54:1 And now it came to pass in the commencement of the twenty and
ninth year of the judges, that Ammoron sent unto Moroni desiring that
he would exchange prisoners.
54:2 And it came to pass that Moroni felt to rejoice exceedingly at
this request, for he desired the provisions which were imparted for the
support of the Lamanite prisoners for the support of his own people;
and he also desired his own people for the strengthening of his army.
54:3 Now the Lamanites had taken many women and children, and there was
not a woman nor a child among all the prisoners of Moroni, or the
prisoners whom Moroni had taken; therefore Moroni resolved upon a
stratagem to obtain as many prisoners of the Nephites from the
Lamanites as it were possible.
54:4 Therefore he wrote an epistle, and sent it by the servant of
Ammoron, the same who had brought an epistle to Moroni. Now these are
the words which he wrote unto Ammoron, saying:
54:5 Behold, Ammoron, I have written unto you somewhat concerning this
war which ye have waged against my people, or rather which thy brother
hath waged against them, and which ye are still determined to carry on
after his death.
54:6 Behold, I would tell you somewhat concerning the justice of God,
and the sword of his almighty wrath, which doth hang over you except ye
repent and withdraw your armies into your own lands, or the land of
your possessions, which is the land of Nephi.
54:7 Yea, I would tell you these things if ye were capable of
hearkening unto them; yea, I would tell you concerning that awful hell
that awaits to receive such murderers as thou and thy brother have
been, except ye repent and withdraw your murderous purposes, and return
with your armies to your own lands.
54:8 But as ye have once rejected these things, and have fought against
the people of the Lord, even so I may expect you will do it again.
54:9 And now behold, we are prepared to receive you; yea, and except
you withdraw your purposes, behold, ye will pull down the wrath of that
God whom you have rejected upon you, even to your utter destruction.
54:10 But, as the Lord liveth, our armies shall come upon you except ye
withdraw, and ye shall soon be visited with death, for we will retain
our cities and our lands; yea, and we will maintain our religion and
the cause of our God.
54:11 But behold, it supposeth me that I talk to you concerning these
things in vain; or it supposeth me that thou art a child of hell;
therefore I will close my epistle by telling you that I will not
exchange prisoners, save it be on conditions that ye will deliver up a
man and his wife and his children, for one prisoner; if this be the
case that ye will do it, I will exchange.
54:12 And behold, if you do not this, I will come against you with my
armies; yea, even I will arm my women and my children, and I will come
against you, and I will follow you even into your own land, which is
the land of our first inheritance; yea, and it shall be blood for
blood, yea, life for life; and I will give you battle even until you
are destroyed from off the face of the earth.
54:13 Behold, I am in my anger, and also my people; ye have sought to
murder us, and we have only sought to defend ourselves. But behold, if
ye seek to destroy us more we will seek to destroy you; yea, and we
will seek our land, the land of our first inheritance.
54:14 Now I close my epistle. I am Moroni; I am a leader of the people
of the Nephites.
54:15 Now it came to pass that Ammoron, when he had received this
epistle, was angry; and he wrote another epistle unto Moroni, and these
are the words which he wrote, saying:
54:16 I am Ammoron, the king of the Lamanites; I am the brother of
Amalickiah whom ye have murdered. Behold, I will avenge his blood upon
you, yea, and I will come upon you with my armies for I fear not your
threatenings.
54:17 For behold, your fathers did wrong their brethren, insomuch that
they did rob them of their right to the government when it rightly
belonged unto them.
54:18 And now behold, if ye will lay down your arms, and subject
yourselves to be governed by those to whom the government doth rightly
belong, then will I cause that my people shall lay down their weapons
and shall be at war no more.
54:19 Behold, ye have breathed out many threatenings against me and my
people; but behold, we fear not your threatenings.
54:20 Nevertheless, I will grant to exchange prisoners according to
your request, gladly, that I may preserve my food for my men of war;
and we will wage a war which shall be eternal, either to the subjecting
the Nephites to our authority or to their eternal extinction.
54:21 And as concerning that God whom ye say we have rejected, behold,
we know not such a being; neither do ye; but if it so be that there is
such a thing, we know not but that he hath made us as well as you.
54:22 And if it so be that there is a devil and a hell, behold will he
not send you there to dwell with my brother whom ye have murdered, whom
ye have hinted that he hath gone to such a place? But behold these
things matter not.
54:23 I am Ammoron, and a descendant of Zoram, whom your fathers
pressed and brought out of Jerusalem.
54:24 And behold now, I am a bold Lamanite; behold, this war hath been
waged to avenge their wrongs, and to maintain and to obtain their
rights to the government; and I close my epistle to Moroni.