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Words of Alma and Amulek in Ammonihah
abridged ca. 371 ad from the record of alma
And it came to pass that the lawyers put it into their hearts that they should remember these things against him. And there was one among them whose name was Zeezrom. Now he was the foremost to accuse Amulek and Alma, he being one of the most expert among them, having much business to do among the people. Now the object of these lawyers was to get gain, and they got gain according to their employ.
Now it was in the law of Mosiah that every man who was a judge of the law, or those who were appointed to be judges, should receive wages according to the time which they labored to judge those who were brought before them to be judged. Now if a man owed another, and he would not pay that which he did owe, he was complained of to the judge. And the judge executed authority, and sent forth officers that the man should be brought before him.
And he judged the man according to the law and the evidences which were brought against him, and thus the man was compelled to pay that which he owed, or be stripped, or be cast out from among the people as a thief and a robber. And the judge received for his wages according to his time: a senine of gold for a day, or a senum of silver, which is equal to a senine of gold. And this is according to the law which was given.
Now these are the names of the different pieces of their gold, and of their silver, according to their value. And the names are given by the Nephites, for they did not reckon after the manner of the Jews who were at Jerusalem. Neither did they measure after the manner of the Jews. But they altered their reckoning and their measure, according to the minds and the circumstances of the people, in every generation, until the reign of the judges, they having been established by King Mosiah. Now the reckoning is thus:
A senine of gold, a seon of gold,
A shum of gold, and a limnah of gold.
A senum of silver, an amnor of silver,
An ezrom of silver, and an onti of silver.
A senum of silver was equal to a senine of gold. And either for a measure of barley, and also for a measure of every kind of grain. Now the amount of a seon of gold was twice the value of a senine.
And a shum of gold was twice the value of a seon.
And a limnah of gold was the value of them all.
And an amnor of silver was as great as two senums.
And an ezrum of silver was as great as four senums.
And an onti was as great as them all.
Now this is the value of the lesser numbers of their reckoning:
A shiblum is half of a senum.
Therefore, a shiblon for half a measure of barley.
And a shiblum is a half of a shiblon.
And a leah is the half of a shiblum.
Now this is their number, according to their reckoning.
Now an antion of gold is equal to three shiblons.
Now, it was for the sole purpose to get gain, because they received their wages according to their employ, therefore, they did stir up the people to riotings, and all manner of disturbances and wickedness, that they might have more employ, that they might get money according to the suits which were brought before them. Therefore they did stir up the people against Alma and Amulek.
And this Zeezrom began to question Amulek, saying: Will ye answer me a few questions which I shall ask you?
Now Zeezrom was a man who was expert in the devices of the Devil, that he might destroy that which was good. Therefore, he said unto Amulek: Will ye answer the questions which I shall put unto you?
And Amulek said unto him:
Yea, if it be according to the spirit of the Lord which is in me!
For I shall say nothing which is contrary to the spirit of the Lord.
And Zeezrom said unto him: Behold, here are six onties of silver, and all these will I give thee if thou wilt deny the existence of a Supreme Being.
Now Amulek said:
O thou child of Hell, why tempt ye me? Knowest thou
That the righteous yieldeth to no such temptations? Believest
Thou that there is no god? I say unto you,
Nay, thou knowest that there is a god! But thou lovest that lucre
More than him. And now thou hast lied before God unto me!
Thou saidst unto me: Behold these six onties, which are of great worth,
I will give unto thee. When thou hadst it in thy heart to retain
Them from me.
And it was only thy desire that I should deny the true and living god,
That thou mightest have cause to destroy me.
And now behold, for this great evil thou shalt have thy reward.
And Zeezrom said unto him: Thou sayest there is a true and living god?
And Amulek said: Yea, there is a true and living god.
Now Zeezrom said: Is there more than one god?
And he answered, No.
Now Zeezrom said unto him again: How knowest thou these things?
And he said: An angel hath made them known unto me.
And Zeezrom said again: Who is he that shall come? Is it the Son of God?
And he said unto him, Yea.
And Zeezrom said again: Shall he save his people in their sins?
And Amulek answered and said unto him: I say unto you he shall not, for it is impossible for him to deny his word.
