THE KINGS OF THE JAREDITES FROM OMER TO CORIANTUMR--THE MATERIAL
PROSPERITY OF THIS RACE.
Omer was succeeded by his son Emer; he by his son Coriantum; Coriantum
by his son Com. Com was slain by his son Heth, who took possession of
the kingdom after having murdered his father.
In the days of Heth there was a great famine which destroyed the
greater portion of the people, among them the king himself. He was
succeeded by Shez, Shez by his son Riplakish, who was dethroned by
Morianton, whose son Kim afterwards followed him in the kingly power.
Kim was brought into captivity, through rebellion, and it was not
until the next reign, that of his son Levi, that the usurpers were
driven from the throne. Then follow the reigns of Corom, Kish, Lib and
Hearthom. The last named was deposed after reigning twenty-four years,
and was held in captivity all the remainder of his days. So also were
his son Heth, his grandson Aaron, his great grandson Amnigaddah, and
the latter's son Coriantum.
We are not informed what were the names of the kings of the usurping
dynasty, who reigned while the royal family served in captivity; but in
the days of Coriantum's son Com, the reigning prince was named Amgid.
Com went to war against him, overthrew him, and gained possession of
the throne of his ancestors. Shiblon, the son of Com, succeeded his
father, but was slain, his son Heth being made captive and thus held
all his days.
In the next generation, Ahah, Heth's son, regained the throne and
reigned over the whole people for a short time. Few and iniquitous
were his days. Ethem, called a descendant, and also the son of Ahah,
was the next king. His son Moron succeeded him; in his days there were
renewed rebellions, which ended, as had been so frequently the case
before, in the captivity of the king. Moron was a captive all the rest
of his life, and his son Coriantor passed his whole earthly existence
in captivity.
Ether, the prophet, was the son of Coriantor. The king in his day was
named Coriantumr, the last of his race, for the wars that desolated the
land in his reign culminated in the destruction of the Jaredites. This
very short sketch of the reigns of their kings shows how thoroughly
were the fears of Jared and his brother realized, that the anointing of
a king would lead to captivity.
Like their successors, the Nephites, the troubles of the Jaredites grew
out of their iniquities. Many mighty prophets ministered to them, but
they were only occasionally listened to. Like the Nephites, in another
phase of their existence, they owed many of their misfortunes to
cherishing the secret bands of Gadianton-like assassins, who, bound by
infernal covenants, perpetrated the most unnatural and blood-thirsty
crimes. In the days of Omer, the daughter of Jared (who in more than
one respect reminds us of the daughter of Herodias) was the instrument
in first introducing these soul-destroying confederacies with Satan
among the Jaredites; and in after ages they dwindled or flourished,
according to the amount of faith and faithfulness in the people.
Materially the Jaredites were wonderfully blessed. It could scarcely
have been otherwise; they had all the treasures of this most choice
land at their disposal. In the days of Emer, the inspired historian
describes them as having become exceeding rich, having all manner of
fruit, grain, silks, fine linen, gold, silver, and precious things;
and also all manner of cattle, sheep, swine, goats, and also many
other kinds of animals which were useful for the food of man; and they
also had horses, and asses, and there were elephants and cureloms
and cumoms; all of which were useful to men, and more especially the
elephants, cureloms and cumoms.[35]
FOOTNOTE:
[35] Some suppose the cureloms and cumoms were alpacas and llamas,
others that they were mammoths, the bones of which creatures, as well
as those of the elephant, having been found on this continent.