Chapter 21
Alma 21:1
1 Now when Ammon and his brethren separated themselves in the borders of the land of
the Lamanites, behold Aaron took his journey towards the land which was called by the
Lamanites, Jerusalem, calling it after the land of their fathers' nativity; and it was away
joining the borders of Mormon.
Alma 21:2
2 Now the Lamanites and the Amalekites and the people of Amulon had built a great
city, which was called Jerusalem.
Alma 21:3
3 Now the Lamanites of themselves were sufficiently hardened, but the Amalekites and
the Amulonites were still harder; therefore they did cause the Lamanites that they should
harden their hearts, that they should wax strong in wickedness and their abominations.
Alma 21:4
4 And it came to pass that Aaron came to the city of Jerusalem, and first began to preach
to the Amalekites. And he began to preach to them in their synagogues, for they had built
synagogues after the order of the Nehors; for many of the Amalekites and the Amulonites
were after the order of the Nehors.
Alma 21:5
5 Therefore, as Aaron entered into one of their synagogues to preach unto the people,
and as he was speaking unto them, behold there arose an Amalekite and began to contend
with him, saying: What is that thou hast testified? Hast thou seen an angel? Why do not
angels appear unto us? Behold are not this people as good as thy people?
Alma 21:6
6 Thou also sayest, except we repent we shall perish. How knowest thou the thought and
intent of our hearts? How knowest thou that we have cause to repent? How knowest thou
that we are not a righteous people? Behold, we have built sanctuaries, and we do
assemble ourselves together to worship God. We do believe that God will save all men.
Alma 21:7
7 Now Aaron said unto him: Believest thou that the Son of God shall come to redeem
mankind from their sins?
Alma 21:8
8 And the man said unto him: We do not believe that thou knowest any such thing. We
do not believe in these foolish traditions. We do not believe that thou knowest of things to come, neither do we believe that thy fathers and also that our fathers did know concerning the things which they spake, of that which is to come.
Alma 21:9
9 Now Aaron began to open the scriptures unto them concerning the coming of Christ,
and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and that there could be no redemption
for mankind save it were through the death and sufferings of Christ, and the atonement of
his blood.
Alma 21:10
10 And it came to pass as he began to expound these things unto them they were angry
with him, and began to mock him; and they would not hear the words which he spake.
Alma 21:11
11 Therefore, when he saw that they would not hear his words, he departed out of their
synagogue, and came over to a village which was called Ani-Anti, and there he found
Muloki preaching the word unto them; and also Ammah and his brethren. And they
contended with many about the word.
Alma 21:12
12 And it came to pass that they saw that the people would harden their hearts, therefore
they departed and came over into the land of Middoni. And they did preach the word unto
many, and few believed on the words which they taught.
Alma 21:13
13 Nevertheless, Aaron and a certain number of his brethren were taken and cast into
prison, and the remainder of them fled out of the land of Middoni unto the regions round
about.
Alma 21:14
14 And those who were cast into prison suffered many things, and they were delivered
by the hand of Lamoni and Ammon, and they were fed and clothed.
Alma 21:15
15 And they went forth again to declare the word, and thus they were delivered for the
first time out of prison; and thus they had suffered.
Alma 21:16
16 And they went forth whithersoever they were led by the Spirit of the Lord, preaching
the word of God in every synagogue of the Amalekites, or in every assembly of the
Lamanites where they could be admitted.
Alma 21:17
17 And it came to pass that the Lord began to bless them, insomuch that they brought
many to the knowledge of the truth; yea, they did convince many of their sins, and of the
traditions of their fathers, which were not correct.
18 And it came to pass that Ammon and Lamoni returned from the land of Middoni to
the land of Ishmael, which was the land of their inheritance.
19 And king Lamoni would not suffer that Ammon should serve him, or be his servant.
Alma 21:20
20 But he caused that there should be synagogues built in the land of Ishmael; and he
caused that his people, or the people who were under his reign, should assemble
themselves together.
Alma 21:21
21 And he did rejoice over them, and he did teach them many things. And he did also
declare unto them that they were a people who were under him, and that they were a free
people, that they were free from the oppressions of the king, his father; for that his father
had granted unto him that he might reign over the people who were in the land of
Ishmael, and in all the land round about.
Alma 21:22
22 And he also declared unto them that they might have the liberty of worshiping the
Lord their God according to their desires, in whatsoever place they were in, if it were in
the land which was under the reign of king Lamoni.
Alma 21:23
23 And Ammon did preach unto the people of king Lamoni; and it came to pass that he
did teach them all things concerning things pertaining to righteousness. And he did exhort
them daily, with all diligence; and they gave heed unto his word, and they were zealous
for keeping the commandments of God.