Now Zeezrom said unto the people:
See that ye remember these things. For he said there is
But one god. Yet he saith that the Son of God shall come, but
He shall not save his people.
As though he had authority to command God!
Now Amulek saith again unto him:
Behold thou hast lied, for thou sayest that I spake as though I had
Authority to command God, because I said
He shall not save his people in their sins. And I say unto you again
That he cannot save them in their sins.
For I cannot deny his word, and he hath said that no unclean thing
Can inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, how can ye be saved,
Except ye inherit the Kingdom of Heaven?
Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins.
Now Zeezrom saith again unto him: Is the Son of God the very eternal Father? And Amulek said unto him:
Yea, he is the very eternal Father of heaven and of earth,
And all things which in them are!
He is the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
And he shall come into the world to redeem his people,
And he shall take upon him the transgressions
Of those who believe on his name. And these
Are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else.
Therefore the wicked remain as though there had been
No redemption made, except it be the loosing of the bands of death
For behold, the day cometh that all shall rise from the dead
And stand before God, and be judged according to their works.
Now, there is a death which is called a temporal death
And the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death,
That all shall be raised from this temporal death.
The spirit and the body shall be reunited again, in its perfect form, both
Limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame,
Even as we now are at this time, and we shall be brought to stand before
God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt.
Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both
Bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous.
And even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost
But every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame,
As it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before
The bar of Christ the Son and God the Father and the Holy Spirit,
Which is one eternal god to be judged according to their works,
whether they be good or whether they be evil.
Now, behold, I have spoken unto you concerning
The death of the mortal body
And also concerning the resurrection of the mortal body.
I say unto you, that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body,
That is from death, even from the first death unto life,
That they can die no more: their spirits uniting with their bodies, never
To be divided. Thus the whole becoming spiritual and immortal,
That they can no more see corruption.
Now, when Amulek had finished these words the people began again to be astonished, and also Zeezrom began to tremble. And thus ended the words of Amulek, or this is all that I have written.
Now Alma, seeing that the words of Amulek had silenced Zeezrom, for he beheld that Amulek had caught him in his lying and deceiving to destroy him, and seeing that he began to tremble under a consciousness of his guilt, he opened his mouth and began to speak unto him, and to establish the words of Amulek, and to explain things beyond, or to unfold the scriptures beyond that which Amulek had done.
Now the words that Alma spake unto Zeezrom were heard by the people round about, for the multitude was great, and he spake on this wise:
Now Zeezrom, seeing that thou hast been taken in thy lying
And craftiness, for thou hast not lied unto men only
But thou hast lied unto God. For behold, he knows all thy
Thoughts, and thou seest that thy thoughts are made known unto us
By his Spirit. And thou seest that we know that thy plan was
A very subtle plan, as to the subtlety of the Devil,
For to lie and to deceive this people, that thou mightest set
Them against us, to revile us and to cast us out.
Now this was a plan of thine adversary,
And he hath exercised his power in thee.
Now I would that ye should remember
That what I say unto thee I say unto all.
And behold I say unto you all that this was a snare of the adversary,
Which he has laid to catch this people, that he
Might bring you into subjection unto him,
That he might encircle you about with his chains,
That he might chain you down to everlasting
Destruction, according to the power of his captivity!
Now when Alma had spoken these words, Zeezrom began to tremble more exceedingly, for he was convinced more and more of the power of God. And he was also convinced that Alma and Amulek had a knowledge of him, for he was convinced that they knew the thoughts and intents of his heart. For power was given unto them that they might know of these things according to the spirit of prophecy. And Zeezrom began to inquire of them diligently, that he might know more concerning the Kingdom of God. And he said unto Alma:
What does this mean which Amulek hath spoken,
Concerning the resurrection of the dead, that all shall rise from the dead,
Both the just and the unjust, and are brought to stand
Before God to be judged according to their works?
And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying:
It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God.
Nevertheless they are laid under a strict command
That they shall not impart only according to the portion of
His word which he doth grant unto the children of men,
According to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.
And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser
Portion of the word. And he that will not harden his heart, to him
Is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know
The mysteries of God, until he know them in full.
