loved him, for he was a wise and a godly man, and had done many great
things for them.
At last he became old and feeble. He knew that he had but a short
time to live, so he took the history he had written and gave it to
his brother Jacob. Then he chose a good man to reign as king over the
Nephites.
Soon after that, Nephi died and his spirit went to Paradise to live
with the righteous ones who had gone before.
One day, long after the death of Nephi, a man named Zeniff called
together a number of his Nephite brethren. He told them he wanted to go
and see how the Lamanites were getting on. "How many of you are willing
to go with me?" he asked. Nearly all of them agreed to go. They began
at once to make preparations for the trip. When the time came for them
to leave, they bade their loved ones good-bye and set out on their
journy.
After traveling many days, they came to the place where the Lamanites
were. It was a fine country. Zeniff and those who were with him felt
they would like to live there if the Lamanites would be willing for
them to do so.
After resting awhile, Zeniff took four men and went into the city to
see the king of the Lamanites. The king received his visitors kindly.
Zeniff told the king that he and his brethren who were with him would
like to remain in that part of the land.
King Laman said he would be pleased to have them stay, and that he
would get the Lamanites who were in two of the cities to leave them and
go to other places, so that the Nephites might go in and live in those
cities.
You may think that that was a very kind act of the Lamanite king; but
when I tell you what his object was, you will not think so kindly
of him. He wanted the Nephites to go in and build up the cities, to
cultivate the land and raise good crops. "When they have done that,"
said the king to himself, "I will get my army to come down and take the
cities and the crops away from them. Then we will make the Nephites our
servants."
The king of the Lamanites told Zeniff to bring his brethren and to
settle in the land, and they did so.
Zeniff and his people began at once to improve the cities which the
Lamanites had turned over to them. They planted crops of different
kinds, also orchards and vineyards. Zeniff was a good man. He loved the
Lord and kept His commandments and taught his people to do the same.
The Lord was pleased with them and gave them a great many good things.
He blessed their farms so that they brought forth splendid crops. Their
orchards yielded choice fruits in abundance, and their flocks and herds
increased rapidly.
How little the Nephites knew at that time of the trouble which was soon
to come upon them and of the great changes which a few years would
bring about.
For some time the Lamanites had been watching the people of Zeniff.
They saw their splendid crops, their sheep and cattle, and they longed
to get possession of them. So they decided to make war upon the
Nephites.
The Lamanites, when ready for battle, were a terrible-looking people.
They were almost naked, and had the hair shaved off their heads. They
were armed with bows and arrows, slings and stones, swords, and other
weapons.
Zeniff, hearing that the Lamanites were going to attack his people,
had the women and children taken away and hid in a safe place. Then he
called all the men together and armed them for battle. The Nephites
prayed mightily to the Lord to strengthen them, so that they might be
able to defeat the Lamanites and thus be able to keep their homes and
lands.
The Lord heard and answered the prayers of His people. The Lamanites
fought like wild beasts, but were finally overcome. Those who were
not killed in battle fled back to their own lands, and the Nephites
returned to their homes, their wives and children, praising God for the
victory He had given them.
HOW THE PEOPLE OF ZENIFF WERE BROUGHT INTO BONDAGE.
While Zeniff was king over his people they were greatly blessed of the
Lord. Zeniff had taught them to lead good lives and to be kind and
helpful to each other.
The years passed by, Zeniff grew old and finally died. His son Noah
began to reign in his stead. Noah was just as wicked as his father was
good. He gathered around him many bad men. They flattered him and made
him think he was a great man.
Noah built costly palace had horses and chariots and a large number
of wives and servants. He led a shameful life, spending his days in
feasting and in doing things which were exceedingly displeasing in the
sight of the Lord. It required a great deal of money to support this
ungodly king. He, therefore, put heavy taxes upon his people, and the
Nephites had to work hard to pay the expenses of their wicked ruler.
One by one the Nephites began to follow the example of their king, and
in the course of time the greater part of them had become almost as bad
as Noah himself.
