those that were not slain returned again to the city of Nephi.
 13 And they did humble themselves even to the dust, subjecting themselves to the ^ayoke of bondage, ^bsubmitting themselves to be smitten, and to be driven to and fro, and burdened, according to the desires of their enemies.
 14 And they did ^ahumble themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would ^bdeliver them out of their afflictions.
 15 And now the Lord was slow to ^ahear their cry because of their iniquities; nevertheless the Lord did hear their ^bcries , and began to soften the hearts of the Lamanites that they began to ease their burdens; yet the Lord did not see fit to deliver them out of bondage.
 16 And it came to pass that they began to prosper by degrees in the land, and began to raise grain more abundantly, and flocks, and herds, that they did not suffer with hunger.
 17 Now there was a great number of women, more than there was of men; therefore king Limhi commanded that every man should ^aimpart to the support of the ^bwidows and their children, that they might not perish with hunger; and this they did because of the greatness of their number that had been slain.
 18 Now the people of Limhi kept together in a body as much as it was possible, and secured their grain and their flocks;
 19 And the king himself did not trust his person without the walls of the city, unless he took his guards with him, fearing that he might by some means fall into the hands of the Lamanites.
 20 And he caused that his people should watch the land round about, that by some means they might take those priests that fled into the wilderness, who had stolen the ^adaughters of the Lamanites, and that had caused such a great destruction to come upon them.
 21 For they were desirous to take them that they might ^apunish them; for they had come into the land of Nephi by night, and carried off their grain and many of their precious things; therefore they laid wait for them.
 22 And it came to pass that there was no more disturbance between the Lamanites and the people of Limhi, *even until the time that ^aAmmon and his brethren came into the land.
 23 And the king having been without the gates of the city with his guard, ^adiscovered Ammon and his brethren; and supposing them to be priests of Noah therefore he caused that they should be taken, and bound, and cast into ^bprison . And had they been the priests of Noah he would have caused that they should be put to death.
 24 But when he found that they were not, but that they were his brethren, and had come from the ^aland of Zarahemla, he was filled with exceedingly great joy.
 25 Now king Limhi had sent, previous to the coming of Ammon, a ^asmall number of men to ^bsearch for the land of Zarahemla; but they could not find it, and they were lost in the wilderness.
 26 Nevertheless, they did find a land which had been peopled; yea, a land which was covered with dry ^abones ; yea, a land which had been peopled and which had been destroyed; and they, having supposed it to be the land of Zarahemla, returned to the land of Nephi, having arrived in the borders of the land not many days before the ^bcoming of Ammon.
 27 And they brought a ^arecord with them, even a record of the people whose bones they had found; and it was engraven on plates of ore.
 28 And now Limhi was again filled with joy on learning from the mouth of Ammon that king Mosiah had a ^agift from God, whereby he could ^binterpret such engravings; yea, and Ammon also did rejoice.
 29 Yet Ammon and his brethren were filled with sorrow because so many of their brethren had been ^aslain ;
 30 And also that king Noah and his priests had caused the people to commit so many sins and iniquities against God; and they also did mourn for the ^adeath of Abinadi; and also for the ^bdeparture of Alma and the people that went with him, who had formed a church of God through the strength and power of God, and faith on the words which had been spoken by Abinadi.
 31 Yea, they did mourn for their departure, for they knew not whither they had fled. Now they would have gladly joined with them, for they themselves had entered into a ^acovenant with God to serve him and keep his commandments.
 32 And now since the coming of Ammon, king Limhi had also entered into a covenant with God, and also many of his people, to serve him and keep his commandments.
 33 And it came to pass that king Limhi and many of his people were desirous to be baptized; but there was none in the land that had ^aauthority from God. And Ammon declined doing this thing, considering himself an unworthy servant.
 34 Therefore they did not at that time form themselves into a ^achurch , waiting upon the Spirit of the Lord. Now they were desirous to become even as Alma and his brethren, who had fled into the wilderness.
 35 They were desirous to be baptized as a witness and a testimony that they were willing to serve God with all their hearts; nevertheless they did prolong the time; and an account of their baptism shall be ^agiven hereafter.
 36 And now all the study of Ammon and ^ahis people, and king Limhi and his people, was to deliver themselves out of the hands of the Lamanites and from ^bbondage .

* Verse 22  [About 121 B.C.].

 1 AND now it came to pass that Ammon and king Limhi began to consult with the people how they should ^adeliver themselves out of bondage; and even they did cause that all the people should gather themselves together; and this they did that they might have the voice of the people concerning the matter.
 2 And it came to pass that they could find no way to deliver themselves out of bondage, except it were to take their women and children, and their flocks, and their herds, and their tents, and depart into the wilderness; for the Lamanites being so numerous, it was impossible for the people of Limhi to contend with them, thinking to deliver themselves out of bondage by the sword.