And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion
Of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries
And then they are taken captive by the Devil and led by his will
Down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of Hell.
And Amulek hath spoken plainly concerning death, and being raised
From this mortality to a state of immortality, and being brought
Before the bar of God to be judged according to our works.
Then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened
Our hearts against the word, insomuch that it has not been found in us,
Then will our state be awful, for then we shall be condemned.
For our words will condemn us! Yea, all our works will condemn us!
We shall not be found spotless, and our thoughts will also condemn us!
And in this awful state we shall not dare to look up
To our god, and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks
And the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence.
But this cannot be!
We must come forth and stand before him in his glory,
And in his power, and in his might, majesty,
And dominion, and acknowledge to our everlasting shame
That all his judgments are just: that he is just in all his works,
And that he is merciful unto the children of men,
And that he has all power to save every man that believeth on his name
And bringeth forth fruit, meet for repentance.
And now behold, I say unto you, then cometh a death,
Even a second death, which is a spiritual death!
Then is a time that whosoever dieth in his sins, as to a temporal death,
Shall also die a spiritual death.
Yea, he shall die as to things pertaining unto righteousness.
Then is the time when their torments shall be
As a lake of fire and brimstone,
Whose flame ascendeth up forever
And ever, and then is the time that they shall be
Chained down to an everlasting destruction,
According to the power and captivity of Satan, he
Having subjected them according to his will.
Then, I say unto you, they shall be as though there had been
No redemption made! For they cannot be redeemed
According to God’s justice, and they cannot die, seeing
There is no more corruption.
Now it came to pass that when Alma had made an end of speaking these words, the people began to be more astonished. But there was one Antionah, who was a chief ruler among them, came forth and said unto him:
What is this that thou hast said?
That man should rise from the dead
And be changed from this mortal to an immortal state
That the soul can never die?
What does the scripture mean,
Which saith that God placed cherubim
And a flaming sword on the east of the garden of Eden,
Lest our first parents should enter and partake of the fruit
Of the Tree of Life, and live forever?
And thus we see that there was no possible chance
That they should live forever.
Now Alma said unto him:
This is the thing which I was about to explain!
Now we see that Adam did fall by the partaking of the forbidden fruit,
According to the word of God, and thus we see, that by his fall,
All mankind became a lost and fallen people.
And now behold, I say unto you that if it had been possible
For Adam to have partaken of the fruit of the Tree of Life
At that time, there would have been no death,
And the word would have been void, making God a liar,
For he said: If thou eat thou shalt surely die!
And we see that death comes upon mankind,
Yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek,
Which is the temporal death, nevertheless
There was a space granted unto man in which he might repent.
Therefore this life became a probationary state, a time
To prepare to meet God: a time to prepare for that endless state
Which has been spoken of by us,
Which is after the resurrection of the dead.
Now, if it had not been for the plan of redemption, which was laid
From the foundation of the world,
There could have been no resurrection of the dead.
But there was a plan of redemption laid,
Which shall bring to pass the resurrection of the dead,
Of which has been spoken. And now behold,
If it were possible that our first
Parents could have gone forth and partaken of the Tree
Of Life they would have been forever
Miserable, having no preparatory state, and thus the plan of
Redemption would have been frustrated, and the word
Of God would have been void, taking none effect.
But behold, it was not so! But it was
Appointed unto men that they must die and after death,
They must come to judgment, even that same judgment
Of which we have spoken, which is the end.
And after God had appointed that these things should come unto man,
Behold, then he saw that it was expedient that man should know
Concerning the things whereof he had appointed unto them.
Therefore he sent angels to converse with them,
Who caused men to behold of his glory.
And they began from that time forth to call on his name.9Here God has warned the immortal Adam concerning the fruit of the tree, and by his eating, death was appointed unto Man. Yet, death was part of the plan to redeem man from the Fall, including Adam (and the eating of the fruit was not the Fall itself). He sent angel-elves to teach these things to Man, and gave them new commandments. Though I am confident this entire tale can be removed from the bible and re-translated into Tolkien’s world, I won’t deliver it in a footnote.
