Mormon 6
1 And now I finish my record concerning the destruction of my people, the
Nephites. And it came to pass that we did march forth before the Lamanites.
2 And I, Mormon, wrote an epistle unto the king of the Lamanites, and
desired of him that he would grant unto us that we might gather together our
people unto the land of Cumorah, by a hill which was called Cumorah, and
there we could give them battle.
3 And it came to pass that the king of the Lamanites did grant unto me the
thing which I desired.
4 And it came to pass that we did march forth to the land of Cumorah, and
we did pitch our tents around about the hill Cumorah; and it was in a land of
many waters, rivers, and fountains; and here we had hope to gain advantage
over the Lamanites.
5 And when three hundred and eighty and four years had passed away, we
had gathered in all the remainder of our people unto the land of Cumorah.
6 And it came to pass that when we had gathered in all our people in one to
the land of Cumorah, behold I, Mormon, began to be old; and knowing it to
be the last struggle of my people, and having been commanded of the Lord
that I should not suffer the records which had been handed down by our
fathers, which were sacred, to fall into the hands of the Lamanites, (for the
Lamanites would destroy them) therefore I made this record out of the plates
of Nephi, and hid up in the hill Cumorah all the records which had been
entrusted to me by the hand of the Lord, save it were these few plates which
I gave unto my son Moroni.
7 And it came to pass that my people, with their wives and their children,
did now behold the armies of the Lamanites marching towards them; and
with that awful fear of death which fills the breasts of all the wicked, did they
await to receive them.
8 And it came to pass that they came to battle against us, and every soul was
filled with terror because of the greatness of their numbers.
9 And it came to pass that they did fall upon my people with the sword, and
with the bow, and with the arrow, and with the ax, and with all manner of
weapons of war.
10 And it came to pass that my men were hewn down, yea, even my ten
thousand who were with me, and I fell wounded in the midst; and they
passed by me that they did not put an end to my life.
11 And when they had gone through and hewn down all my people save it
were twenty and four of us, (among whom was my son Moroni) and we
having survived the dead of our people, did behold on the morrow, when the
Lamanites had returned unto their camps, from the top of the hill Cumorah,
the ten thousand of my people who were hewn down, being led in the front
by me.
12 And we also beheld the ten thousand of my people who were led by my
son Moroni.
13 And behold, the ten thousand of Gidgiddonah had fallen, and he also in
the midst.
14 And Lamah had fallen with his ten thousand; and Gilgal had fallen with
his ten thousand; and Limhah had fallen with his ten thousand; and Jeneum
had fallen with his ten thousand; and Cumenihah, and Moronihah, and
Antionum, and Shiblom, and Shem, and Josh, had fallen with their ten
thousand each.
15 And it came to pass that there were ten more who did fall by the sword,
with their ten thousand each; yea, even all my people, save it were those
twenty and four who were with me, and also a few who had escaped into the
south countries, and a few who had deserted over unto the Lamanites, had
fallen; and their flesh, and bones, and blood lay upon the face of the earth,
being left by the hands of those who slew them to molder upon the land, and
to crumble and to return to their mother earth.
16 And my soul was rent with anguish, because of the slain of my people,
and I cried:
17 O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord!
O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open
arms to receive you!
18 Behold, if ye had not done this, ye would not have fallen. $ But behold,
ye are fallen, and I mourn your loss.
19 O ye fair sons and daughters, ye fathers and mothers, ye husbands and
wives, ye fair ones, how is it that ye could have fallen!
20 But behold, ye are gone, and my sorrows cannot bring your return.
21 And the day soon cometh that your mortal must put on immortality, and
these bodies which are now moldering in corruption must soon become
incorruptible bodies; and then ye must stand before the judgment-seat of
Christ to be judged according to your works and if it so be that ye are
righteous, then are ye blessed with your fathers who have gone before you.
22 O that ye had repented before this great destruction had come upon you.
But behold, ye are gone, and the Father, yea, the Eternal Father of heaven,
knoweth your state; and he doeth with you according to his justice and
mercy.