9:1 And now I, Moroni, proceed with my record.
Therefore, behold, it came to pass that because of the
secret combinations of Akish and his friends, behold,
they did overthrow the kingdom of Omer. |
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9:2 Nevertheless, the Lord was merciful unto Omer,
and also to his sons and to his daughters who did not
seek his destruction. |
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9:3 And the Lord warned Omer in a dream that he
should depart out of the land; wherefore Omer departed
out of the land with his family, and traveled many days,
and came over and passed by the hill of Shim, and came
over by the place where the Nephites were destroyed, and
from thence eastward, and came to a place which was
called Ablom, by the seashore, and there he pitched his
tent, and also his sons and his daughters, and all his
household, save it were Jared and his family. |
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9:4 And it came to pass that Jared was anointed
king over the people, by the hand of wickedness; and he
gave unto Akish his daughter to wife. |
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9:5 And it came to pass that Akish sought the life
of his father-in-law; and he applied unto those whom he
had sworn by the oath of the ancients, and they obtained
the head of his father-in-law, as he sat upon his throne,
giving audience to his people. |
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9:6 For so great had been the spreading of this
wicked and secret society that it had corrupted the
hearts of all the people; therefore Jared was murdered
upon his throne, and Akish reigned in his stead. |
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9:7 And it came to pass that Akish began to be
jealous of his son, therefore he shut him up in prison,
and kept him upon little or no food until he had suffered
death. |
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9:8 And now the brother of him that suffered death,
(and his name was Nimrah) was angry with his father
because of that which his father had done unto his
brother. |
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9:9 And it came to pass that Nimrah gathered
together a small number of men, and fled out of the land,
and came over and dwelt with Omer. |
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9:10 And it came to pass that Akish begat other
sons, and they won the hearts of the people,
notwithstanding they had sworn unto him to do all manner
of iniquity according to that which he desired. |
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9:11 Now the people of Akish were desirous for gain,
even as Akish was desirous for power; wherefore, the sons
of Akish did offer them money, by which means they drew
away the more part of the people after them. |
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9:12 And there began to be a war between the sons of
Akish and Akish, which lasted for the space of many
years, yea, unto the destruction of nearly all the people
of the kingdom, yea, even all, save it were thirty souls,
and they who fled with the house of Omer. |
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9:13 Wherefore, Omer was restored again to the land
of his inheritance. |
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9:14 And it came to pass that Omer began to be old;
nevertheless, in his old age he begat Emer; and he
anointed Emer to be king to reign in his stead. |
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9:15 And after that he had anointed Emer to be king
he saw peace in the land for the space of two years, and
he died, having seen exceedingly many days, which were
full of sorrow. And it came to pass that Emer did reign
in his stead, and did fill the steps of his father. |
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9:16 And the Lord began again to take the curse from
off the land, and the house of Emer did prosper
exceedingly under the reign of Emer; and in the space of
sixty and two years they had become exceedingly strong,
insomuch that they became exceedingly rich-- |
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9:17 Having all manner of fruit, and of grain, and
of silks, and of fine linen, and of gold, and of silver,
and of precious things; |
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9:18 And also all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep, and of swine, and of goats, and also many other kinds of animals which
were useful for the food of man. |
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9:19 And they also had horses, and asses, and there were 1elephants
and cureloms and cumoms; all of which were useful unto
man, and more especially the elephants and cureloms and
cumoms. |
[1] Elephants
are native to India and Africa, not the Americas. There
were Mammoths in the Americas, but they became extinct
thousands of years before the arrival of the Jaredites. |
9:20 And thus the Lord did pour out his blessings
upon this land, which was choice above all other lands;
and he commanded that whoso should possess the land
should possess it unto the Lord, or they should be
destroyed when they were ripened in iniquity; for upon
such, saith the Lord: I will pour out the fulness of my
wrath. |
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9:21 And Emer did execute judgment in righteousness
all his days, and he begat many sons and daughters; and
he begat Coriantum, and he anointed Coriantum to reign in
his stead. |
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9:22 And after he had anointed Coriantum to reign in
his stead he lived four years, and he saw peace in the
land; yea, and he even saw the Son of Righteousness, and
did rejoice and glory in his day; and he died in peace. |
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9:23 And it came to pass that Coriantum did walk in
the steps of his father, and did build many mighty
cities, and did administer that which was good unto his
people in all his days. And it came to pass that he had
no children even until he was exceedingly old. |
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9:24 And it came to pass that his wife died, being
an hundred and two years old. And it came to pass that
Coriantum took to wife, in his old age, a young maid, and
begat sons and daughters; wherefore he lived until he was
an hundred and forty and two years old. |
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9:25 And it came to pass that he begat Com, and Com
reigned in his stead; and he reigned forty and nine
years, and he begat Heth; and he also begat other sons
and daughters. |
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9:26 And the people had spread again over all the
face of the land, and there began again to be an
exceedingly great wickedness upon the face of the land,
and Heth began to embrace the secret plans again of old,
to destroy his father. |
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9:27 And it came to pass that he did dethrone his
father, for he slew him with his own sword; and he did reign in his stead. |
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9:28 And there came prophets in the land again,
crying repentance unto them--that they must prepare the
way of the Lord or there should come a curse upon the
face of the land; yea, even there should be a great
famine, in which they should be destroyed if they did not
repent. |
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9:29 But the people believed not the words of the
prophets, but they cast them out; and some of them they
cast into pits and left them to perish. And it came to
pass that they did all these things according to the
commandment of the king, Heth. |
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9:30 And it came to pass that there began to be a
great dearth upon the land, and the inhabitants began to
be destroyed exceedingly fast because of the dearth, for
there was no rain upon the face of the earth. |
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9:31 And there came forth poisonous serpents also
upon the face of the land, and did poison many people.
And it came to pass that their flocks began to flee
before the poisonous serpents, towards the land
southward, which was called by the Nephites Zarahemla. |
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9:32 And it came to pass that there were many of
them which did perish by the way; nevertheless, there
were some which fled into the land southward. |
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9:33 And it came to pass that the Lord did cause the
serpents that they should pursue them no more, but that
they should hedge up the way that the people could not
pass, that whoso should attempt to pass might fall by the
poisonous serpents. |
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9:34 And it came to pass that the people did follow
the course of the beasts, and did devour the carcasses of
them which fell by the way, until they had devoured them
all. Now when the people saw that they must perish they
began to repent of their iniquities and cry unto the
Lord. |
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9:35 And it came to pass that when they had humbled
themselves sufficiently before the Lord he did send rain
upon the face of the earth; and the people began to
revive again, and there began to be fruit in the north
countries, and in all the countries round about. And the
Lord did show forth his power unto them in preserving
them from famine. |
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