Therefore God conversed with men, and made known unto them
The plan of redemption, which had been prepared from
The foundation of the world! And this he made known unto them
According to their faith and repentance
And their holy works. Wherefore, he gave commandments unto men,
They having first transgressed the first commandments
As to things which were temporal, and becoming
As gods, knowing good from evil, placing themselves
In a state to act, or being placed in a state to act according to
Their wills and pleasures, whether to do evil or to do good.
Therefore God gave unto them commandments!
After having made known unto them the plan of redemption,
That they should not do evil, the penalty thereof being
A second death, which was an everlasting death
As to things pertaining unto righteousness;
For on such the plan of redemption could have no power, for
The works of justice could not be destroyed,
According to the supreme goodness of God.
But God did call on men in the name of his Son, this
Being the plan of redemption which was laid, saying:
If ye will repent and harden not your hearts,
Then will I have mercy upon you, through
Mine only begotten son.
Therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not
His heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine
Only begotten son unto a remission of his sins
And these shall enter into my rest. And whosoever will harden his heart
And will do iniquity, behold, I swear in my wrath
That he shall not enter into my rest.
And now, my brethren, behold I say unto you, that if ye will
Harden your hearts ye shall not enter into the rest
Of the Lord. Therefore your iniquity provoketh him that he
Sendeth down his wrath upon you, as in the First Provocation,
Yea, according to his word in the last provocation as well
As the first, to the everlasting destruction of your souls!
Therefore, according to his word, unto the last death, as well as the first.
And now, my brethren, seeing we know these things, and they are true,
Let us repent! And harden not our hearts! That we provoke not
The Lord our god to pull down his wrath upon us in these
His second commandments, which he has given unto us
But let us enter into the rest of God, which is
Prepared according to his word.
And again, my brethren, I would cite your minds forward to
The time when the Lord God gave these commandments
Unto his children, and I would that ye should remember:
That the Lord God ordained priests after his Holy Order,
Which was after the Order of his son, to teach
These things unto the people. And those priests were ordained
After the Order of his son, in a manner that thereby
The people might know in what manner to look forward
To his son for redemption.10Mention of this Order begins with Alma, and finally we learn a little of their history. Being originally comprised of humans redeemed by their having chosen the good, among those fallen into worship of the Devil in the first days of Man upon the earth, they were ordained into a priesthood and brought to the Kingdom of God. Tolkien mentions these redeemed humans, who in the First Age fought with the Valar against Melkor’s legions, and having been brought to the land of Aman, they were numbered among those hosts blessed to labor in Arda according to the will of Eru. Alma has re-instituted their order among the Nephites, preparing that people for the coming of Jesus.
And this is the manner after which they were ordained:
Being called and prepared from the foundation of the world
According to the foreknowledge of God,
On account of their exceeding faith and good works
In the first place being left to choose good or evil,
Therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly
Great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea,
With that holy calling which was prepared with,
And according to, a preparatory redemption for such.
And thus they have been called to this holy calling
On account of their faith, while others would reject the spirit of God
On account of the hardness of their hearts and
Blindness of their minds, while, if it had not been for this
They might have had as great privilege as their brethren.
Or in fine, in the first place they were on the same standing
With their brethren. Thus this holy calling being
Prepared from the foundation of the world for such as would
Not harden their hearts, being in and through the atonement
Of the only begotten Son who was prepared.
And thus being called by this holy calling,
And ordained unto the high priesthood of the Holy Order
Of God, to teach his commandments unto the children
Of men, that they also might enter into his rest,
This high priesthood being after the Order of his Son,
Which order was from the foundation
Of the world; or in other words, being without beginning
Of days or end of years, being prepared from eternity to all
Eternity, according to his foreknowledge of all things,
Now they were ordained after this manner:
Being called with a holy calling,
And ordained with a holy ordinance,
And taking upon them the high priesthood of the Holy Order,
Which calling, and ordinance, and high priesthood,
Is without beginning or end: Thus they become high priests forever!
After the Order of the son [of] the only begotten
Of the Father, who is without beginning of days
Or end of years, who is full of grace,
Equity, and truth. And thus it is. Amen.
Now, as I said concerning the Holy Order,
Or this high priesthood, there were many who were
Ordained and became high priests of God.
