The Book of Mormon Part 80

Alma 43:32 32 And the remainder he concealed in the west valley, on the west of the river Sidon, and so down into the borders of the land Manti.

Alma 43:33 33 And thus having placed his army according to his desire, he was prepared to meet them.

Alma 43:34 34 And it came to pa.s.s that the Lamanites came up on the north of the hill, where a part of the army of Moroni was concealed.

Alma 43:35 35 And as the Lamanites had pa.s.sed the hill Riplah, and came into the valley, and began to cross the river Sidon, the army which was concealed on the south of the hill, which was led by a man whose name was Lehi, and he led his army forth and encircled the Lamanites about on the east in their rear.

Alma 43:36 36 And it came to pa.s.s that the Lamanites, when they saw the Nephites coming upon them in their rear, turned them about and began to contend with the army of Lehi.

Alma 43:37 37 And the work of death commenced on both sides, but it was more dreadful on the part of the Lamanites, for their nakedness was exposed to the heavy blows of the Nephites with their swords and their cimeters, which brought death almost at every stroke.

Alma 43:38 38 While on the other hand, there was now and then a man fell among the Nephites, by their swords and the loss of blood, they being s.h.i.+elded from the more vital parts of the body, or the more vital parts of the body being s.h.i.+elded from the strokes of the Lamanites, by their breastplates, and their arm-s.h.i.+elds, and their head-plates; and thus the Nephites did carry on the work of death among the Lamanites.

Alma 43:39 39 And it came to pa.s.s that the Lamanites became frightened, because of the great destruction among them, even until they began to flee towards the river Sidon.

Alma 43:40 40 And they were pursued by Lehi and his men; and they were driven by Lehi into the waters of Sidon, and they crossed the waters of Sidon. And Lehi retained his armies upon the bank of the river Sidon that they should not cross.

Alma 43:41 41 And it came to pa.s.s that Moroni and his army met the Lamanites in the valley, on the other side of the river Sidon, and began to fall upon them and to slay them.

Alma 43:42 42 And the Lamanites did flee again before them, towards the land of Manti; and they were met again by the armies of Moroni.

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

Alma 43:44 44 And they were inspired by the Zoramites and the Amalekites, who were their chief captains and leaders, and by Zerahemnah, who was their chief captain, or their chief leader and commander; yea, they did fight like dragons, and many of the Nephites were slain by their hands, yea, for they did smite in two many of their head-plates, and they did pierce many of their breastplates, and they did smite off many of their arms; and thus the Lamanites did smite in their fierce anger.

Alma 43:45 45 Nevertheless, the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for monarchy nor power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of wors.h.i.+p and their church.

Alma 43:46 46 And they were doing that which they felt was the duty which they owed to their G.o.d; for the Lord had said unto them, and also unto their fathers, that: Inasmuch as ye are not guilty of the first offense, neither the second, ye shall not suffer yourselves to be slain by the hands of your enemies.

Alma 43:47 47 And again, the Lord has said that: Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed. Therefore for this cause were the Nephites contending with the Lamanites, to defend themselves, and their families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and their religion.

Alma 43:48 48 And it came to pa.s.s that when the men of Moroni saw the fierceness and the anger of the Lamanites, they were about to shrink and flee from them. And Moroni, perceiving their intent, sent forth and inspired their hearts with these thoughts--yea, the thoughts of their lands, their liberty, yea, their freedom from bondage.

Alma 43:49 49 And it came to pa.s.s that they turned upon the Lamanites, and they cried with one voice unto the Lord their G.o.d, for their liberty and their freedom from bondage.

Alma 43:50 50 And they began to stand against the Lamanites with power; and in that selfsame hour that they cried unto the Lord for their freedom, the Lamanites began to flee before them; and they fled even to the waters of Sidon.

Alma 43:51 51 Now, the Lamanites were more numerous, yea, by more than double the number of the Nephites; nevertheless, they were driven insomuch that they were gathered together in one body in the valley, upon the bank by the river Sidon.

Alma 43:52 52 Therefore the armies of Moroni encircled them about, yea, even on both sides of the river, for behold, on the east were the men of Lehi.

Alma 43:53 53 Therefore when Zerahemnah saw the men of Lehi on the east of the river Sidon, and the armies of Moroni on the west of the river Sidon, that they were encircled about by the Nephites, they were struck with terror.

Alma 43:54 54 Now Moroni, when he saw their terror, commanded his men that they should stop shedding their blood.

Alma 44 Chapter 44

Alma 44:1 1 And it came to pa.s.s that they did stop and withdrew a pace from them. And Moroni said unto Zerahemnah: Behold, Zerahemnah, that we do not desire to be men of blood. Ye know that ye are in our hands, yet we do not desire to slay you.

Alma 44:2 2 Behold, we have not come out to battle against you that we might shed your blood for power; neither do we desire to bring any one to the yoke of bondage. But this is the very cause for which ye have come against us; yea, and ye are angry with us because of our religion.

Alma 44:3 3 But now, ye behold that the Lord is with us; and ye behold that he has delivered you into our hands. And now I would that ye should understand that this is done unto us because of our religion and our faith in Christ. And now ye see that ye cannot destroy this our faith.

Alma 44:4 4 Now ye see that this is the true faith of G.o.d; yea, ye see that G.o.d will support, and keep, and preserve us, so long as we are faithful unto him, and unto our faith, and our religion; and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be destroyed except we should fall into transgression and deny our faith.

