46:1 And it came to pass that as many as would not hearken to the words
of Helaman and his brethren were gathered together against their
brethren.
46:2 And now behold, they were exceedingly wroth, insomuch that they
were determined to slay them.
46:3 Now the leader of those who were wroth against their brethren was
a large and a strong man; and his name was Amalickiah.
46:4 And Amalickiah was desirous to be a king; and those people who
were wroth were also desirous that he should be their king; and they
were the greater part of them the lower judges of the land, and they
were seeking for power.
46:5 And they had been led by the flatteries of Amalickiah, that if
they would support him and establish him to be their king that he would
make them rulers over the people.
46:6 Thus they were led away by Amalickiah to dissensions,
notwithstanding the preaching of Helaman and his brethren, yea,
notwithstanding their exceedingly great care over the church, for they
were high priests over the church.
46:7 And there were many in the church who believed in the flattering
words of Amalickiah, therefore they dissented even from the church; and
thus were the affairs of the people of Nephi exceedingly precarious and
dangerous, notwithstanding their great victory which they had had over
the Lamanites, and their great rejoicings which they had had because of
their deliverance by the hand of the Lord.
46:8 Thus we see how quick the children of men do forget the Lord their
God, yea, how quick to do iniquity, and to be led away by the evil one.
46:9 Yea, and we also see the great wickedness one very wicked man can
cause to take place among the children of men.
46:10 Yea, we see that Amalickiah, because he was a man of cunning
device and a man of many flattering words, that he led away the hearts
of many people to do wickedly; yea, and to seek to destroy the church
of God, and to destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted
unto them, or which blessing God had sent upon the face of the land for
the righteous’ sake.
46:11 And now it came to pass that when Moroni, who was the chief
commander of the armies of the Nephites, had heard of these
dissensions, he was angry with Amalickiah.
46:12 And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece
thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and
freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it
upon the end of a pole.
46:13 And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his
shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole,
which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title
of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily
unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so
long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land—
46:14 For thus were all the true believers of Christ, who belonged to
the church of God, called by those who did not belong to the church.
46:15 And those who did belong to the church were faithful; yea, all
those who were true believers in Christ took upon them, gladly, the
name of Christ, or Christians as they were called, because of their
belief in Christ who should come.
46:16 And therefore, at this time, Moroni prayed that the cause of the
Christians, and the freedom of the land might be favored.
46:17 And it came to pass that when he had poured out his soul to God,
he named all the land which was south of the land Desolation, yea, and
in fine, all the land, both on the north and on the south—A chosen
land, and the land of liberty.
46:18 And he said: Surely God shall not suffer that we, who are
despised because we take upon us the name of Christ, shall be trodden
down and destroyed, until we bring it upon us by our own
transgressions.
46:19 And when Moroni had said these words, he went forth among the
people, waving the rent part of his garment in the air, that all might
see the writing which he had written upon the rent part, and crying
with a loud voice, saying:
46:20 Behold, whosoever will maintain this title upon the land, let
them come forth in the strength of the Lord, and enter into a covenant
that they will maintain their rights, and their religion, that the Lord
God may bless them.
46:21 And it came to pass that when Moroni had proclaimed these words,
behold, the people came running together with their armor girded about
their loins, rending their garments in token, or as a covenant, that
they would not forsake the Lord their God; or, in other words, if they
should transgress the commandments of God, or fall into transgression,
and be ashamed to take upon them the name of Christ, the Lord should
rend them even as they had rent their garments.
46:22 Now this was the covenant which they made, and they cast their
garments at the feet of Moroni, saying: We covenant with our God, that
we shall be destroyed, even as our brethren in the land northward, if
we shall fall into transgression; yea, he may cast us at the feet of
our enemies, even as we have cast our garments at thy feet to be
trodden under foot, if we shall fall into transgression.