And it was on account of their exceeding faith and repentance,
And their righteousness before God, they choosing to
Repent and work righteousness rather than to perish;
Therefore they were called after this Holy Order,
And were sanctified, and their garments were washed
White through the blood of the Lamb.
Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost,
Having their garments made white, being pure
And spotless before God, could not look upon sin
Save it were with abhorrence.
And there were many, exceedingly great many, who were made
Pure and entered into the rest of the Lord their god.
And now, my brethren, I would that ye should
Humble yourselves before God, and bring forth fruit
Meet for repentance, that ye may also enter into that rest.
Yea, humble yourselves even as the people in the days of Melchizedek
Who was also a high priest after this same order which I have spoken,
Who also took upon him the high priesthood forever.
And it was this same Melchizedek to whom Abraham
Paid tithes, yea, even our father Abraham paid tithes
Of one-tenth part of all he possessed.
Now these ordinances were given after this manner:
That thereby the people might look forward on the Son of God,
It being a type of his order, or it being his order,
And this that they might look forward to him
For a remission of their sins,
That they might enter into the rest of the Lord.
Now this Melchizedek was a king over the land of Salem
And his people had waxed strong in iniquity and abomination.
Yea, they had all gone astray! They were full of all manner of wickedness!
But Melchizedek having exercised
Mighty faith, and received the office of the high priesthood
According to the Holy Order of God, did
Preach repentance unto his people. And behold, they did repent.
And Melchizedek did establish peace in the land in his days.
Therefore he was called the prince of peace,
For he was the King of Salem, and he did reign under his father.
Now, there were many before him
And also there were many afterwards, but none were greater
Therefore, of him they have more particularly made mention.
Now I need not rehearse the matter, what I have said may suffice.
Behold, the scriptures are before you! If ye will wrest
Them, it shall be to your own destruction.
And now it came to pass that when Alma had said these words unto them, he stretched forth his hand unto them and cried with a mighty voice, saying:
Now is the time to repent, for the day of salvation draweth nigh!
Yea, and the voice of the Lord, by the mouth of angels, doth
Declare it unto all nations! Yea, doth declare it! That they
May have glad tidings of great joy!
Yea, and he doth sound these glad tidings among all his people,
Yea, even to them that are scattered abroad upon the face of the earth;
Wherefore they have come unto us.
And they are made known unto us in plain terms,
That we may understand, that we cannot err
And this because of our being wanderers in a strange land
Therefore, we are thus highly favored, for we have these glad
Tidings declared unto us in all parts of our vineyard.
For behold, angels are declaring it unto many at this time in our land
And this is for the purpose of preparing the hearts of the children of men
To receive his word at the time of his coming in his glory.
And now we only wait to hear the joyful news declared unto us
By the mouth of angels, of his coming!
For the time cometh, we know not how soon.
Would to God that it might be in my day
But let it be sooner or later, in it I will rejoice.
And it shall be made known unto just and holy men, by the mouth
Of angels, at the time of his coming, that the words of our fathers
May be fulfilled, according to that which they have spoken concerning
Him, which was according to the spirit of prophecy which was in them.
And now, my brethren, I wish from the inmost part of my heart, yea,
With great anxiety even unto pain, that ye would hearken
Unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not procrastinate
The day of your repentance. But that ye would
Humble yourselves before the Lord,
And call on his holy name, and watch and pray
Continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear,
And thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble,
Meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering.
Having faith on the Lord, having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life,
Having the love of God always in your hearts,
That ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest.
And may the Lord grant unto you repentance,
That ye may not bring down his wrath upon you, that ye
May not be bound down by the chains of Hell,
That ye may not suffer the second death.
And Alma spake many more words unto the people, which are not written in this book. And it came to pass after he had made an end of speaking unto the people many of them did believe on his words, and began to repent, and to search the scriptures. But the more part of them were desirous that they might destroy Alma and Amulek. For they were angry with Alma, because of the plainness of his words unto Zeezrom. And they also said that Amulek had lied unto them, and had reviled against their law and also against their lawyers and judges. And they were also angry with Alma and Amulek. And because they had testified so plainly against their wickedness, they sought to put them away privily.