 3 Now it came to pass that ^aGideon went forth and stood before the king, and said unto him: Now O king, thou hast hitherto hearkened unto my words many times when we have been contending with our brethren, the Lamanites.
 4 And now O king, if thou hast not found me to be an unprofitable servant, or if thou hast hitherto listened to my words in any degree, and they have been of service to thee, even so I desire that thou wouldst listen to my words at this time, and I will be thy servant and deliver this people out of bondage.
 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 ^aguards of the Lamanites, by night are ^bdrunken ; 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 ^atribute of wine to the Lamanites, and they will be ^bdrunken ; and we will pass through the secret pass on the left of their 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 ^aShilom .
 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 ^adepart by night into the wilderness with their flocks and their herds, and they went round about the land of ^bShilom 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 ^aarrived in the land of Zarahemla, and joined Mosiah’s people, and became his subjects.
 14 And it came to pass that Mosiah ^areceived them with joy; and he also received their ^brecords , and also the ^crecords 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 ^aarmy 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.

 1 NOW Alma, having been ^awarned of the Lord that the armies of king Noah would come upon them, and having made it known to his people, therefore they gathered together their flocks, and took of their grain, and ^bdeparted 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 ^aeight 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; yea, they were ^aindustrious , and did labor exceedingly.
 6 And the people were desirous that Alma should be their ^aking , 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 ^anot 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 ^awere possible that ye could always have just men to be your ^bkings it would be well for you to have a king.
 9 But remember the ^ainiquity of king Noah and his ^bpriests ; and I myself was ^ccaught in a snare, and did many things which were abominable in the sight of the Lord, which caused me sore ^drepentance ;
 10 Nevertheless, ^aafter much ^btribulation , the Lord did hear my cries, and did answer my prayers, and has made me an ^cinstrument in his hands in bringing ^dso 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 ^aoppressed by king Noah, and have been in bondage to him and his priests, and have been ^bbrought into iniquity by them; therefore ye were bound with the ^cbands of iniquity.
 13 And now as ye have been delivered by the power of God out of these bonds; yea, even out of the ^ahands of king Noah and his people, and also from the ^bbonds of iniquity, even so I desire that ye should ^cstand fast in this ^dliberty wherewith ye have been made free, and that ye trust ^eno man to be a king over you.
 14 And also trust no one to be your ^ateacher 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 ^alove his ^bneighbor ^cas himself, that there should be no ^dcontention among them.
 16 And now, Alma was their ^ahigh priest, he being the founder of their church.
 17 And it came to pass that none received ^aauthority to preach or to teach except it were by him from God. Therefore he ^bconsecrated 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 ^anourish 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 ^aHelam .
 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 ^achasten his people; yea, he trieth their ^bpatience and their faith.
 22 Nevertheless—whosoever putteth his ^atrust in him the same shall be ^blifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people.
 23 For behold, I will show unto you that they were brought into ^abondage , 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 show 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 was 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 the 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 ^aarmies of the Lamanites, 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 ^aAmulon ; and they had begun to possess the land of Amulon and had begun to till the ground.
 32 Now the name of the leader of those priests was ^aAmulon .
 33 And it came to pass that Amulon did plead with the Lamanites; and he also sent forth their wives, who were the ^adaughters of the Lamanites, to plead with their brethren, that they should not destroy their husbands.
 34 And the Lamanites had ^acompassion on Amulon and his brethren, and did not destroy them, because of their wives.
 35 And ^aAmulon and his brethren did join the Lamanites, and they were traveling 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 show them the ^away which led to the land of Nephi that they would grant unto them their lives and their liberty.
 37 But after Alma had shown them the way that led to the land of Nephi the Lamanites would not keep their promise; but they set ^aguards 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 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.

 1 AND it came to pass that Amulon did gain favor in the eyes of the king of the Lamanites; therefore, the king of 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 ^aland 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 ^aLaman , 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 ^ateachers of the ^bbrethren of Amulon in every land which was possessed by his people; and thus the ^clanguage 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 ^atrade 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 ^aAmulon began to exercise ^bauthority 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 ^aone 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 ^btasks upon them, and put ^ctask -masters over them.
 10 And it came to pass that so great were their afflictions that they began to cry mightily to God.
 11 And Amulon commanded them that they should stop their cries; and he ^aput 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 the Lord their God, but did pour out their ^ahearts to him; and he did know the ^bthoughts of their hearts.
 13 And it ^acame to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.
 14 And I will also ease the ^aburdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as ^bwitnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their ^cafflictions .
 15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did ^astrengthen them that they could bear up their ^bburdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with ^cpatience to all the will of the Lord.
 16 And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage.
 17 And he said unto Alma: Thou shalt go before this people, and I will go ^awith thee and deliver this people out of ^bbondage .