Now, there was a man among the Nephites who had watched with sorrow the
conduct of his people. His name was Abinadi. He was a good man, and the
Lord loved him.
One day the voice of the Lord came to Abinadi, saying, "Abinadi, I want
you to go among this people and call them to repentance. Tell them that
I, the Lord, am very angry with them because of their wickedness, and
that if they do not cease doing evil, I will let the Lamanites come
down upon them and overcome them, and they will become servants to the
Lamanites."
Abinadi did as the Lord commanded him. He stood up in the midst of the
Nephites and told them of the wicked things they had done, how angry
the Lord was with them, and warned them of the trouble which would come
upon them if they did not repent.
His words made them very angry. They rushed upon him, seized him, and
marched him roughly to the king's court. They told Noah of the terrible
things which Abinadi had prophesied would come upon the king and his
people if they did not repent of their wickedness. "What shall we do
with this man," they asked, "who has spoken such things against the
king and against us?"
The cry went up, "Let him be put to death!" But Abinadi had not
completed his mission, so the Lord delivered him out of their hands.
Two years later he appeared in their midst again. He began to preach
with great power and courage. He repeated all that he had said before,
and told them of the fate which awaited them if they refused to listen
to the warning of the Lord.
O, foolish people! Instead of thanking the prophet for pointing out to
them their errors, and for telling them how they could be saved from
the judgments of God, they turned upon him with hearts full of anger,
treated him in a shameful manner, and finally put him to death.
Among those who listened to the preaching of Abinadi was a young man
named Alma. Alma believed what the prophet had said. He knew that he
had spoken the truth. So Alma repented of his sins and began to live a
godly life.
He wrote down all that Abinadi had said. Then he went quietly among the
people and read to those who would listen to him the wonderful things
which the prophet had spoken. Many believed the teachings of Alma. They
repented also and commenced to serve the Lord. They had to be very
careful.
They knew that if King Noah heard that they believed what Abinadi had
said, he would have them put to death also. So on certain days they
would go away out into the country, to a little forest, and there they
would worship God and listen to the preaching of Alma.
In the forest there was a fountain of clear water, called the waters
of Mormon. One day when all the believers were gathered together Alma
asked them if they would like to be baptized, to show to the Lord that
they were willing to serve Him and keep His commandments. They all
clapped their hands for joy and said that that was what they desired.
So Alma went down into the waters of Mormon and baptized them. Others
were baptized from time to time, and finally the followers of Alma
numbered four hundred and fifty.
It was too bad that poor Abinadi died without seeing the result of
his labors. He had been the means of converting Alma, and Alma had
converted four hundred and fifty people. Therefore, if Abinadi's life
had been spared a few years longer his heart would have been made glad
at seeing hundreds of his people forsake their evil ways and turn unto
the Lord.
One day a man went to King Noah and told him that Alma had gathered a
large number of people together and was advising them to turn against
the king. That was not true, but the king believed it, and he at once
sent out his army to destroy Alma and his people. But Alma heard of the
coming of the army. He told the news to his followers and they quickly
took down their tents and went away to another part of the country.
You will remember that Abinadi told the Nephites that if they did not
stop doing wicked things the Lord would let the Lamanites come down
upon them, conquer them and make them their servants. I will now tell
you how the words of the prophet were fulfilled.
One day King Noah was up in a high tower. As he looked over the land he
saw a sight which frightened him terribly--the armies of the Lamanites
were coming to make war upon the Nephites! Noah ran down quickly out
of the tower calling to his people to flee for their lives, as the
Lamanites were coming to destroy them. Noah was a coward. He not only
ran away himself, but told his men to leave their wives and children,
so as to save their own lives.
Some of them did so, but the greater part of them stayed with their
families. The cowardly Nephites who ran away were pursued by the
Lamanites. A number of them were overtaken and slain.
When the Nephites who had stayed with their families saw the Lamanites
coming towards them they sent out their fair daughters to plead with
the Lamanites to spare their lives. The Lamanites were charmed with the
beauty of the Nephite maidens. They told them not to fear, that they
would neither hurt them nor their parents.