Chapter 22
Alma 22:1
1 Now, as Ammon was thus teaching the people of Lamoni continually, we will return to
the account of Aaron and his brethren; for after he departed from the land of Middoni he
was led by the Spirit to the land of Nephi, even to the house of the king which was over
all the land save it were the land of Ishmael; and he was the father of Lamoni.
Alma 22:2
2 And it came to pass that he went in unto him into the king's palace, with his brethren,
and bowed himself before the king, and said unto him: Behold, O king, we are the
brethren of Ammon, whom thou hast delivered out of prison.
Alma 22:3
3 And now, O king, if thou wilt spare our lives, we will be thy servants. And the king said unto them: Arise, for I will grant unto you your lives, and I will not suffer that ye shall be my servants; but I will insist that ye shall administer unto me; for I have been somewhat troubled in mind because of the generosity and the greatness of the words of thy brother Ammon; and I desire to know the cause why he has not come up out of Middoni with thee.
Alma 22:4
4 And Aaron said unto the king: Behold, the Spirit of the Lord has called him another
way; he has gone to the land of Ishmael, to teach the people of Lamoni.
Alma 22:5
5 Now the king said unto them: What is this that ye have said concerning the Spirit of
the Lord? Behold, this is the thing which doth trouble me.
Alma 22:6
6 And also, what is this that Ammon said--If ye will repent ye shall be saved, and if ye
will not repent, ye shall be cast off at the last day?
Alma 22:7
7 And Aaron answered him and said unto him: Believest thou that there is a God? And
the king said: I know that the Amalekites say that there is a God, and I have granted unto
them that they should build sanctuaries, that they may assemble themselves together to
worship him. And if now thou sayest there is a God, behold I will believe.
Alma 22:8
8 And now when Aaron heard this, his heart began to rejoice, and he said: Behold,
assuredly as thou livest, O king, there is a God.
Alma 22:9
9 And the king said: Is God that Great Spirit that brought our fathers out of the land of
Jerusalem?
Alma 22:10
10 And Aaron said unto him: Yea, he is that Great Spirit, and he created all things both
in heaven and in earth. Believest thou this?
Alma 22:11
11 And he said: Yea, I believe that the Great Spirit created all things, and I desire that ye
should tell me concerning all these things, and I will believe thy words.
Alma 22:12
12 And it came to pass that when Aaron saw that the king would believe his words, he
began from the creation of Adam, reading the scriptures unto the king--how God created
man after his own image, and that God gave him commandments, and that because of
transgression, man had fallen.
13 And Aaron did expound unto him the scriptures from the creation of Adam, laying
the fall of man before him, and their carnal state and also the plan of redemption, which
was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would
believe on his name.
Alma 22:14
14 And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings
and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth; and
that he breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting
of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory; and Aaron did expound all these
things unto the king.
Alma 22:15
15 And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king
said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea,
what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my
breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the
last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom,
that I may receive this great joy.
Alma 22:16
16 But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before
God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on
his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which
thou desirest.
Alma 22:17
17 And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down
before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and
cried mightily, saying:
Alma 22:18
18 O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art
God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know
thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when
the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead.
Alma 22:19
19 And it came to pass that his servants ran and told the queen all that had happened
unto the king. And she came in unto the king; and when she saw him lay as if he were
dead, and also Aaron and his brethren standing as though they had been the cause of his
fall, she was angry with them, and commanded that her servants, or the servants of the
king, should take them and slay them.
20 Now the servants had seen the cause of the king's fall, therefore they durst not lay
their hands on Aaron and his brethren; and they pled with the queen saying: Why
commandest thou that we should slay these men, when behold one of them is mightier
than us all? Therefore we shall fall before them.
Alma 22:21
21 Now when the queen saw the fear of the servants she also began to fear exceedingly,
lest there should some evil come upon her. And she commanded her servants that they
should go and call the people, that they might slay Aaron and his brethren.
Alma 22:22
22 Now when Aaron saw the determination of the queen, he, also knowing the hardness
of the hearts of the people, feared lest that a multitude should assemble themselves
together, and there should be a great contention and a disturbance among them; therefore
he put forth his hand and raised the king from the earth, and said unto him: Stand. And he
stood upon his feet, receiving his strength.
Alma 22:23
23 Now this was done in the presence of the queen and many of the servants. And when
they saw it they greatly marveled, and began to fear. And the king stood forth, and began
to minister unto them. And he did minister unto them, insomuch that his whole household
were converted unto the Lord.
Alma 22:24
24 Now there was a multitude gathered together because of the commandment of the
queen, and there began to be great murmurings among them because of Aaron and his
brethren.