 18 Now it came to pass that Alma and his people in the night-time gathered their flocks together, and also of their grain; yea, even all the night-time were they gathering the flocks together.
 19 And in the morning the Lord caused a ^adeep sleep to come upon the Lamanites, yea, and all their task-masters were in a profound sleep.
 20 And Alma and his people departed into the wilderness; and when they had traveled all day they pitched their tents in a valley, and they called the valley Alma, because he led their way in the wilderness.
 21 Yea, and in the valley of Alma they poured out their ^athanks to God because he had been merciful unto them, and eased their ^bburdens , and had delivered them out of bondage; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it were the Lord their God.
 22 And they gave ^athanks to God, yea, all their men and all their women and all their children that could speak lifted their voices in the praises of their God.
 23 And now the Lord said unto Alma: Haste thee and get thou and this people out of this land, for the Lamanites have awakened and do pursue thee; therefore get thee out of this land, and I will stop the Lamanites in this valley that they come no further in pursuit of this people.
 24 And it came to pass that they departed out of the valley, and took their journey into the wilderness.
 25 And after they had been in the wilderness ^atwelve days *they arrived in the land of Zarahemla; and king Mosiah did also ^breceive them with joy.

* Verse 25  [About 120 B.C.].

 1 AND now king Mosiah caused that all the people should be gathered together.
 2 Now there were not so many of the children of Nephi, or so many of those who were descendants of Nephi, as there were of the ^apeople of Zarahemla, who was a descendant of ^bMulek , and those who came with him into the wilderness.
 3 And there were not so many of the people of Nephi and of the people of Zarahemla as there were of the Lamanites; yea, they were not half so numerous.
 4 And now all the people of Nephi were assembled together, and also all the people of Zarahemla, and they were gathered together in two bodies.
 5 And it came to pass that Mosiah did read, and caused to be read, the records of Zeniff to his people; yea, he read the records of the people of Zeniff, from the time they ^aleft the land of Zarahemla until they ^breturned again.
 6 And he also read the account of Alma and his brethren, and all their afflictions, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla until the time they returned again.
 7 And now, when Mosiah had made an end of reading the records, his people who tarried in the land were struck with wonder and amazement.
 8 For they knew not what to think; for when they beheld those that had been delivered ^aout of bondage they were filled with exceedingly great joy.
 9 And again, when they thought of their brethren who had been ^aslain by the Lamanites they were filled with sorrow, and even shed many tears of sorrow.
 10 And again, when they thought of the immediate goodness of God, and his power in delivering Alma and his brethren out of the hands of the Lamanites and of ^abondage , they did raise their voices and give thanks to God.
 11 And again, when they thought upon the Lamanites, who were their brethren, of their sinful and ^apolluted state, they were filled with ^bpain and anguish for the ^cwelfare of their souls.
 12 And it came to pass that those who ^awere the children of Amulon and his brethren, who had taken to wife the ^bdaughters of the Lamanites, were displeased with the conduct of their fathers, and they would no longer be called by the names of their fathers, therefore they took upon themselves the name of Nephi, that they might be called the children of Nephi and be numbered among those who were ^ccalled Nephites.
 13 And now all the people of Zarahemla were ^anumbered with the Nephites, and this because the kingdom had been conferred upon none but those who were descendants of Nephi.
 14 And now it came to pass that when Mosiah had made an end of speaking and reading to the people, he desired that Alma should also speak to the people.
 15 And Alma did speak unto them, when they were assembled together in large bodies, and he went from one body to another, preaching unto the people repentance and faith on the Lord.
 16 And he did exhort the people of Limhi and his brethren, all those that had been delivered out of bondage, that they should remember that it was the Lord that did deliver them.
 17 And it came to pass that after Alma had taught the people many things, and had made an end of speaking to them, that king Limhi was desirous that he might be baptized; and all his people were desirous that they might be baptized also.
 18 Therefore, Alma did go forth into the water and did ^abaptize them; yea, he did baptize them after the manner he did his brethren in the ^bwaters of Mormon; yea, and as many as he did baptize did belong to the church of God; and this because of their belief on the words of Alma.
 19 And it came to pass that king Mosiah granted unto Alma that he might establish ^achurches throughout all the land of Zarahemla; and gave him power to ^bordain ^cpriests and ^dteachers over every church.
 20 Now this was done because there were so many people that they could not all be governed by one teacher; neither could they all hear the word of God in one assembly;
 21 Therefore they did ^aassemble themselves together in different bodies, being called churches; every church having their priests and their teachers, and every priest preaching the word according as it was delivered to him by the mouth of Alma.
 22 And thus, notwithstanding there being many churches they were all one ^achurch , yea, even the church of God; for there was nothing preached in all the churches except it were repentance and faith in God.