Alma 44:5 5 And now, Zerahemnah, I command you, in the name of that all-powerful G.o.d, who has strengthened our arms that we have gained power over you, by our faith, by our religion, and by our rites of wors.h.i.+p, and by our church, and by the sacred support which we owe to our wives and our children, by that liberty which binds us to our lands and our country; yea, and also by the maintenance of the sacred word of G.o.d, to which we owe all our happiness; and by all that is most dear unto us--

Alma 44:6 6 Yea, and this is not all; I command you by all the desires which ye have for life, that ye deliver up your weapons of war unto us, and we will seek not your blood, but we will spare your lives, if ye will go your way and come not again to war against us.

Alma 44:7 7 And now, if ye do not this, behold, ye are in our hands, and I will command my men that they shall fall upon you, and inflict the wounds of death in your bodies, that ye may become extinct; and then we will see who shall have power over this people; yea, we will see who shall be brought into bondage.

Alma 44:8 8 And now it came to pa.s.s that when Zerahemnah had heard these sayings he came forth and delivered up his sword and his cimeter, and his bow into the hands of Moroni, and said unto him: Behold, here are our weapons of war; we will deliver them up unto you, but we will not suffer ourselves to take an oath unto you, which we know that we shall break, and also our children; but take our weapons of war, and suffer that we may depart into the wilderness; otherwise we will retain our swords, and we will perish or conquer.

Alma 44:9 9 Behold, we are not of your faith; we do not believe that it is G.o.d that has delivered us into your hands; but we believe that it is your cunning that has preserved you from our swords. Behold, it is your breastplates and your s.h.i.+elds that have preserved you.

Alma 44:10 10 And now when Zerahemnah had made an end of speaking these words, Moroni returned the sword and the weapons of war, which he had received, unto Zerahemnah, saying: Behold, we will end the conflict.

Alma 44:11 11 Now I cannot recall the words which I have spoken, therefore as the Lord liveth, ye shall not depart except ye depart with an oath that ye will not return again against us to war. Now as ye are in our hands we will spill your blood upon the ground, or ye shall submit to the conditions which I have proposed.

Alma 44:12 12 And now when Moroni had said these words, Zerahemnah retained his sword, and he was angry with Moroni, and he rushed forward that he might slay Moroni; but as he raised his sword, behold, one of Moroni's soldiers smote it even to the earth, and it broke by the hilt; and he also smote Zerahemnah that he took off his scalp and it fell to the earth. And Zerahemnah withdrew from before them into the midst of his soldiers.

Alma 44:13 13 And it came to pa.s.s that the soldier who stood by, who smote off the scalp of Zerahemnah, took up the scalp from off the ground by the hair, and laid it upon the point of his sword, and stretched it forth unto them, saying unto them with a loud voice:

Alma 44:14 14 Even as this scalp has fallen to the earth, which is the scalp of your chief, so shall ye fall to the earth except ye will deliver up your weapons of war and depart with a covenant of peace.

Alma 44:15 15 Now there were many, when they heard these words and saw the scalp which was upon the sword, that were struck with fear; and many came forth and threw down their weapons of war at the feet of Moroni, and entered into a covenant of peace. And as many as entered into a covenant they suffered to depart into the wilderness.

Alma 44:16 16 Now it came to pa.s.s that Zerahemnah was exceedingly wroth, and he did stir up the remainder of his soldiers to anger, to contend more powerfully against the Nephites.

Alma 44:17 17 And now Moroni was angry, because of the stubbornness of the Lamanites; therefore he commanded his people that they should fall upon them and slay them. And it came to pa.s.s that they began to slay them; yea, and the Lamanites did contend with their swords and their might.

Alma 44:18 18 But behold, their naked skins and their bare heads were exposed to the sharp swords of the Nephites; yea, behold they were pierced and smitten, yea, and did fall exceedingly fast before the swords of the Nephites; and they began to be swept down, even as the soldier of Moroni had prophesied.

Alma 44:19 19 Now Zerahemnah, when he saw that they were all about to be destroyed, cried mightily unto Moroni, promising that he would covenant and also his people with them, if they would spare the remainder of their lives, that they never would come to war again against them.

Alma 44:20 20 And it came to pa.s.s that Moroni caused that the work of death should cease again among the people. And he took the weapons of war from the Lamanites; and after they had entered into a covenant with him of peace they were suffered to depart into the wilderness.

Alma 44:21 21 Now the number of their dead was not numbered because of the greatness of the number; yea, the number of their dead was exceedingly great, both on the Nephites and on the Lamanites.

Alma 44:22 22 And it came to pa.s.s that they did cast their dead into the waters of Sidon, and they have gone forth and are buried in the depths of the sea.

Alma 44:23 23 And the armies of the Nephites, or of Moroni, returned and came to their houses and their lands.

Alma 44:24 24 And thus ended the eighteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi. And thus ended the record of Alma, which was written upon the plates of Nephi.

Alma 45 Chapter 45

Alma 45:1 1 Behold, now it came to pa.s.s that the people of Nephi were exceedingly rejoiced, because the Lord had again delivered them out of the hands of their enemies; therefore they gave thanks unto the Lord their G.o.d; yea, and they did fast much and pray much, and they did wors.h.i.+p G.o.d with exceedingly great joy.