43:1 And now it came to pass that the sons of Alma
did go forth among the people, to declare the word unto
them. And Alma, also, himself, could not rest, and he
also went forth. |
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43:2 Now we shall say no more concerning their
preaching, except that they preached the word, and the
truth, according to the spirit of prophecy and
revelation; and they preached after the holy order of God
by which they were called. |
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43:3 And now I return to an account of the wars
between the Nephites and the Lamanites, in the eighteenth
year of the reign of the judges. |
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43:4 For behold, it came to pass that the Zoramites
became Lamanites; therefore, in the commencement of the
eighteenth year the people of the Nephites saw that the
Lamanites were coming upon them; therefore they made
preparations for war; yea, they gathered together their
armies in the land of Jershon. |
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43:5 And it came to pass that the Lamanites came
with their thousands; and they came into the land of
Antionum, which is the land of the Zoramites; and a man
by the name of Zerahemnah was their leader. |
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43:6 And now, as the Amalekites were of a more
wicked and murderous disposition than the Lamanites were,
in and of themselves, therefore, Zerahemnah appointed
chief captains over the Lamanites, and they were all
Amalekites and Zoramites. |
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43:7 Now this he did that he might preserve their
hatred towards the Nephites, that he might bring them
into subjection to the accomplishment of his designs. |
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43:8 For behold, his designs were to stir up the
Lamanites to anger against the Nephites; this he did that
he might usurp great power over them, and also that he
might gain power over the Nephites by bringing them into
bondage. |
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43:9 And now the design of the Nephites was to
support their lands, and their houses, and their wives,
and their children, that they might preserve them from
the hands of their enemies; and also that they might
preserve their rights and their privileges, yea, and also
their liberty, that they might worship God according to
their desires. |
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43:10 For they knew that if they should fall into the
hands of the Lamanites, that whosoever should 1worship
God in spirit and in truth, the true and the living God,
the Lamanites would destroy. |
[1] John 4:24: ...they that worship him must
worship him in spirit and in truth. |
43:11 Yea, and they also knew the extreme hatred of
the Lamanites towards their brethren, who were the people
of Anti-Nephi-Lehi, who were called the people of
Ammon--and they would not take up arms, yea, they had
entered into a covenant and they would not break
it--therefore, if they should fall into the hands of the
Lamanites they would be destroyed. |
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43:12 And the Nephites would not suffer that they
should be destroyed; therefore they gave them lands for
their inheritance. |
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43:13 And the people of Ammon did give unto the
Nephites a large portion of their substance to support
their armies; and thus the Nephites were compelled,
alone, to withstand against the Lamanites, who were a
compound of Laman and Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael,
and all those who had dissented from the Nephites, who
were Amalekites and Zoramites, and the descendants of the
priests of Noah. |
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43:14 Now those descendants were as numerous, nearly,
as were the Nephites; and thus the Nephites were obliged
to contend with their brethren, even unto bloodshed. |
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43:15 And it came to pass as the armies of the
Lamanites had gathered together in the land of Antionum,
behold, the armies of the Nephites were prepared to meet
them in the land of Jershon. |
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43:16 Now, the leader of the Nephites, or the man who
had been appointed to be the chief captain over the
Nephites--now the chief captain took the command of all
the armies of the Nephites--and his name was Moroni; |
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43:17 And Moroni took all the command, and the
government of their wars. And he was only twenty and five
years old when he was appointed chief captain over the
armies of the Nephites. |
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43:18 And it came to pass that he met the Lamanites
in the borders of Jershon, and his people were armed with
swords, and with cimeters, and all
manner of weapons of war. |
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43:19 And when the armies of the Lamanites saw that
the people of Nephi, or that Moroni, had prepared his
people with breastplates and with arm-shields, yea, and
also shields to defend their heads, and also they were
dressed with thick clothing-- |
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43:20 Now the army of Zerahemnah was not prepared
with any such thing; they had only their swords and their cimeters, their bows
and their arrows, their stones and their slings; and they
were naked, save it were a skin which was girded about
their loins; yea, all were naked, save it were the
Zoramites and the Amalekites; |
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43:21 But they were not armed with breastplates, nor
shields--therefore, they were exceedingly afraid of the
armies of the Nephites because of their armor,
notwithstanding their number being so much greater than
the Nephites. |
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43:22 Behold, now it came to pass that they durst not
come against the Nephites in the borders of Jershon;
therefore they departed out of the land of Antionum into
the wilderness, and took their journey round about in the
wilderness, away by the head of the river Sidon, that
they might come into the land of Manti and take
possession of the land; for they did not suppose that the