 23 And now there were seven churches in the land of Zarahemla. And it came to pass that whosoever were desirous to take upon them the ^aname of Christ, or of God, they did join the churches of God;
 24 And they were called the ^apeople of God. And the Lord did pour out his ^bSpirit upon them, and they were blessed, and prospered in the land.

 1 NOW it came to pass that there were many of the rising generation that could not understand the ^awords of king Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did ^bnot believe the tradition of their fathers.
 2 They did not believe what had been said concerning the resurrection of the dead, neither did they believe concerning the coming of Christ.
 3 And now because of their ^aunbelief they could not ^bunderstand the word of God; and their hearts were hardened.
 4 And they would not be baptized; neither would they join the ^achurch . And they were a separate people as to their faith, and remained so ever after, even in their ^bcarnal and sinful state; for they would not call upon the Lord their God.
 5 And now in the reign of Mosiah they were not half so numerous as the people of God; but because of the ^adissensions among the brethren they became more numerous.
 6 For it came to pass that they did ^adeceive many with their ^bflattering words, who were in the church, and did cause them to commit many sins; therefore it became expedient that those who committed sin, that were in the church, should be ^cadmonished by the church.
 7 And it came to pass that they were brought before the priests, and delivered up unto the ^apriests by the teachers; and the priests brought them before Alma, who was the ^bhigh priest.
 8 Now king Mosiah had given Alma the ^aauthority over the ^bchurch .
 9 And it came to pass that Alma did not know concerning them; but there were many ^awitnesses against them; yea, the people stood and testified of their iniquity in abundance.
 10 Now there had not any such thing happened before in the church; therefore Alma was troubled in his spirit, and he caused that they should be brought before the king.
 11 And he said unto the king: Behold, here are many whom we have brought before thee, who are accused of their brethren; yea, and they have been taken in divers iniquities. And they do not repent of their iniquities; therefore we have brought them before thee, that thou mayest judge them according to their crimes.
 12 But king Mosiah said unto Alma: Behold, I judge them not; therefore I ^adeliver them into thy hands to be judged.
 13 And now the spirit of Alma was again troubled; and he went and inquired of the Lord what he should do concerning this matter, for he feared that he should do wrong in the sight of God.
 14 And it came to pass that after he had poured out his whole soul to God, the ^avoice of the Lord came to him, saying:
 15 Blessed art thou, Alma, and blessed are they who were baptized in the ^awaters of Mormon. Thou art blessed because of thy exceeding ^bfaith in the words alone of my servant Abinadi.
 16 And blessed are they because of their exceeding faith in the words alone which thou hast spoken unto them.
 17 And blessed art thou because thou hast established a ^achurch among this people; and they shall be established, and they shall be my people.
 18 Yea, blessed is this people who are willing to bear my ^aname ; for in my ^bname shall they be called; and they are mine.
 19 And because thou hast inquired of me concerning the transgressor, thou art blessed.
 20 Thou art my servant; and I covenant with thee that thou shalt have ^aeternal life; and thou shalt serve me and go forth in my name, and shalt gather together my sheep.
 21 And he that will hear my voice shall be my ^asheep ; and him shall ye receive into the church, and him will I also receive.
 22 For behold, ^athis is my ^bchurch ; whosoever is ^cbaptized shall be baptized unto repentance. And whomsoever ye receive shall ^dbelieve in my name; and him will I freely ^eforgive .
 23 For it is I that taketh upon me the ^asins of the world; for it is I that hath ^bcreated them; and it is I that granteth unto him that believeth unto the end a place at my right hand.
 24 For behold, in my name are they called; and if they ^aknow me they shall come forth, and shall have a place eternally at my right hand.
 25 And it shall come to pass that when the ^asecond trump shall sound then shall they that never ^bknew me come forth and shall stand before me.
 26 And then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, that I am their Redeemer; but they would not be redeemed.
 27 And then I will confess unto them that I never ^aknew them; and they shall ^bdepart into ^ceverlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
 28 Therefore I say unto you, that he that will not ^ahear my voice, the same shall ye not receive into my church, for him I will not receive at the last day.
 29 Therefore I say unto you, Go; and whosoever transgresseth against me, him shall ye ^ajudge ^baccording to the sins which he has committed; and if he ^cconfess his sins before thee and me, and ^drepenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him shall ye ^eforgive , and I will forgive him also.
 30 Yea, and ^aas often as my people ^brepent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.
 31 And ye shall also ^aforgive one another your trespasses; for verily I say unto you, he that forgiveth not his ^bneighbor’s trespasses when he says that he repents, the same hath brought himself under condemnation.
 32 Now I say unto you, Go; and whosoever will ^anot repent of his sins the same shall not be numbered among my people; and this shall be observed from this time forward.
 33 And it came to pass when Alma had heard these words he ^awrote them down that he might have them, and that he might judge the people of that church according to the commandments of God.