The Lamanites told the Nephites they would let them return to their
homes and farms if they would agree to pay to the king of the Lamanites
one-half of all their gold and silver and precious things, and also
one-half of the crops which they might raise each year.
In order to save their lives the Nephites agreed to the demands
of the Lamanites. That day the words of the Prophet Abinadi were
fulfilled--the Nephites had become servants to the Lamanites.
"Did they remain all their lives in that condition?"
I will answer that question in my next story.
HOW THE LORD DELIVERED HIS PEOPLE.
At the close of my last story you asked me if the Nephites had to stay
in bondage to the Lamanites all the rest of their lives. It will, I
know, make you glad to hear that, in His own time, the Lord delivered
them out of the hands of their oppressors.
But before setting them free. He permitted great afflictions to come
upon them as punishment for their sins and to teach them to be humble
and to live good lives.
As the years went by, the Lamanites treated the Nephites more cruelly.
They made them go out and work in their fields, carry heavy burdens,
and when they complained, the Lamanites beat them and told them to
remember they were their servants.
There was a man reigning as king over the Nephites at that time, whose
name was Limhi. He was the grandson of Zeniff. It made him feel very
bad to look upon the afflictions of his people. But he could not help
them, except by speaking kindly to them, telling them to bear their
trials as patiently as possible, and to pray often and earnestly to the
Lord to deliver them.
Three times the Nephites came to Limhi, saying, "O, king, we cannot
stand the treatment of the Lamanites any longer. We would just as lieve
die as continue to live in this condition. We want you to let us go
to war with the Lamanites. We will fight with all our might to rid
ourselves of this terrible slavery."
But Limhi knew that his people were weak and that they were far less
in number than the Lamanites; so he advised them not to go to war.
They kept on pleading with him, however, and, seeing that they were
determined, he finally yielded.
The Nephites fought three battles with the Lamanites and each time the
Nephites were badly beaten. Then they saw that no power save the power
of God could deliver them; so they cried to the Lord in anguish of soul
to help them to get free from their enemies.
At last the Lord heard and listened to their prayers. He saw that they
were sorry for all the wicked things they had done, and for the way in
which they had treated the Prophet Abinadi. So He looked down in mercy
upon them and began to prepare a way for their escape. This is how He
did it:
You remember that Zeniff and his followers left the rest of the
Nephites to go up to the land of the Lamanites. The people whom Zeniff
left were living in a city called Zarahemla. They had as their ruler a
wise and good man named Mosiah. A number of times Mosiah's people had
gone to him and said, "King Mosiah, what do you think has become of
Zeniff and those who went with him to the land of the Lamanites? It is
many years since they left us, and we have never heard from them."
And Mosiah would say, "I am sure, my people, I do not know what has
become of them. I fear the Lamanites have slain them. It seems to me
that if they were alive we would have heard from them."
One day, sixteen large, strong men went to King Mosiah and told him
they had decided to go in search of the people of Zeniff. At first
Mosiah refused to let them go: he was afraid they might get lost also.
But after they had talked with him for some time he consented.
They chose for their leader a man named Ammon. He was a man of great
strength and courage. So, with Amnion at their head, and provisions to
last them a long time, the party set out in search of their brethren.
A large number of men and women, boys and girls followed them to the
outskirts of the city, cheering them on their way.
For forty days Ammon and his followers traveled in the wilderness in
search of their brethren. They had seen no sign of them, so they began
to feel discouraged and to think that their mission had been in vain.
They did not know that at that time they were only a short distance
from them, and that ere long they would be rejoicing in their company.
At the end of forty days' travel, Ammon and his brethren came to a high
hill. At the foot of the hill they put up their tents. After having
refreshed themselves, Ammon took three of his brethren and climbed to
the top of the hill. When they reached the summit they saw a sight
which brought the greatest joy to their hearts. In the valley below was
a beautiful city, and in the city were their long-lost brethren.