But it came to pass that they did not, but they took them and bound them with strong cords, and took them before the chief judge of the land. And the people went forth and witnessed against them: testifying that they had reviled against the law, and their lawyers and judges of the land, and also of all the people that were in the land; and also testified that there was but one god and that he should send his son among the people, but he should not save them. And many such things did the people testify against Alma and Amulek. Now this was done before the chief judge of the land.
And it came to pass that Zeezrom was astonished at the words which had been spoken. And he also knew concerning the blindness of the minds, which he had caused among the people by his lying words. And his soul began to be harrowed up under a consciousness of his own guilt. Yea, he began to be encircled about by the pains of hell. And it came to pass that he began to cry unto the people, saying: Behold, I am guilty, and these men are spotless before God!
And he began to plead for them from that time forth. But they reviled him, saying: Art thou also possessed with the Devil?
And they spit upon him, and cast him out from among them, and also all those who believed in the words which had been spoken by Alma and Amulek. And they cast them out, and sent men to cast stones at them. And they brought their wives and children together, and whosoever believed or had been taught to believe in the word of God, they caused that they should be cast into the fire. And they also brought forth their records which contained the holy scriptures, and cast them into the fire also, that they might be burned and destroyed by fire.
And it came to pass that they took Alma and Amulek, and carried them forth to the place of martyrdom, that they might witness the destruction of those who were consumed by fire. And when Amulek saw the pains of the women and children who were consuming in the fire, he also was pained! And he said unto Alma:
How can we witness this awful scene?
Therefore let us stretch forth our hands, and exercise the power of God
Which is in us, and save them from the flames!
But Alma said unto him:
The spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand.
For behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory!
And he doth suffer that they may do this thing,
Or that the people may do this thing unto them,
According to the hardness of their hearts,
That the judgments which he shall exercise upon them
In his wrath may be just, and the blood of the innocent shall stand
As a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily
Against them, at the last day.
Now Amulek said unto Alma: Behold, perhaps they will burn us also?
And Alma said:
Be it according to the will of the Lord.
But, behold, our work is not finished. Therefore they burn us not.
Now it came to pass that when the bodies of those who had been cast into the fire were consumed, and also the records which were cast in with them, the chief judge of the land came and stood before Alma and Amulek, as they were bound. And he smote them with his hand upon their cheeks, and said unto them:
After what ye have seen, will ye preach again unto this people?
That they shall be cast into a lake of fire and brimstone?
Behold, ye see that ye had not power to save those who had
Been cast into the fire!
Neither has God saved them because they were of thy faith.
And the judge smote them again upon their cheeks, and asked: What say ye for yourselves? Now this judge was after the order and faith of Nehor who slew Gideon.
And it came to pass that Alma and Amulek answered him nothing. And he smote them again, and delivered them to the officers to be cast into prison. And when they had been cast into prison three days, there came many lawyers, and judges, and priests, and teachers, who were of the profession of Nehor. And they came in unto the prison to see them, and they questioned them about many words, but they answered them nothing. And it came to pass that the judge stood before them, and said: Why do ye not answer the words of this people? Know ye not that I have power to deliver you up unto the flames?
And he commanded them to speak, but they answered nothing.
And it came to pass that they departed and went their ways, but came again on the morrow. And the judge also smote them again on their cheeks. And many came forth also, and smote them, saying:
Will ye stand again and judge this people, and condemn our law?
If ye have such great power, why do ye not deliver yourselves?
And many such things did they say unto them, gnashing their teeth upon them, and spitting upon them, and saying: How shall we look when we are damned?
And many such things, yea, all manner of such things did they say unto them. And thus they did mock them for many days. And they did withhold food from them that they might hunger, and water that they might thirst. And they also did take from them their clothes that they were naked. And thus they were bound with strong cords, and confined in prison. And it came to pass after they had thus suffered for many days — and it was on the twelfth day, in the tenth month, in the tenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi — that the chief judge over the land of Ammonihah and many of their teachers and their lawyers went in unto the prison where Alma and Amulek were bound with cords. And the chief judge stood before them, and smote them again, and said unto them:
If ye have the power of God deliver yourselves from these bands,
And then we will believe that the Lord will destroy
This people according to your words.