 34 And it came to pass that Alma went and judged those that had been taken in iniquity, according to the ^aword of the Lord.
 35 And whosoever repented of their sins and did ^aconfess them, them he did number among the people of the church;
 36 And those that would not confess their sins and repent of their iniquity, the same were not numbered among the people of the church, and their names were ^ablotted out.
 37 And it came to pass that Alma did regulate all the affairs of the church; and they began again to have peace and to prosper exceedingly in the affairs of the church, walking circumspectly before God, receiving many, and baptizing many.
 38 And now all these things did Alma and his ^afellow laborers do who were over the church, ^bwalking in all diligence, teaching the word of God in all things, suffering all manner of afflictions, being persecuted by all those who did not belong to the church of God.
 39 And they did admonish their brethren; and they were also ^aadmonished , every one by the word of God, according to his sins, or to the sins which he had committed, being commanded of God to ^bpray without ceasing, and to give ^cthanks in all things.

 1 AND now it came to pass that the persecutions which were inflicted on the church by the unbelievers became so great that the church began to murmur, and complain to their leaders concerning the matter; and they did complain to Alma. And Alma laid the case before their king, Mosiah. And Mosiah ^aconsulted with his priests.
 2 And it came to pass that king Mosiah sent a proclamation throughout the land round about that there should not any unbeliever ^apersecute any of those who belonged to the church of God.
 3 And there was a strict command throughout all the churches that there should be no ^apersecutions among them, that there should be an ^bequality among all men;
 4 That they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb their ^apeace ; that every man should ^besteem his ^cneighbor as himself, ^dlaboring with their own hands for their support.
 5 Yea, and all their priests and teachers ^ashould ^blabor with their own hands for their support, in all cases save it were in sickness, or in much want; and doing these things, they did abound in the ^cgrace of God.
 6 And there began to be much peace again in the land; and the people began to be very numerous, and began to scatter abroad upon the face of the earth, yea, on the north and on the south, on the east and on the west, building large cities and villages in all quarters of the land.
 7 And the Lord did ^avisit them and ^bprosper them, and they became a large and wealthy people.
 8 Now the sons of Mosiah were numbered among the ^aunbelievers ; and also one of the sons of Alma was numbered among them, he being called Alma, after his father; nevertheless, he became a very wicked and an ^bidolatrous man. And he was a man of many words, and did speak much ^cflattery to the people; therefore he ^dled many of the people to do after the manner of his ^einiquities .
 9 And he became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God; ^astealing away the hearts of the people; causing much dissension among the people; giving a chance for the enemy of God to exercise his ^bpower over them.
 10 And now it came to pass that while he was going about to ^adestroy the church of God, for he did go about secretly with the sons of Mosiah seeking to destroy the church, and to lead astray the people of the Lord, contrary to the commandments of God, or even the king—
 11 And as I said unto you, as they were going about ^arebelling against God, behold, the ^bangel of the Lord ^cappeared unto them; and he descended as it were in a ^dcloud ; and he spake as it were with a voice of thunder, which caused the earth to shake upon which they stood;
 12 And so great was their astonishment, that they fell to the earth, and understood not the words which he spake unto them.
 13 Nevertheless he cried again, saying: Alma, arise and stand forth, for why persecutest thou the church of God? For the Lord hath said: ^aThis is my church, and I will establish it; and nothing shall ^boverthrow it, save it is the transgression of my people.
 14 And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath ^aheard the prayers of his people, and also the ^bprayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has ^cprayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the ^dknowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to ^econvince thee of the power and authority of God, that the ^fprayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith.
 15 And now behold, can ye dispute the power of God? For behold, doth not my voice shake the earth? And can ye not also ^abehold me before you? And I am sent from God.
 16 Now I say unto thee: Go, and remember the captivity of thy fathers in the land of ^aHelam , and in the land of Nephi; and remember how great things he has done for them; for they were in ^bbondage , and he has ^cdelivered them. And now I say unto thee, Alma, go thy way, and seek to destroy the church no more, that their prayers may be answered, and this even if thou wilt of ^dthyself be ^ecast off.
 17 And now it came to pass that these were the last words which the angel spake unto Alma, and he departed.
 18 And now Alma and those that were with him fell again to the earth, for great was their astonishment; for with their own eyes they had beheld an ^aangel of the Lord; and his voice was as thunder, which ^bshook the earth; and they knew that there was nothing save the power of God that could shake the earth and cause it to tremble as though it would part asunder.
 19 And now the astonishment of Alma was so great that he became ^adumb , that he could not open his mouth; yea, and he became weak, even that he could not move his hands; therefore he was taken by those that were with him, and carried helpless, even until he was laid before his father.
 20 And they rehearsed unto his father all that had happened unto them; and his father rejoiced, for he knew that it was the power of God.
