3 Nephi 4
1 And it came to pass that in the latter end of the eighteenth year those
armies of robbers had prepared for battle, and began to come down and to
sally forth from the hills, and out of the mountains, and the wilderness, and
their strongholds, and their secret places, and began to take possession of the
lands, both which were in the land south and which were in the land north,
and began to take possession of all the lands which had been deserted by the
Nephites, and the cities which had been left desolate.
2 But behold, there were no wild beasts nor game in those lands which had
been deserted by the Nephites, and there was no game for the robbers save it
were in the wilderness.
3 And the robbers could not exist save it were in the wilderness, for the
want of food; for the Nephites had left their lands desolate, and had gathered
their flocks and their herds and all their substance, and they were in one
body.
4 Therefore, there was no chance for the robbers to plunder and to obtain
food, save it were to come up in open battle against the Nephites; and the
Nephites being in one body, and having so great a number, and having
reserved for themselves provisions, and horses and cattle, and flocks of every
kind, that they might subsist for the space of seven years, in the which time
they did hope to destroy the robbers from off the face of the land; and thus
the eighteenth year did pass away.
5 And it came to pass that in the nineteenth year Giddianhi found that it was
expedient that he should go up to battle against the Nephites, for there was
no way that they could subsist save it were to plunder and rob and murder.
6 And they durst not spread themselves upon the face of the land insomuch
that they could raise grain, lest the Nephites should come upon them and slay
them; therefore Giddianhi gave commandment unto his armies that in this
year they should go up to battle against the Nephites.
7 And it came to pass that they did come up to battle; and it was in the sixth
month; and behold, great and terrible was the day that they did come up to
battle; and they were girded about after the manner of robbers; and they had
a lamb-skin about their loins, and they were dyed in blood, and their heads
were shorn, and they had head-plates upon them; and great and terrible was
the appearance of the armies of Giddianhi, because of their armor, and
because of their being dyed in blood.
8 And it came to pass that the armies of the Nephites, when they saw the
appearance of the army of Giddianhi, had all fallen to the earth, and did lift
their cries to the Lord their God, that he would spare them and deliver them
out of the hands of their enemies.
9 And it came to pass that when the armies of Giddianhi saw this they began
to shout with a loud voice, because of their joy, for they had supposed that
the Nephites had fallen with fear because of the terror of their armies.
10 But in this thing they were disappointed, for the Nephites did not fear
them; but they did fear their God and did supplicate him for protection;
therefore, when the armies of Giddianhi did rush upon them they were
prepared to meet them; yea, in the strength of the Lord they did receive
them.
11 And the battle commenced in this the sixth month; and great and terrible
was the battle thereof, yea, great and terrible was the slaughter thereof,
insomuch that there never was known so great a slaughter among all the
people of Lehi since he left Jerusalem.
12 And notwithstanding the threatenings and the oaths which Giddianhi had
made, behold, the Nephites did beat them, insomuch that they did fall back
from before them.
13 And it came to pass that Gidgiddoni commanded that his armies should
pursue them as far as the borders of the wilderness, and that they should not
spare any that should fall into their hands by the way; and thus they did
pursue them and did slay them, to the borders of the wilderness, even until
they had fulfilled the commandment of Gidgiddoni.
14 And it came to pass that Giddianhi, who had stood and fought with
boldness, was pursued as he fled; and being weary because of his much
fighting he was overtaken and slain. And thus was the end of Giddianhi the
robber.
15 And it came to pass that the armies of the Nephites did return again to
their place of security. And it came to pass that this nineteenth year did pass
away, and the robbers did not come again to battle; neither did they come
again in the twentieth year.
16 And in the twenty and first year they did not come up to battle, but they
came up on all sides to lay siege round about the people of Nephi; for they
did suppose that if they should cut off the people of Nephi from their lands,
and should hem them in on every side, and if they should cut them off from
all their outward privileges, that they could cause them to yield themselves
up according to their wishes.
17 Now they had appointed unto themselves another leader, whose name
was Zemnarihah; therefore it was Zemnarihah that did cause that this siege
should take place.
18 But behold, this was an advantage to the Nephites; for it was impossible
for the robbers to lay siege sufficiently long to have any effect upon the
Nephites, because of their much provision which they had laid up in store,
19 And because of the scantiness of provisions among the robbers — for
behold, they had nothing save it were meat for their subsistence, which meat
they did obtain in the wilderness;
20 And it came to pass that the wild game became scarce in the wilderness
— insomuch that the robbers were about to perish with hunger.
21 And the Nephites were continually marching out by day and by night, and
falling upon their armies, and cutting them off by thousands and by tens of
thousands.
22 And thus it became the desire of the people of Zemnarihah to withdraw
from their design, because of the great destruction which came upon them by
night and by day.
23 And it came to pass that Zemnarihah did give command unto his people
that they should withdraw themselves from the siege, and march into the
furthermost parts of the land northward.
24 And now, Gidgiddoni being aware of their design, and knowing of their
weakness because of the want of food, and the great slaughter which had
been made among them, therefore he did send out his armies in the
night-time, and did cut off the way of their retreat, and did place his armies in
the way of their retreat.
25 And this did they do in the night-time, and got on their march beyond the
robbers, so that on the morrow, when the robbers began their march, they
were met by the armies of the Nephites both in their front and in their rear.
26 And the robbers who were on the south were also cut off in their places
of retreat. And all these things were done by command of Gidgiddoni.
27 And there were many thousands who did yield themselves up prisoners
unto the Nephites, and the remainder of them were slain.
28 And their leader, Zemnarihah, was taken and hanged upon a tree, yea,
even upon the top thereof until he was dead. And when they had hanged him
until he was dead they did fell the tree to the earth, and did cry with a loud
voice, saying:
29 May the Lord preserve his people in righteousness and in holiness of
heart, that they may cause to be felled to the earth all who shall seek to slay
them because of power and secret combinations, even as this man hath been
felled to the earth.
30 And they did rejoice and cry again with one voice, saying: May the God
of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, protect this people
in righteousness, so long as they shall call on the name of their God for
protection.
31 And it came to pass that they did break forth, all as one, in singing, and
praising their God for the great thing which he had done for them, in
preserving them from falling into the hands of their enemies.
32 Yea, they did cry: Hosanna to the Most High God. And they did cry:
Blessed be the name of the Lord God Almighty, the Most High God.
33 And their hearts were swollen with joy, unto the gushing out of many
tears, because of the great goodness of God in delivering them out of the
hands of their enemies; and they knew it was because of their repentance and
their humility that they had been delivered from an everlasting destruction.