And it came to pass that they all went forth and smote them, saying the same words, even until the last. And when the last had spoken unto them the power of God was upon Alma and Amulek, and they rose and stood upon their feet. And Alma cried, saying:
How long shall we suffer these great afflictions, O Lord? O Lord, give,
Us strength according to our faith which is
In Christ, even unto deliverance!
And they broke the cords with which they were bound. And when the people saw this, they began to flee, for the fear of destruction had come upon them. And it came to pass that so great was their fear that they fell to the earth, and did not obtain the outer door of the prison. And the earth shook mightily, and the walls of the prison were rent in twain, so that they fell to the earth! And the chief judge, and the lawyers, and priests, and teachers, who smote upon Alma and Amulek, were slain by the fall thereof.
And Alma and Amulek came forth out of the prison, and they were not hurt. For the Lord had granted unto them power, according to their faith which was in Christ. And they straightaway came forth out of the prison, and they were loosed from their bands. And the prison had fallen to the earth, and every soul within the walls thereof, save it were Alma and Amulek, was slain. And they straightaway came forth into the city.
Now the people having heard a great noise came running together by multitudes to know the cause of it. And when they saw Alma and Amulek coming forth out of the prison, and the walls thereof had fallen to the earth, they were struck with great fear, and fled from the presence of Alma and Amulek even as a goat fleeth with her young from two lions. And thus they did flee from the presence of Alma and Amulek. And it came to pass that Alma and Amulek were commanded to depart out of that city, and they departed, and came out even into the land of Sidom. And behold, there they found all the people who had departed out of the land of Ammonihah, who had been cast out and stoned, because they believed in the words of Alma. And they related unto them all that had happened unto their wives and children, and also concerning themselves, and of their power of deliverance. And also Zeezrom lay sick at Sidom with a burning fever, which was caused by the great tribulations of his mind on account of his wickedness, for he supposed that Alma and Amulek were no more. And he supposed that they had been slain because of his iniquity. And this great sin, and his many other sins did harrow up his mind until it did become exceedingly sore, having no deliverance. Therefore he began to be scorched with a burning heat.
Now, when he heard that Alma and Amulek were in the land of Sidom, his heart began to take courage. And he sent a message immediately unto them, desiring them to come unto him. And it came to pass that they went immediately, obeying the message which he had sent unto them. And they went in unto the house unto Zeezrom, and they found him upon his bed, sick, being very low with a burning fever. And his mind also was exceedingly sore because of his iniquities. And when he saw them he stretched forth his hand, and besought them that they would heal him. And it came to pass that Alma said unto him, taking him by the hand: Believest thou in the power of Christ unto salvation?
And he answered and said: Yea, I believe all the words that thou hast taught.
And Alma said: If thou believest in the redemption of Christ thou canst be healed.
And he said: Yea, I believe according to thy words.
And then Alma cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord our god! Have mercy on this man, and heal him according to his faith which is in Christ.
And when Alma had said these words, Zeezrom leaped upon his feet, and began to walk! And this was done to the great astonishment of all the people. And the knowledge of this went forth throughout all the land of Sidom. And Alma baptized Zeezrom unto the Lord. And he began from that time forth to preach unto the people. And Alma established a church in the land of Sidom, and consecrated priests and teachers in the land, to baptize unto the Lord whosoever were desirous to be baptized. And it came to pass that they were many; for they did flock in from all the region round about Sidom, and were baptized.
But as to the people that were in the land of Ammonihah, they yet remained a hard-hearted and a stiffnecked people. And they repented not of their sins, ascribing all the power of Alma and Amulek to the Devil. For they were of the profession of Nehor, and did not believe in the repentance of their sins.