 21 And he caused that a multitude should be gathered together that they might witness what the Lord had done for his son, and also for those that were with him.
 22 And he caused that the priests should assemble themselves together; and they began to fast, and to pray to the Lord their God that he would open the mouth of Alma, that he might speak, and also that his limbs might receive their strength—that the eyes of the people might be opened to see and know of the goodness and glory of God.
 23 And it came to pass after they had fasted and prayed for the space of ^atwo days and two nights, the limbs of Alma received their strength, and he stood up and began to speak unto them, bidding them to be of good comfort:
 24 For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been ^aredeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit.
 25 And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be ^aborn again; yea, ^bborn of God, ^cchanged from their carnal and ^dfallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his ^esons and daughters;
 26 And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in ^anowise inherit the kingdom of God.
 27 I say unto you, unless this be the case, they must be cast off; and this I know, because I was like to be cast off.
 28 Nevertheless, after ^awading through much ^btribulation , repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an ^ceverlasting burning, and I am born of God.
 29 My soul hath been ^aredeemed from the gall of bitterness and ^bbonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was ^cracked with eternal torment; but I am ^dsnatched , and my soul is ^epained no more.
 30 I rejected my Redeemer, and denied that which had been spoken of by our fathers; but now that they may foresee that he will come, and that he remembereth every creature of his creating, he will make himself manifest unto ^aall .
 31 Yea, ^aevery knee shall bow, and every tongue confess before him. Yea, even at the last day, when all men shall stand to be ^bjudged of him, then shall they confess that he is ^cGod ; then shall they confess, who live ^dwithout God in the world, that the judgment of an everlasting punishment is just upon them; and they shall quake, and tremble, and shrink beneath the glance of his ^eall -searching eye.
 32 And now it came to pass that Alma began from this time forward to teach the people, and those who were with Alma at the time the angel appeared unto them, traveling round about through all the land, publishing to all the people the things which they had heard and seen, and preaching the word of God in much tribulation, being greatly persecuted by those who were unbelievers, being smitten by many of them.
 33 But notwithstanding all this, they did impart much consolation to the church, confirming their faith, and exhorting them with long-suffering and much travail to keep the commandments of God.
 34 And four of them were the ^asons of Mosiah; and their names were Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni; these were the names of the sons of Mosiah.
 35 And they traveled throughout all the land of Zarahemla, and among all the ^apeople who were under the reign of king Mosiah, ^bzealously striving to repair all the injuries which they had done to the church, ^cconfessing all their sins, and publishing all the things which they had seen, and explaining the prophecies and the scriptures to all who desired to hear them.
 36 And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer.
 37 And how blessed are they! For they did ^apublish ^bpeace ; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth.

 1 NOW it came to pass that after the ^asons of Mosiah had done all these things, *they took a small number with them and returned to their father, the king, and desired of him that he would grant unto them that they might, with these whom they had ^bselected , go up to the land of ^cNephi that they might preach the things which they had heard, and that they might impart the word of God to their brethren, the Lamanites—
 2 ^aThat perhaps they might bring them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and convince them of the iniquity of their fathers; and that perhaps they might cure them of their ^bhatred towards the Nephites, that they might also be brought to rejoice in the Lord their God, that they might become friendly to one another, and that there should be no more contentions in all the land which the Lord their God had given them.
 3 Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not ^abear that any human ^bsoul should ^cperish ; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure ^dendless torment did cause them to quake and ^etremble .
 4 And thus did the Spirit of the Lord work upon them, for they were the very ^avilest of sinners. And the Lord saw fit in his infinite ^bmercy to spare them; nevertheless they suffered much anguish of soul because of their iniquities, suffering much and fearing that they should be cast off forever.
 5 And it came to pass that they did plead with their father many days that they might go up to the land of Nephi.
 6 And king Mosiah went and ^ainquired of the Lord if he should let his sons go up among the Lamanites to preach the word.
 7 And the Lord said unto Mosiah: Let them go up, for many shall believe on their words, and they shall have eternal life; and I will ^adeliver thy sons out of the hands of the Lamanites.
 8 And it came to pass that Mosiah granted that they might go and do according to their request.
 9 And they ^atook their journey into the wilderness to go up to preach the word among the Lamanites; and I shall give an ^baccount of their proceedings hereafter.
 10 Now king Mosiah had no one to confer the kingdom upon, for there was not any of his sons who ^awould accept of the kingdom.
 11 Therefore he took the records which were engraven on the plates of ^abrass , and also the plates of ^bNephi , and all the things which he had kept and preserved according to the commandments of God, after having translated and caused to be written the records which were on the ^cplates of gold which had been found by the people of Limhi, which were delivered to him by the hand of Limhi;
 12 And this he did because of the great anxiety of his people; for they were desirous beyond measure to know concerning those people ^awho had been destroyed.