Alma 22:25
25 But the king stood forth among them and administered unto them. And they were
pacified towards Aaron and those who were with him.
Alma 22:26
26 And it came to pass that when the king saw that the people were pacified, he caused
that Aaron and his brethren should stand forth in the midst of the multitude, and that they
should preach the word unto them.
Alma 22:27
27 And it came to pass that the king sent a proclamation throughout all the land, amongst
all his people who were in all his land, who were in all the regions round about, which
was bordering even to the sea, on the east and on the west, and which was divided from
the land of Zarahemla by a narrow strip of wilderness, which ran from the sea east even
to the sea west, and round about on the borders of the seashore, and the borders of the
wilderness which was on the north by the land of Zarahemla, through the borders of Manti, by the head of the river Sidon, running from the east towards the west--and thus were the Lamanites and the Nephites divided.
Alma 22:28
28 Now, the more idle part of the Lamanites lived in the wilderness, and dwelt in tents;
and they were spread through the wilderness on the west, in the land of Nephi; yea, and
also on the west of the land of Zarahemla, in the borders by the seashore, and on the west
in the land of Nephi, in the place of their fathers' first inheritance, and thus bordering
along by the seashore.
Alma 22:29
29 And also there were many Lamanites on the east by the seashore, whither the
Nephites had driven them. And thus the Nephites were nearly surrounded by the
Lamanites; nevertheless the Nephites had taken possession of all the northern parts of the
land bordering on the wilderness, at the head of the river Sidon, from the east to the west,
round about on the wilderness side; on the north, even until they came to the land which
they called Bountiful.
Alma 22:30
30 And it bordered upon the land which they called Desolation, it being so far northward
that it came into the land which had been peopled and been destroyed, of whose bones we
have spoken, which was discovered by the people of Zarahemla, it being the place of
their first landing.
Alma 22:31
31 And they came from there up into the south wilderness. Thus the land on the
northward was called Desolation, and the land on the southward was called Bountiful, it
being the wilderness which is filled with all manner of wild animals of every kind, a part
of which had come from the land northward for food.
Alma 22:32
32 And now, it was only the distance of a day and a half's journey for a Nephite, on the
line Bountiful and the land Desolation, from the east to the west sea; and thus the land of
Nephi and the land of Zarahemla were nearly surrounded by water, there being a small
neck of land between the land northward and the land southward.
Alma 22:33
33 And it came to pass that the Nephites had inhabited the land Bountiful, even from the
east unto the west sea, and thus the Nephites in their wisdom, with their guards and their
armies, had hemmed in the Lamanites on the south, that thereby they should have no
more possession on the north, that they might not overrun the land northward.
Alma 22:34
34 Therefore the Lamanites could have no more possessions only in the land of Nephi,
and the wilderness round about. Now this was wisdom in the Nephites--as the Lamanites were an enemy to them, they would not suffer their afflictions on every hand, and also that they might have a country whither they might flee, according to their desires.
Alma 22:35
35 And now I, after having said this, return again to the account of Ammon and Aaron,
Omner and Himni, and their brethren.
Chapter 23
Alma 23:1
1 Behold, now it came to pass that the king of the Lamanites sent a proclamation among
all his people, that they should not lay their hands on Ammon, or Aaron, or Omner, or
Himni, nor either of their brethren who should go forth preaching the word of God, in
whatsoever place they should be, in any part of their land.
Alma 23:2
2 Yea, he sent a decree among them, that they should not lay their hands on them to bind
them, or to cast them into prison; neither should they spit upon them, nor smite them, nor
cast them out of their synagogues, nor scourge them; neither should they cast stones at
them, but that they should have free access to their houses, and also their temples, and
their sanctuaries.
Alma 23:3
3 And thus they might go forth and preach the word according to their desires, for the
king had been converted unto the Lord, and all his household; therefore he sent his
proclamation throughout the land unto his people, that the word of God might have no
obstruction, but that it might go forth throughout all the land, that his people might be
convinced concerning the wicked traditions of their fathers, and that they might be
convinced that they were all brethren, and that they ought not to murder, nor to plunder,
nor to steal, nor to commit adultery, nor to commit any manner of wickedness.
Alma 23:4
4 And now it came to pass that when the king had sent forth this proclamation, that
Aaron and his brethren went forth from city to city, and from one house of worship to
another, establishing churches, and consecrating priests and teachers throughout the land
among the Lamanites, to preach and to teach the word of God among them; and thus they
began to have great success.
Alma 23:5
5 And thousands were brought to the knowledge of the Lord, yea, thousands were
brought to believe in the traditions of the Nephites; and they were taught the records and
prophecies which were handed down even to the present time.
