4:1 And it came to pass that in the latter end of the eighteenth year
those armies of robbers had prepared for battle, and began to come down
and to sally forth from the hills, and out of the mountains, and the
wilderness, and their strongholds, and their secret places, and began
to take possession of the lands, both which were in the land south and
which were in the land north, and began to take possession of all the
lands which had been deserted by the Nephites, and the cities which had
been left desolate.
4:2 But behold, there were no wild beasts nor game in those lands which
had been deserted by the Nephites, and there was no game for the
robbers save it were in the wilderness.
4:3 And the robbers could not exist save it were in the wilderness, for
the want of food; for the Nephites had left their lands desolate, and
had gathered their flocks and their herds and all their substance, and
they were in one body.
4:4 Therefore, there was no chance for the robbers to plunder and to
obtain food, save it were to come up in open battle against the
Nephites; and the Nephites being in one body, and having so great a
number, and having reserved for themselves provisions, and horses and
cattle, and flocks of every kind, that they might subsist for the space
of seven years, in the which time they did hope to destroy the robbers
from off the face of the land; and thus the eighteenth year did pass
away.
4:5 And it came to pass that in the nineteenth year Giddianhi found
that it was expedient that he should go up to battle against the
Nephites, for there was no way that they could subsist save it were to
plunder and rob and murder.
4:6 And they durst not spread themselves upon the face of the land
insomuch that they could raise grain, lest the Nephites should come
upon them and slay them; therefore Giddianhi gave commandment unto his
armies that in this year they should go up to battle against the
Nephites.
4:7 And it came to pass that they did come up to battle; and it was in
the sixth month; and behold, great and terrible was the day that they
did come up to battle; and they were girded about after the manner of
robbers; and they had a lamb-skin about their loins, and they were dyed
in blood, and their heads were shorn, and they had head-plates upon
them; and great and terrible was the appearance of the armies of
Giddianhi, because of their armor, and because of their being dyed in
blood.
4:8 And it came to pass that the armies of the Nephites, when they saw
the appearance of the army of Giddianhi, had all fallen to the earth,
and did lift their cries to the Lord their God, that he would spare
them and deliver them out of the hands of their enemies.
4:9 And it came to pass that when the armies of Giddianhi saw this they
began to shout with a loud voice, because of their joy, for they had
supposed that the Nephites had fallen with fear because of the terror
of their armies.
4:10 But in this thing they were disappointed, for the Nephites did not
fear them; but they did fear their God and did supplicate him for
protection; therefore, when the armies of Giddianhi did rush upon them
they were prepared to meet them; yea, in the strength of the Lord they
did receive them.
4:11 And the battle commenced in this the sixth month; and great and
terrible was the battle thereof, yea, great and terrible was the
slaughter thereof, insomuch that there never was known so great a
slaughter among all the people of Lehi since he left Jerusalem.
4:12 And notwithstanding the threatenings and the oaths which Giddianhi
had made, behold, the Nephites did beat them, insomuch that they did
fall back from before them.
4:13 And it came to pass that Gidgiddoni commanded that his armies
should pursue them as far as the borders of the wilderness, and that
they should not spare any that should fall into their hands by the way;
and thus they did pursue them and did slay them, to the borders of the
wilderness, even until they had fulfilled the commandment of
Gidgiddoni.
4:14 And it came to pass that Giddianhi, who had stood and fought with
boldness, was pursued as he fled; and being weary because of his much
fighting he was overtaken and slain. And thus was the end of Giddianhi
the robber.
4:15 And it came to pass that the armies of the Nephites did return
again to their place of security. And it came to pass that this
nineteenth year did pass away, and the robbers did not come again to
battle; neither did they come again in the twentieth year.
4:16 And in the twenty and first year they did not come up to battle,
but they came up on all sides to lay siege round about the people of
Nephi; for they did suppose that if they should cut off the people of
Nephi from their lands, and should hem them in on every side, and if
they should cut them off from all their outward privileges, that they
could cause them to yield themselves up according to their wishes.
4:17 Now they had appointed unto themselves another leader, whose name
was Zemnarihah; therefore it was Zemnarihah that did cause that this
siege should take place.
4:18 But behold, this was an advantage to the Nephites; for it was
impossible for the robbers to lay siege sufficiently long to have any
effect upon the Nephites, because of their much provision which they
had laid up in store,
4:19 And because of the scantiness of provisions among the robbers—for
behold, they had nothing save it were meat for their subsistence, which
meat they did obtain in the wilderness;
4:20 And it came to pass that the wild game became scarce in the
wilderness—insomuch that the robbers were about to perish with hunger.
4:21 And the Nephites were continually marching out by day and by
night, and falling upon their armies, and cutting them off by thousands
and by tens of thousands.
4:22 And thus it became the desire of the people of Zemnarihah to
withdraw from their design, because of the great destruction which came
upon them by night and by day.
4:23 And it came to pass that Zemnarihah did give command unto his
people that they should withdraw themselves from the siege, and march
into the furthermost parts of the land northward.
4:24 And now, Gidgiddoni being aware of their design, and knowing of
their weakness because of the want of food, and the great slaughter
which had been made among them, therefore he did send out his armies in
the night-time, and did cut off the way of their retreat, and did place
his armies in the way of their retreat.
4:25 And this did they do in the night-time, and got on their march
beyond the robbers, so that on the morrow, when the robbers began their
march, they were met by the armies of the Nephites both in their front
and in their rear.
4:26 And the robbers who were on the south were also cut off in their
places of retreat. And all these things were done by command of
Gidgiddoni.
4:27 And there were many thousands who did yield themselves up
prisoners unto the Nephites, and the remainder of them were slain.
4:28 And their leader, Zemnarihah, was taken and hanged upon a tree,
yea, even upon the top thereof until he was dead. And when they had
hanged him until he was dead they did fell the tree to the earth, and
did cry with a loud voice, saying:
4:29 May the Lord preserve his people in righteousness and in holiness
of heart, that they may cause to be felled to the earth all who shall
seek to slay them because of power and secret combinations, even as
this man hath been felled to the earth.
4:30 And they did rejoice and cry again with one voice, saying: May the
God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, protect
this people in righteousness, so long as they shall call on the name of
their God for protection.
4:31 And it came to pass that they did break forth, all as one, in
singing, and praising their God for the great thing which he had done
for them, in preserving them from falling into the hands of their
enemies.
4:32 Yea, they did cry: Hosanna to the Most High God. And they did cry:
Blessed be the name of the Lord God Almighty, the Most High God.
4:33 And their hearts were swollen with joy, unto the gushing out of
many tears, because of the great goodness of God in delivering them out
of the hands of their enemies; and they knew it was because of their
repentance and their humility that they had been delivered from an
everlasting destruction.