 13 And now he translated them by the means of those two ^astones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow.
 14 Now these things were prepared from the beginning, and were handed down from generation to generation, for the purpose of interpreting languages;
 15 And they have been kept and preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he should discover to every creature who should possess the land the iniquities and abominations of his people;
 16 And whosoever has these things is called ^aseer , after the manner of old times.
 17 Now after Mosiah had finished ^atranslating these ^brecords , behold, it gave an account of the people who were ^cdestroyed , from the time that they were destroyed back to the building of the ^dgreat tower, at the time the Lord ^econfounded the language of the people and they were scattered abroad upon the face of all the earth, yea, and even from that time back until the creation of Adam.
 18 Now this account did cause the people of Mosiah to mourn exceedingly, yea, they were filled with sorrow; nevertheless it gave them much knowledge, in the which they did rejoice.
 19 And this account shall be ^awritten hereafter; for behold, it is expedient that all people should know the things which are written in this account.
 20 And now, as I said unto you, that after king Mosiah had done these things, he took the plates of ^abrass , and all the things which he had kept, and ^bconferred them upon Alma, who was the son of Alma; yea, all the records, and also the ^cinterpreters , and conferred them upon him, and commanded him that he should keep and ^dpreserve them, and also keep a record of the people, handing them down from one generation to another, even as they had been handed down from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem.

* Verse 1  [About 92 B.C.].

 1 NOW when Mosiah had done this he sent out throughout all the land, among all the people, desiring to know their will concerning who should be their king.
 2 And it came to pass that the voice of the people came, saying: We are desirous that Aaron thy son should be our king and our ruler.
 3 Now Aaron had gone up to the land of Nephi, therefore the king could not confer the kingdom upon him; ^aneither would Aaron take upon him the kingdom; neither were any of the ^bsons of Mosiah ^cwilling to take upon them the kingdom.
 4 Therefore king Mosiah sent again among the people; yea, even a written word sent he among the people. And these were the words that were written, saying:
 5 Behold, O ye my people, or my brethren, for I esteem you as such, I desire that ye should consider the cause which ye are called to ^aconsider —for ye are desirous to have a king.
 6 Now I declare unto you that he to whom the kingdom doth rightly belong has declined, and will not take upon him the kingdom.
 7 And now if there should be another appointed in his stead, behold I fear there would rise ^acontentions among you. And who knoweth but what my son, to whom the kingdom doth belong, should turn to be angry and ^bdraw away a part of this people after him, which would cause wars and contentions among you, which would be the cause of shedding much blood and perverting the way of the Lord, yea, and destroy the souls of many people.
 8 Now I say unto you let us be wise and consider these things, for we have no right to destroy my son, neither should we have any right to destroy another if he should be appointed in his stead.
 9 And if my son should turn again to his pride and vain things he would recall the things which he had said, and claim his right to the kingdom, which would cause him and also this people to commit much sin.
 10 And now let us be wise and look forward to these things, and do that which will make for the peace of this people.
 11 Therefore I will be your king the remainder of my days; nevertheless, let ^aus appoint ^bjudges , to judge this people according to our law; and we will newly arrange the affairs of this people, for we will appoint wise men to be judges, that will judge this people according to the commandments of God.
 12 Now it is better that a man should be ^ajudged of God than of man, for the judgments of God are always just, but the judgments of man are not always just.
 13 Therefore, ^aif it were possible that you could have ^bjust men to be your kings, who would establish the ^claws of God, and judge this people according to his commandments, yea, if ye could have men for your kings who would do even as my father ^dBenjamin did for this people—I say unto you, if this could always be the case then it would be expedient that ye should always have kings to rule over you.
 14 And even I myself have labored with all the power and faculties which I have possessed, to teach you the commandments of God, and to establish peace throughout the land, that there should be no wars nor contentions, no stealing, nor plundering, nor murdering, nor any manner of iniquity;
 15 And whosoever has committed iniquity, him have I ^apunished according to the crime which he has committed, according to the law which has been given to us by our fathers.
 16 Now I say unto you, that because all men are not just it is not expedient that ye should have a ^aking or kings to rule over you.
 17 For behold, how much ^ainiquity doth one ^bwicked king cause to be committed, yea, and what great destruction!
 18 Yea, remember king Noah, his ^awickedness and his abominations, and also the wickedness and abominations of his people. Behold what great destruction did come upon them; and also because of their iniquities they were brought into ^bbondage .
 19 And were it not for the interposition of their all-wise Creator, and this because of their sincere repentance, they must unavoidably remain in bondage until now.
 20 But behold, he did deliver them because they did ^ahumble themselves before him; and because they ^bcried mightily unto him he did deliver them out of bondage; and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases among the children of men, extending the arm of ^cmercy towards them that put their ^dtrust in him.