46:23 Moroni said unto them: Behold, we are a remnant of the seed of
Jacob; yea, we are a remnant of the seed of Joseph, whose coat was rent
by his brethren into many pieces; yea, and now behold, let us remember
to keep the commandments of God, or our garments shall be rent by our
brethren, and we be cast into prison, or be sold, or be slain.
46:24 Yea, let us preserve our liberty as a remnant of Joseph; yea, let
us remember the words of Jacob, before his death, for behold, he saw
that a part of the remnant of the coat of Joseph was preserved and had
not decayed. And he said—Even as this remnant of garment of my son hath
been preserved, so shall a remnant of the seed of my son be preserved
by the hand of God, and be taken unto himself, while the remainder of
the seed of Joseph shall perish, even as the remnant of his garment.
46:25 Now behold, this giveth my soul sorrow; nevertheless, my soul
hath joy in my son, because of that part of his seed which shall be
taken unto God.
46:26 Now behold, this was the language of Jacob.
46:27 And now who knoweth but what the remnant of the seed of Joseph,
which shall perish as his garment, are those who have dissented from
us? Yea, and even it shall be ourselves if we do not stand fast in the
faith of Christ.
46:28 And now it came to pass that when Moroni had said these words he
went forth, and also sent forth in all the parts of the land where
there were dissensions, and gathered together all the people who were
desirous to maintain their liberty, to stand against Amalickiah and
those who had dissented, who were called Amalickiahites.
46:29 And it came to pass that when Amalickiah saw that the people of
Moroni were more numerous than the Amalickiahites—and he also saw that
his people were doubtful concerning the justice of the cause in which
they had undertaken—therefore, fearing that he should not gain the
point, he took those of his people who would and departed into the land
of Nephi.
46:30 Now Moroni thought it was not expedient that the Lamanites should
have any more strength; therefore he thought to cut off the people of
Amalickiah, or to take them and bring them back, and put Amalickiah to
death; yea, for he knew that he would stir up the Lamanites to anger
against them, and cause them to come to battle against them; and this
he knew that Amalickiah would do that he might obtain his purposes.
46:31 Therefore Moroni thought it was expedient that he should take his
armies, who had gathered themselves together, and armed themselves, and
entered into a covenant to keep the peace—and it came to pass that he
took his army and marched out with his tents into the wilderness, to
cut off the course of Amalickiah in the wilderness.
46:32 And it came to pass that he did according to his desires, and
marched forth into the wilderness, and headed the armies of Amalickiah.
46:33 And it came to pass that Amalickiah fled with a small number of
his men, and the remainder were delivered up into the hands of Moroni
and were taken back into the land of Zarahemla.
46:34 Now, Moroni being a man who was appointed by the chief judges and
the voice of the people, therefore he had power according to his will
with the armies of the Nephites, to establish and to exercise authority
over them.
46:35 And it came to pass that whomsoever of the Amalickiahites that
would not enter into a covenant to support the cause of freedom, that
they might maintain a free government, he caused to be put to death;
and there were but few who denied the covenant of freedom.
46:36 And it came to pass also, that he caused the title of liberty to
be hoisted upon every tower which was in all the land, which was
possessed by the Nephites; and thus Moroni planted the standard of
liberty among the Nephites.
46:37 And they began to have peace again in the land; and thus they did
maintain peace in the land until nearly the end of the nineteenth year
of the reign of the judges.
46:38 And Helaman and the high priests did also maintain order in the
church; yea, even for the space of four years did they have much peace
and rejoicing in the church.
46:39 And it came to pass that there were many who died, firmly
believing that their souls were redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ; thus
they went out of the world rejoicing.
46:40 And there were some who died with fevers, which at some seasons
of the year were very frequent in the land—but not so much so with
fevers, because of the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots
which God had prepared to remove the cause of diseases, to which men
were subject by the nature of the climate—
46:41 But there were many who died with old age; and those who died in
the faith of Christ are happy in him, as we must needs suppose.