Ammon and his comrades lost no time in making their way to the city.
But just as they were about to enter it they were seized by several
men--guards of the king--and taken off to prison. The men who arrested
Ammon and his brethren did not know who they were: they thought they
were spies sent out by the Lamanites.
The next day Ammon and his three companions were brought before King
Limhi. The king asked them who they were, and when Ammon told him they
were his brethren, and that they had come from Zarahemla in search
of him and his people, Limhi rejoiced and praised the Lord. He sent
out and brought the other members of Ammon's party into the city and
treated them all with the greatest kindness.
The king then told Ammon all that had happened to the people of Zeniff
from the time they had left their brethren: how they had broken the
commandments of God and had killed the Prophet Abinadi. Because of that
the Lord had forsaken them and had suffered them to be brought into
bondage to the Lamanites.
"Well," said Ammon, "I feel that the Lord has sent us to deliver you
and to lead you back to your own people in the land of Zarahemla."
King Limhi called his people together, and they listened with the
greatest interest while Ammon told them that he and his brethren had
come all the way from Zarahemla in search of them, and now that they
had found them, they were going to help them to free themselves from
bondage.
When Ammon had finished speaking, a man named Gideon, leader of the
Nephite army, went forward and bowed down before the king. "O, king,"
said he, "if you will grant me permission I will undertake to deliver
our people out of the power of the Lamanites."
"How do you think you can do that?" asked the king.
"In this way," said Gideon, "let all the people get ready for the
journey, and tonight when the Lamanites are asleep I will lead our
people out by the back pass. When the Lamanites awake in the morning we
will be so far away that they cannot overtake us."
Gideon's plan pleased the king, and he at once gave orders to his
people to prepare to make their escape. That night, while the Lamanites
slept, Gideon got his people together, and, with Ammon and his brethren
leading the way, they started for Zarahemla.
You can imagine the surprise of the Lamanites when they awoke the
next morning and found the cities of the Nephites deserted. You can
also imagine the surprise and joy of King Mosiah and the Nephites in
Zarahemla when Ammon and his followers returned accompanied by their
brethren and sisters who, through the power of God, had been delivered
out of the hands of the Lamanites.
I suppose you would also like to know what became of Alma and his
people, who made their escape from the army of King Noah. They settled
in another part of the land and were doing well, when one day an army
of Lamanites came down upon them and captured them and their city.
They also became servants to the Lamanites; but after a time the Lord
helped them to make their escape, and they, too, came and joined their
brethren in the land of Zarahemla.
REMARKABLE CONVERSIONS AND MISSIONARY EXPERIENCE.
After the Nephites had become reunited in Zarahemla, King Mosiah
placed Alma at the head of the Church. Alma was a faithful servant of
the Lord. He spent his time traveling through the land, teaching the
Nephites the ways of the Lord and establishing branches of the Church
among them.
For a number of years there was peace, happiness and prosperity in
Zarahemla. Then a division took place among the people. Many of them
ceased serving the Lord, left the Church, and began to persecute those
who believed in and remained true to the faith of their fathers.
Among the unbelievers and persecutors were the four sons of King
Mosiah, and a young man named Alma, the son of Alma who presided over
the Church. The hearts of the parents of these young men were sorely
grieved at the conduct of their sons. They did all in their power to
turn them from their wicked course, but they utterly failed.
They refused, however, to give them up. They knew that where they had
failed the Lord could succeed. So every day they knelt in prayer and
pleaded with the Lord in behalf of their wayward and rebellious sons.
Let me tell you now what the prayers of these righteous parents
accomplished. One day Alma the younger and the four sons of Mosiah
decided to go to a certain place and make trouble for the Church there.
They thought they were great fellows, and that they knew much more than
did the people who belonged to the Church of God. But the Lord showed
them that day how weak and ignorant they were, and how foolish it was
for them to try to destroy the work which He had established.
What did the Lord do? He sent an angel from heaven to turn these
young men from their wicked course and to save them from destruction.
