60:1 And it came to pass that he wrote again to the governor of the
land, who was Pahoran, and these are the words which he wrote, saying:
Behold, I direct mine epistle to Pahoran, in the city of Zarahemla, who
is the chief judge and the governor over the land, and also to all
those who have been chosen by this people to govern and manage the
affairs of this war.
60:2 For behold, I have somewhat to say unto them by the way of
condemnation; for behold, ye yourselves know that ye have been
appointed to gather together men, and arm them with swords, and with
cimeters, and all manner of weapons of war of every kind, and send
forth against the Lamanites, in whatsoever parts they should come into
our land.
60:3 And now behold, I say unto you that myself, and also my men, and
also Helaman and his men, have suffered exceedingly great sufferings;
yea, even hunger, thirst, and fatigue, and all manner of afflictions of
every kind.
60:4 But behold, were this all we had suffered we would not murmur nor
complain.
60:5 But behold, great has been the slaughter among our people; yea,
thousands have fallen by the sword, while it might have otherwise been
if ye had rendered unto our armies sufficient strength and succor for
them. Yea, great has been your neglect towards us.
60:6 And now behold, we desire to know the cause of this exceedingly
great neglect; yea, we desire to know the cause of your thoughtless
state.
60:7 Can you think to sit upon your thrones in a state of thoughtless
stupor, while your enemies are spreading the work of death around you?
Yea, while they are murdering thousands of your brethren—
60:8 Yea, even they who have looked up to you for protection, yea, have
placed you in a situation that ye might have succored them, yea, ye
might have sent armies unto them, to have strengthened them, and have
saved thousands of them from falling by the sword.
60:9 But behold, this is not all—ye have withheld your provisions from
them, insomuch that many have fought and bled out their lives because
of their great desires which they had for the welfare of this people;
yea, and this they have done when they were about to perish with
hunger, because of your exceedingly great neglect towards them.
60:10 And now, my beloved brethren—for ye ought to be beloved; yea, and
ye ought to have stirred yourselves more diligently for the welfare and
the freedom of this people; but behold, ye have neglected them insomuch
that the blood of thousands shall come upon your heads for vengeance;
yea, for known unto God were all their cries, and all their sufferings—
60:11 Behold, could ye suppose that ye could sit upon your thrones, and
because of the exceeding goodness of God ye could do nothing and he
would deliver you? Behold, if ye have supposed this ye have supposed in
vain.
60:12 Do ye suppose that, because so many of your brethren have been
killed it is because of their wickedness? I say unto you, if ye have
supposed this ye have supposed in vain; for I say unto you, there are
many who have fallen by the sword; and behold it is to your
condemnation;
60:13 For the Lord suffereth the righteous to be slain that his justice
and judgment may come upon the wicked; therefore ye need not suppose
that the righteous are lost because they are slain; but behold, they do
enter into the rest of the Lord their God.
60:14 And now behold, I say unto you, I fear exceedingly that the
judgments of God will come upon this people, because of their exceeding
slothfulness, yea, even the slothfulness of our government, and their
exceedingly great neglect towards their brethren, yea, towards those
who have been slain.
60:15 For were it not for the wickedness which first commenced at our
head, we could have withstood our enemies that they could have gained
no power over us.
60:16 Yea, had it not been for the war which broke out among ourselves;
yea, were it not for these king-men, who caused so much bloodshed among
ourselves; yea, at the time we were contending among ourselves, if we
had united our strength as we hitherto have done; yea, had it not been
for the desire of power and authority which those king-men had over us;
had they been true to the cause of our freedom, and united with us, and
gone forth against our enemies, instead of taking up their swords
against us, which was the cause of so much bloodshed among ourselves;
yea, if we had gone forth against them in the strength of the Lord, we
should have dispersed our enemies, for it would have been done,
according to the fulfilling of his word.
60:17 But behold, now the Lamanites are coming upon us, taking
possession of our lands, and they are murdering our people with the
sword, yea, our women and our children, and also carrying them away
captive, causing them that they should suffer all manner of
afflictions, and this because of the great wickedness of those who are
seeking for power and authority, yea, even those king-men.