 21 And behold, now I say unto you, ye cannot dethrone an iniquitous ^aking save it be through much contention, and the shedding of much blood.
 22 For behold, he has his ^afriends in iniquity, and he keepeth his guards about him; and he teareth up the laws of those who have reigned in righteousness before him; and he trampleth under his feet the commandments of God;
 23 And he enacteth laws, and sendeth them forth among his people, yea, laws after the manner of his own wickedness; and whosoever doth not obey his laws he ^acauseth to be destroyed; and whosoever doth rebel against him he will send his armies against them to war, and if he can he will destroy them; and thus an unrighteous ^bking doth pervert the ways of all righteousness.
 24 And now behold I say unto you, it is not expedient that such abominations should come upon you.
 25 Therefore, choose you by the ^avoice of this people, judges, that ye may be ^bjudged according to the ^claws which have been given you by our fathers, which are correct, and which were given them by the hand of the Lord.
 26 Now it is not common that the ^avoice of the people desireth anything ^bcontrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the ^cpeople to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people.
 27 And ^aif the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land.
 28 And now if ye have judges, and they do not ^ajudge you according to the law which has been given, ye can cause that they may be judged of a higher judge.
 29 If your higher judges do not judge righteous judgments, ye shall cause that a small number of your lower judges should be gathered together, and they shall judge your higher judges, according to the voice of the people.
 30 And I command you to do these things in the fear of the Lord; and I command you to do these things, and that ye have no king; that if these people commit sins and iniquities they shall be answered upon their own heads.
 31 For behold I say unto you, the sins of many people have been ^acaused by the iniquities of their kings; therefore their iniquities are answered upon the heads of their kings.
 32 And now I desire that this ^ainequality should be no more in this land, especially among this my people; but I desire that this land be a land of ^bliberty , and ^cevery man may enjoy his rights and privileges alike, so long as the Lord sees fit that we may live and inherit the land, yea, even as long as any of our posterity remains upon the face of the land.
 33 And many more things did king Mosiah write unto them, unfolding unto them all the trials and ^atroubles of a righteous king, yea, all the travails of soul for their people, and also all the murmurings of the people to their king; and he explained it all unto them.
 34 And he told them that these things ought not to be; but that the burden should come upon all the people, that every man might ^abear his part.
 35 And he also unfolded unto them all the disadvantages they labored under, by having an unrighteous ^aking to rule over them;
 36 Yea, all ^ahis iniquities and abominations, and all the wars, and contentions, and bloodshed, and the stealing, and the plundering, and the committing of whoredoms, and all manner of iniquities which cannot be enumerated—telling them that these things ought not to be, that they were expressly repugnant to the commandments of God.
 37 And now it came to pass, after king Mosiah had sent these things forth among the people they were ^aconvinced of the truth of his words.
 38 Therefore they relinquished their desires for a king, and became exceedingly anxious that every man should have an equal ^achance throughout all the land; yea, and every man expressed a willingness to answer for his own sins.
 39 Therefore, it came to pass that they assembled themselves together in bodies throughout the land, to cast in their ^avoices concerning who should be their ^bjudges , to judge them according to the ^claw which had been given them; and they were exceedingly rejoiced because of the ^dliberty which had been granted unto them.
 40 And they did wax strong in love towards Mosiah; yea, they did esteem him more than any other man; for they did not look upon him as a ^atyrant who was seeking for gain, yea, for that ^blucre which doth ^ccorrupt the soul; for he had not exacted riches of them, neither had he delighted in the shedding of blood; but he had established ^dpeace in the land, and he had granted unto his people that they should be delivered from all manner of bondage; therefore they did esteem him, yea, exceedingly, beyond measure.
 41 And it came to pass that they did ^aappoint ^bjudges to rule over them, or to judge them according to the law; and this they did throughout all the land.
 42 And it came to pass that Alma was appointed to be the first ^achief judge, he being also the ^bhigh priest, his father having conferred the office upon him, and having given him the charge concerning all the affairs of the church.
 43 And now it came to pass that Alma did ^awalk in the ways of the Lord, and he did keep his commandments, and he did judge righteous judgments; and there was continual peace through the land.
 44 And thus *commenced the ^areign of the judges throughout all the land of Zarahemla, among all the people who were called the Nephites; and Alma was the first and chief judge.
 45 And now it came to pass that his father died, being eighty and two years old, having lived to fulfil the commandments of God.
 46 And it came to pass that Mosiah ^adied also, in the thirty and third year of his reign, being ^bsixty and three years old; making in the whole, five hundred and nine years from the time Lehi left Jerusalem.
 47 And thus ended the reign of the kings over the people of Nephi; and thus ended the days of Alma, who was the founder of their church.

* Verse 44  [91 B.C.].