Standing before Alma and the sons of Mosiah, the heavenly messenger
spoke with a voice which caused the ground to tremble beneath their
feet and Alma and his companions fell to the earth.
"The Lord has sent me to you," said the angel, "to tell you that you
are doing a very wicked thing in persecuting His people and trying to
destroy His Church. The Lord has great respect for your parents, for
they are good people. He has heard their prayers in your behalf, and
that is why He sent me to you. Now, you must repent of all the evil you
have done, and turn to the Lord and serve Him faithfully all the days
of your life."
After having delivered his message, the angel left them. Alma was so
weak that he could not stand upon his feet, so the sons of Mosiah
carried him to his father and told the elder Alma all that had happened.
On hearing the news, Alma's father rejoiced, and gave thanks to God for
the great mercy which He had shown to his sons and also to the sons of
Mosiah. He called a large number of people together and they fasted and
prayed two days and two nights for Alma's recovery. At the end of that
time his strength returned. He stood upon his feet and told the people
all that the Lord had done for him.
From that time Alma and the sons of Mosiah became faithful workers in
the Church, and were the means of turning many people to the Lord.
You will be interested, I know, in hearing of some remarkable things
which took place while Alma was laboring as a missionary among certain
of the Nephites who had departed from the true faith. What I am about
to tell took place in one of the cities of the Nephites, called
Ammonihah.
Alma had gone there alone to preach to the people. His mission was a
hard one, for the people were very wicked. Day after day he stood up
and preached to them, pleading with them to repent of their sins, that
the judgments of God might not come upon them. But they had become so
wicked that the preaching of Alma had no effect upon them except to
make them exceedingly angry and to cause them to treat the prophet in a
shameful manner. They spat in his face, slapped him on the cheeks, and
finally drove him out of the city.
We can imagine the feelings of the poor missionary as, with bowed head
and sorrowful heart, he traveled along the road leading from Ammonihah
to the city of Aaron. He believed when he first entered Ammonihah that
he would find a few people at least who would give heed to what he
said, and turn from their wicked ways; but, alas! he had not found one
who was willing to do so. "Yes," thought he, "my mission has been a
complete failure."
Just at that moment an angel of God descended from heaven and stood
before him. He told Alma that he was the same heavenly messenger who
had appeared to him and the sons of Mosiah some years before, and had
converted them. The angel told Alma that the Lord was well pleased with
him, because he had kept His commandments. He said also that the Lord
wanted Alma to return to the city of Ammonihah and preach again to the
people there.
The words of the heavenly visitor caused new joy and hope to spring up
in Alma's heart. As soon as the angel had delivered his message, Alma
turned and walked back towards the city from which he had been banished
a short time before.
He was very weak and hungry, for he had fasted many days. As he was
about to enter the city he met a man whom he stopped, and asked, "Will
you give an humble servant of God something to eat?"
The man gazed on Alma with astonishment. Then he said, "Why, you are
the man an angel told me about last night in a vision. I am very glad I
have met you, for I know you are a true prophet of God."
The man's name was Amulek. He took Alma to his home, gave him food and
drink, and made him rest several days. Then Alma and Amulek went out
among the people and began to preach to them. They were filled with
the spirit and power of God. To their great joy, many believed their
message, repented of their sins, and began to live righteous lives.
But the greater part of the people would not believe the preaching
of Alma and Amulek. They not only mocked the missionaries, but beat
them and abused them in other shameful ways. Finally they seized Alma
and Amulek and cast them into prison. They stripped them of all their
clothing, bound them with strong cords, and kept them there for several
days without either food or drink.
Each day a number of wicked men went to the prison and made mock of
Alma and his companion. But that was not all: they also spat in their
faces and slapped their cheeks.
The missionaries bore all these things with such patience that they
astonished their enemies.
You might say, "Why did not the Lord come to the aid of His servants
and deliver them out of the hands of those wicked men?"
Well, my children, that is just what He did do, as you will now hear.