Alma 23:6
6 And as sure as the Lord liveth, so sure as many as believed, or as many as were brought to the knowledge of the truth, through the preaching of Ammon and his brethren, according to the spirit of revelation and of prophecy, and the power of God working miracles in them--yea, I say unto you, as the Lord liveth, as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away.
Alma 23:7
7 For they became a righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion,
that they did not fight against God any more, neither against any of their brethren.
8 Now, these are they who were converted unto the Lord:
Alma 23:9
9 The people of the Lamanites who were in the land of Ishmael;
Alma 23:10
10 And also of the people of the Lamanites who were in the land of Middoni;
Alma 23:11
11 And also of the people of the Lamanites who were in the city of Nephi;
Alma 23:12
12 And also of the people of the Lamanites who were in the land of Shilom, and who
were in the land of Shemlon, and in the city of Lemuel, and in the city of Shimnilom.
Alma 23:13
13 And these are the names of the cities of the Lamanites which were converted unto the
Lord; and these are they that laid down the weapons of their rebellion, yea, all their
weapons of war; and they were all Lamanites.
Alma 23:14
14 And the Amalekites were not converted, save only one; neither were any of the
Amulonites; but they did harden their hearts, and also the hearts of the Lamanites in that
part of the land wheresoever they dwelt, yea, and all their villages and all their cities.
Alma 23:15
15 Therefore, we have named all the cities of the Lamanites in which they did repent and
come to the knowledge of the truth, and were converted.
Alma 23:16
16 And now it came to pass that the king and those who were converted were desirous
that they might have a name, that thereby they might be distinguished from their
brethren; therefore the king consulted with Aaron and many of their priests, concerning
the name that they should take upon them, that they might be distinguished.
Alma 23:17
17 And it came to pass that they called their names Anti-Nephi-Lehies; and they were
called by this name and were no more called Lamanites.
Alma 23:18
18 And they began to be a very industrious people; yea, and they were friendly with the
Nephites; therefore, they did open a correspondence with them, and the curse of God did
no more follow them.
Chapter 24
Alma 24:1
1 And it came to pass that the Amalekites and the Amulonites and the Lamanites who
were in the land of Amulon, and also in the land of Helam, and who were in the land of
Jerusalem, and in fine, in all the land round about, who had not been converted and had
not taken upon them the name of Anti-Nephi-Lehi, were stirred up by the Amalekites and
by the Amulonites to anger against their brethren.
Alma 24:2
2 And their hatred became exceedingly sore against them, even insomuch that they
began to rebel against their king, insomuch that they would not that he should be their
king; therefore, they took up arms against the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi.
Alma 24:3
3 Now the king conferred the kingdom upon his son, and he called his name Anti-Nephi
Lehi.
Alma 24:4
4 And the king died in that selfsame year that the Lamanites began to make preparations
for war against the people of God.
Alma 24:5
5 Now when Ammon and his brethren and all those who had come up with him saw the
preparations of the Lamanites to destroy their brethren, they came forth to the land of
Midian, and there Ammon met all his brethren; and from thence they came to the land of
Ishmael that they might hold a council with Lamoni and also with his brother AntiNephi-Lehi, what they should do to defend themselves against the Lamanites.
Alma 24:6
6 Now there was not one soul among all the people who had been converted unto the
Lord that would take up arms against their brethren; nay, they would not even make any
preparations for war; yea, and also their king commanded them that they should not.
Alma 24:7
7 Now, these are the words which he said unto the people concerning the matter: I thank my God, my beloved people, that our great God has in goodness sent these our brethren, the Nephites, unto us to preach unto us, and to convince us of the traditions of our wicked fathers.
Alma 24:8
8 And behold, I thank my great God that he has given us a portion of his Spirit to soften
our hearts, that we have opened a correspondence with these brethren, the Nephites.
Alma 24:9
9 And behold, I also thank my God, that by opening this correspondence we have been
convinced of our sins, and of the many murders which we have committed.
Alma 24:10
10 And I also thank my God, yea, my great God, that he hath granted unto us that we
might repent of these things, and also that he hath forgiven us of those our many sins and
murders which we have committed, and taken away the guilt from our hearts, through the
merits of his Son.
Alma 24:11
11 And now behold, my brethren, since it has been all that we could do, (as we were the
most lost of all mankind) to repent of all our sins and the many murders which we have
committed, and to get God to take them away from our hearts, for it was all we could do
to repent sufficiently before God that he would take away our stain--
Alma 24:12
12 Now, my best beloved brethren, since God hath taken away our stains, and our
swords have become bright, then let us stain our swords no more with the blood of our
brethren.
Alma 2