And it came to pass that Alma and Amulek — Amulek having forsaken all his gold, and silver, and his precious things, which were in the land of Ammonihah, for the word of God — he being rejected by those who were once his friends and also by his father and his kindred. Therefore, after Alma having established the church at Sidom, seeing a great check, yea, seeing that the people were checked as to the pride of their hearts, and began to humble themselves before God, and began to assemble themselves together at their sanctuaries to worship God before the altar, watching and praying continually, that they might be delivered from Satan, and from death, and from destruction; now as I said, Alma having seen all these things, therefore he took Amulek and came over to the land of Zarahemla, and took him to his own house, and did administer unto him in his tribulations, and strengthened him in the Lord. And thus ended the tenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
And it came to pass in the eleventh year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, on the fifth day of the second month, there having been much peace in the land of Zarahemla, there having been no wars nor contentions for a certain number of years, even until the fifth day of the second month in the eleventh year, there was a cry of war heard throughout the land. For behold, the armies of the Lamanites had come in upon the wilderness side, into the borders of the land, even into the city of Ammonihah, and began to slay the people and destroy the city. And now it came to pass, before the Nephites could raise a sufficient army to drive them out of the land, they had destroyed the people who were in the city of Ammonihah, and also some around the borders of Noah, and taken others captive into the wilderness.
Now it came to pass that the Nephites were desirous to obtain those who had been carried away captive into the wilderness. Therefore, he that had been appointed chief captain over the armies of the Nephites. And his name was Zoram, and he had two sons, Lehi and Aha. Now Zoram and his two sons, knowing that Alma was high priest over the church, and having heard that he had the spirit of prophecy, therefore they went unto him and desired of him to know whither the Lord would that they should go into the wilderness in search of their brethren, who had been taken captive by the Lamanites. And it came to pass that Alma inquired of the Lord concerning the matter. And Alma returned and said unto them:
Behold, the Lamanites will cross the river Sidon
In the south wilderness, away up beyond
The borders of the land of Manti.
And behold there shall ye meet them,
On the east of the river Sidon, and there
The Lord will deliver unto thee thy brethren
Who have been taken captive by the Lamanites.
And it came to pass that Zoram and his sons crossed over the river Sidon, with their armies, and marched away beyond the borders of Manti into the south wilderness, which was on the east side of the river Sidon. And they came upon the armies of the Lamanites, and the Lamanites were scattered and driven into the wilderness. And they took their brethren who had been taken captive by the Lamanites, and there was not one soul of them had been lost that were taken captive. And they were brought by their brethren to possess their own lands. And thus ended the eleventh year of the judges: the Lamanites having been driven out of the land, and the people of Ammonihah were destroyed! Yea, every living soul of the Ammonihahites was destroyed, and also their great city which they said God could not destroy because of its greatness. But behold, in one day it was left desolate! And the carcasses were mangled by dogs and wild beasts of the wilderness. Nevertheless, after many days their dead bodies were heaped up upon the face of the earth, and they were covered with a shallow covering. And now so great was the scent thereof that the people did not go in to possess the land of Ammonihah for many years. And it was called Desolation of Nehors: for they were of the profession of Nehor who were slain, and their lands remained desolate.
And the Lamanites did not come again to war against the Nephites until the fourteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi. And thus for three years did the people of Nephi have continual peace in all the land. And Alma and Amulek went forth preaching repentance to the people in their temples, and in their sanctuaries, and also in their synagogues, which were built after the manner of the Jews. And as many as would hear their words, unto them they did impart the word of God without any respect of persons, continually. And thus did Alma and Amulek go forth, and also many more who had been chosen for the work, to preach the word throughout all the land. And the establishment of the church became general throughout the land, in all the region round about, among all the people of the Nephites. And there was no inequality among them. The Lord did pour out his spirit on all the face of the land to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming: That they might not be hardened against the word, that they might not be unbelieving and go on to destruction, but that they might receive the word with joy, and as a branch be grafted into the true vine, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord their god.
Now those priests who did go forth among the people did preach against all lyings, and deceivings, and envyings, and strifes, and malice, and revilings, and stealing, robbing, plundering, murdering, committing adultery. And all manner of lasciviousness, crying that these things ought not so to be: holding forth things which must shortly come. Yea, holding forth the coming of the Son of God, his sufferings and death, and also the resurrection of the dead. And many of the people did inquire concerning the place where the Son of God should come. And they were taught that he would appear unto them after his resurrection. And this the people did hear with great joy and gladness. And now after the church had been established throughout all the land — having got the victory over the devil, and the word of God being preached in its purity in all the land, and the Lord pouring out his blessings upon the people — thus ended the fourteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
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