60:18 But why should I say much concerning this matter? For we know not
but what ye yourselves are seeking for authority. We know not but what
ye are also traitors to your country.
60:19 Or is it that ye have neglected us because ye are in the heart of
our country and ye are surrounded by security, that ye do not cause
food to be sent unto us, and also men to strengthen our armies?
60:20 Have ye forgotten the commandments of the Lord your God? Yea,
have ye forgotten the captivity of our fathers? Have ye forgotten the
many times we have been delivered out of the hands of our enemies?
60:21 Or do ye suppose that the Lord will still deliver us, while we
sit upon our thrones and do not make use of the means which the Lord
has provided for us?
60:22 Yea, will ye sit in idleness while ye are surrounded with
thousands of those, yea, and tens of thousands, who do also sit in
idleness, while there are thousands round about in the borders of the
land who are falling by the sword, yea, wounded and bleeding?
60:23 Do ye suppose that God will look upon you as guiltless while ye
sit still and behold these things? Behold I say unto you, Nay. Now I
would that ye should remember that God has said that the inward vessel
shall be cleansed first, and then shall the outer vessel be cleansed
also.
60:24 And now, except ye do repent of that which ye have done, and
begin to be up and doing, and send forth food and men unto us, and also
unto Helaman, that he may support those parts of our country which he
has regained, and that we may also recover the remainder of our
possessions in these parts, behold it will be expedient that we contend
no more with the Lamanites until we have first cleansed our inward
vessel, yea, even the great head of our government.
60:25 And except ye grant mine epistle, and come out and show unto me a
true spirit of freedom, and strive to strengthen and fortify our
armies, and grant unto them food for their support, behold I will leave
a part of my freemen to maintain this part of our land, and I will
leave the strength and the blessings of God upon them, that none other
power can operate against them—
60:26 And this because of their exceeding faith, and their patience in
their tribulations—
60:27 And I will come unto you, and if there be any among you that has
a desire for freedom, yea, if there be even a spark of freedom
remaining, behold I will stir up insurrections among you, even until
those who have desires to usurp power and authority shall become
extinct.
60:28 Yea, behold I do not fear your power nor your authority, but it
is my God whom I fear; and it is according to his commandments that I
do take my sword to defend the cause of my country, and it is because
of your iniquity that we have suffered so much loss.
60:29 Behold it is time, yea, the time is now at hand, that except ye
do bestir yourselves in the defence of your country and your little
ones, the sword of justice doth hang over you; yea, and it shall fall
upon you and visit you even to your utter destruction.
60:30 Behold, I wait for assistance from you; and, except ye do
administer unto our relief, behold, I come unto you, even in the land
of Zarahemla, and smite you with the sword, insomuch that ye can have
no more power to impede the progress of this people in the cause of our
freedom.
60:31 For behold, the Lord will not suffer that ye shall live and wax
strong in your iniquities to destroy his righteous people.
60:32 Behold, can you suppose that the Lord will spare you and come out
in judgment against the Lamanites, when it is the tradition of their
fathers that has caused their hatred, yea, and it has been redoubled by
those who have dissented from us, while your iniquity is for the cause
of your love of glory and the vain things of the world?
60:33 Ye know that ye do transgress the laws of God, and ye do know
that ye do trample them under your feet. Behold, the Lord saith unto
me: If those whom ye have appointed your governors do not repent of
their sins and iniquities, ye shall go up to battle against them.
60:34 And now behold, I, Moroni, am constrained, according to the
covenant which I have made to keep the commandments of my God;
therefore I would that ye should adhere to the word of God, and send
speedily unto me of your provisions and of your men, and also to
Helaman.
60:35 And behold, if ye will not do this I come unto you speedily; for
behold, God will not suffer that we should perish with hunger;
therefore he will give unto us of your food, even if it must be by the
sword. Now see that ye fulfil the word of God.
60:36 Behold, I am Moroni, your chief captain. I seek not for power,
but to pull it down. I seek not for honor of the world, but for the
glory of my God, and the freedom and welfare of my country. And thus I
close mine epistle.