armies of Moroni would know whither they had gone. |
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43:23 But it came to pass, as soon as they had
departed into the wilderness Moroni sent spies into the
wilderness to watch their camp; and Moroni, also, knowing
of the prophecies of Alma, sent certain men unto him,
desiring him that he should inquire of the Lord whither
the armies of the Nephites should go to defend themselves
against the Lamanites. |
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43:24 And it came to pass that the word of the Lord
came unto Alma, and Alma informed the messengers of
Moroni, that the armies of the Lamanites were marching
round about in the wilderness, that they might come over
into the land of Manti, that they might commence an
attack upon the weaker part of the people. And those
messengers went and delivered the message unto Moroni. |
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43:25 Now Moroni, leaving a part of his army in the
land of Jershon, lest by any means a part of the
Lamanites should come into that land and take possession
of the city, took the remaining part of his army and
marched over into the land of Manti. |
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43:26 And he caused that all the people in that
quarter of the land should gather themselves together to
battle against the Lamanites, to defend their lands and
their country, their rights and their liberties;
therefore they were prepared against the time of the
coming of the Lamanites. |
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43:27 And it came to pass that Moroni caused that his
army should be secreted in the valley which was near the
bank of the river Sidon, which was on the west of the
river Sidon in the wilderness. |
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43:28 And Moroni placed spies round about, that he
might know when the camp of the Lamanites should come. |
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43:29 And now, as Moroni knew the intention of the
Lamanites, that it was their intention to destroy their
brethren, or to subject them and bring them into bondage
that they might establish a kingdom unto themselves over
all the land; |
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43:30 And he also knowing that it was the only desire
of the Nephites to preserve their lands, and their
liberty, and their church, therefore he
thought it no sin that he should defend them by
stratagem; therefore, he found by his spies which course
the Lamanites were to take. |
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43:31 Therefore, he divided his army and brought a
part over into the valley, and concealed them on the
east, and on the south of the hill Riplah; |
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43:32 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. |
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43:33 And thus having placed his army according to
his desire, he was prepared to meet them. |
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43:34 And it came to pass that the Lamanites came up
on the north of the hill, where a part of the army of
Moroni was concealed. |
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43:35 And as the Lamanites had passed 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. |
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43:36 And it came to pass 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. |
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43:37 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. |
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43:38 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 shielded from
the more vital parts of the body, or the more vital parts
of the body being shielded from the strokes of the
Lamanites, by their breastplates, and their armshields,
and their head-plates; and thus the Nephites did carry on
the work of death among the Lamanites. |
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43:39 And it came to pass that the Lamanites became
frightened, because of the great destruction among them,
even until they began to flee towards the river Sidon. |
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43:40 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. |
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43:41 And it came to pass 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. |
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43:42 And the Lamanites did flee again before them,
towards the land of Manti; and they were met again by the
armies of Moroni. |
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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. |
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43:44 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. |
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43:45 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 worship and their church. |
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43:46 And they were doing that which they felt was
the duty which they owed to their God; 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. |
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43:47 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. |
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43:48 And it came to pass 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. |
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43:49 And it came to pass that they turned upon the
Lamanites, and they cried with one voice unto the Lord
their God, for their liberty and their freedom from
bondage. |
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43:50 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. |
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43:51 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. |
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43:52 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. |
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43:53 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. |
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43:54 Now Moroni, when he saw their terror, commanded
his men that they should stop shedding their blood. |
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