9:1 And now I, Moroni, proceed with my record. Therefore, behold, it
came to pass that because of the secret combinations of Akish and his
friends, behold, they did overthrow the kingdom of Omer.
9:2 Nevertheless, the Lord was merciful unto Omer, and also to his sons
and to his daughters who did not seek his destruction.
9:3 And the Lord warned Omer in a dream that he should depart out of
the land; wherefore Omer departed out of the land with his family, and
traveled many days, and came over and passed by the hill of Shim, and
came over by the place where the Nephites were destroyed, and from
thence eastward, and came to a place which was called Ablom, by the
seashore, and there he pitched his tent, and also his sons and his
daughters, and all his household, save it were Jared and his family.
9:4 And it came to pass that Jared was anointed king over the people,
by the hand of wickedness; and he gave unto Akish his daughter to wife.
9:5 And it came to pass that Akish sought the life of his
father-in-law; and he applied unto those whom he had sworn by the oath
of the ancients, and they obtained the head of his father-in-law, as he
sat upon his throne, giving audience to his people.
9:6 For so great had been the spreading of this wicked and secret
society that it had corrupted the hearts of all the people; therefore
Jared was murdered upon his throne, and Akish reigned in his stead.
9:7 And it came to pass that Akish began to be jealous of his son,
therefore he shut him up in prison, and kept him upon little or no food
until he had suffered death.
9:8 And now the brother of him that suffered death, (and his name was
Nimrah) was angry with his father because of that which his father had
done unto his brother.
9:9 And it came to pass that Nimrah gathered together a small number of
men, and fled out of the land, and came over and dwelt with Omer.
9:10 And it came to pass that Akish begat other sons, and they won the
hearts of the people, notwithstanding they had sworn unto him to do all
manner of iniquity according to that which he desired.
9:11 Now the people of Akish were desirous for gain, even as Akish was
desirous for power; wherefore, the sons of Akish did offer them money,
by which means they drew away the more part of the people after them.
9:12 And there began to be a war between the sons of Akish and Akish,
which lasted for the space of many years, yea, unto the destruction of
nearly all the people of the kingdom, yea, even all, save it were
thirty souls, and they who fled with the house of Omer.
9:13 Wherefore, Omer was restored again to the land of his inheritance.
9:14 And it came to pass that Omer began to be old; nevertheless, in
his old age he begat Emer; and he anointed Emer to be king to reign in
his stead.
9:15 And after that he had anointed Emer to be king he saw peace in the
land for the space of two years, and he died, having seen exceedingly
many days, which were full of sorrow. And it came to pass that Emer did
reign in his stead, and did fill the steps of his father.
9:16 And the Lord began again to take the curse from off the land, and
the house of Emer did prosper exceedingly under the reign of Emer; and
in the space of sixty and two years they had become exceedingly strong,
insomuch that they became exceedingly rich—
9:17 Having all manner of fruit, and of grain, and of silks, and of
fine linen, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things;
9:18 And also all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep,
and of swine, and of goats, and also many other kinds of animals which
were useful for the food of man.
9:19 And they also had horses, and asses, and there were elephants and
cureloms and cumoms; all of which were useful unto man, and more
especially the elephants and cureloms and cumoms.
9:20 And thus the Lord did pour out his blessings upon this land, which
was choice above all other lands; and he commanded that whoso should
possess the land should possess it unto the Lord, or they should be
destroyed when they were ripened in iniquity; for upon such, saith the
Lord: I will pour out the fulness of my wrath.
9:21 And Emer did execute judgment in righteousness all his days, and
he begat many sons and daughters; and he begat Coriantum, and he
anointed Coriantum to reign in his stead.
9:22 And after he had anointed Coriantum to reign in his stead he lived
four years, and he saw peace in the land; yea, and he even saw the Son
of Righteousness, and did rejoice and glory in his day; and he died in
peace.
9:23 And it came to pass that Coriantum did walk in the steps of his
father, and did build many mighty cities, and did administer that which
was good unto his people in all his days. And it came to pass that he
had no children even until he was exceedingly old.
9:24 And it came to pass that his wife died, being an hundred and two
years old. And it came to pass that Coriantum took to wife, in his old
age, a young maid, and begat sons and daughters; wherefore he lived
until he was an hundred and forty and two years old.
9:25 And it came to pass that he begat Com, and Com reigned in his
stead; and he reigned forty and nine years, and he begat Heth; and he
also begat other sons and daughters.
9:26 And the people had spread again over all the face of the land, and
there began again to be an exceedingly great wickedness upon the face
of the land, and Heth began to embrace the secret plans again of old,
to destroy his father.
9:27 And it came to pass that he did dethrone his father, for he slew
him with his own sword; and he did reign in his stead.
9:28 And there came prophets in the land again, crying repentance unto
them—that they must prepare the way of the Lord or there should come a
curse upon the face of the land; yea, even there should be a great
famine, in which they should be destroyed if they did not repent.
9:29 But the people believed not the words of the prophets, but they
cast them out; and some of them they cast into pits and left them to
perish. And it came to pass that they did all these things according to
the commandment of the king, Heth.
9:30 And it came to pass that there began to be a great dearth upon the
land, and the inhabitants began to be destroyed exceedingly fast
because of the dearth, for there was no rain upon the face of the
earth.
9:31 And there came forth poisonous serpents also upon the face of the
land, and did poison many people. And it came to pass that their flocks
began to flee before the poisonous serpents, towards the land
southward, which was called by the Nephites Zarahemla.
9:32 And it came to pass that there were many of them which did perish
by the way; nevertheless, there were some which fled into the land
southward.
9:33 And it came to pass that the Lord did cause the serpents that they
should pursue them no more, but that they should hedge up the way that
the people could not pass, that whoso should attempt to pass might fall
by the poisonous serpents.
9:34 And it came to pass that the people did follow the course of the
beasts, and did devour the carcasses of them which fell by the way,
until they had devoured them all. Now when the people saw that they
must perish they began to repent of their iniquities and cry unto the
Lord.
9:35 And it came to pass that when they had humbled themselves
sufficiently before the Lord he did send rain upon the face of the
earth; and the people began to revive again, and there began to be
fruit in the north countries, and in all the countries round about. And
the Lord did show forth his power unto them in preserving them from
famine.