Alma 24
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.
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.
3 Now the king conferred the kingdom upon his son, and he called his name
Anti-Nephi-Lehi.
4 And the king died in that selfsame year that the Lamanites began to make
preparations for war against the people of God.
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 Anti-Nephi-Lehi, what they should do
to defend themselves against the Lamanites.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 —
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.
13 Behold, I say unto you, Nay, let us retain our swords that they be not
stained with the blood of our brethren; for perhaps, if we should stain our
swords again they can no more be washed bright through the blood of the
Son of our great God, which shall be shed for the atonement of our sins.
14 And the great God has had mercy on us, and made these things known
unto us that we might not perish; yea, and he has made these things known
unto us beforehand, because he loveth our souls as well as he loveth our
children; therefore, in his mercy he doth visit us by his angels, that the plan of
salvation might be made known unto us as well as unto future generations.
15 Oh, how merciful is our God! And now behold, since it has been as
much as we could do to get our stains taken away from us, and our swords
are made bright, let us hide them away that they may be kept bright, as a
testimony to our God at the last day, or at the day that we shall be brought to
stand before him to be judged, that we have not stained our swords in the
blood of our brethren since he imparted his word unto us and has made us
clean thereby.
16 And now, my brethren, if our brethren seek to destroy us, behold, we will
hide away our swords, yea, even we will bury them deep in the earth, that
they may be kept bright, as a testimony that we have never used them, at the
last day; and if our brethren destroy us, behold, we shall go to our God and
shall be saved.
17 And now it came to pass that when the king had made an end of these
sayings, and all the people were assembled together, they took their swords,
and all the weapons which were used for the shedding of man's blood, and
they did bury them up deep in the earth.
18 And this they did, it being in their view a testimony to God, and also to
men, that they never would use weapons again for the shedding of man's
blood; and this they did, vouching and covenanting with God, that rather
than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; and
rather than take away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather
than spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their
hands.
19 And thus we see that, when these Lamanites were brought to believe and
to know the truth, they were firm, and would suffer even unto death rather
than commit sin; and thus we see that they buried their weapons of peace, or
they buried the weapons of war, for peace.
20 And it came to pass that their brethren, the Lamanites, made preparations
for war, and came up to the land of Nephi for the purpose of destroying the
king, and to place another in his stead, and also of destroying the people of
Anti-Nephi-Lehi out of the land.
21 Now when the people saw that they were coming against them they went
out to meet them, and prostrated themselves before them to the earth, and
began to call on the name of the Lord; and thus they were in this attitude
when the Lamanites began to fall upon them, and began to slay them with the
sword.
22 And thus without meeting any resistance, they did slay a thousand and
five of them; and we know that they are blessed, for they have gone to dwell
with their God.
23 Now when the Lamanites saw that their brethren would not flee from the
sword, neither would they turn aside to the right hand or to the left, but that
they would lie down and perish, and praised God even in the very act of
perishing under the sword —
24 Now when the Lamanites saw this they did forbear from slaying them;
and there were many whose hearts had swollen in them for those of their
brethren who had fallen under the sword, for they repented of the things
which they had done.
25 And it came to pass that they threw down their weapons of war, and they
would not take them again, for they were stung for the murders which they
had committed; and they came down even as their brethren, relying upon the
mercies of those whose arms were lifted to slay them.
26 And it came to pass that the people of God were joined that day by more
than the number who had been slain; and those who had been slain were
righteous people, therefore we have no reason to doubt but what they were
saved.
27 And there was not a wicked man slain among them; but there were more
than a thousand brought to the knowledge of the truth; thus we see that the
Lord worketh in many ways to the salvation of his people.
28 Now the greatest number of those of the Lamanites who slew so many of
their brethren were Amalekites and Amulonites, the greatest number of
whom were after the order of the Nehors.
29 Now, among those who joined the people of the Lord, there were none
who were Amalekites or Amulonites, or who were of the order of Nehor, but
they were actual descendants of Laman and Lemuel.
30 And thus we can plainly discern, that after a people have been once
enlightened by the Spirit of God, and have had great knowledge of things
pertaining to righteousness, and then have fallen away into sin and
transgression, they become more hardened, and thus their state becomes
worse than though they had never known these things.