Alma’S People Defeat the Amlicites

Event 71

Reference: Alma 2:1-38; 3:1-27

AND it came to pass in the commencement of the fifth yearof their reign there began to be a contention among thepeople; for a certain man, being called Amlici, he being avery cunning man, yea, a wise man as to the wisdom of theworld, he being after the order of the man that slew Gideonby the sword, who was executed according to the law— 2Now this Amlici had, by his cunning, drawn away muchpeople after him; even so much that they began to be verypowerful; and they began to endeavor to establish Amlici tobe a king over the people. 3 Now this was alarming to thepeople of the church, and also to all those who had not beendrawn away after the persuasions of Amlici; for they knewthat according to their law that such things must beestablished by the voice of the people. 4 Therefore, if itwere possible that Amlici should gain the voice of thepeople, he, being a wicked man, would deprive them oftheir rights and privileges of the church; for it was his intentto destroy the church of God.MormonLand ofZarahemla87 B.C.5 And it came to pass that the people assembled themselvestogether throughout all the land, every man according to hismind, whether it were for or against Amlici, in separatebodies, having much dispute and wonderful contentions onewith another. 6 And thus they did assemble themselvestogether to cast in their voices concerning the matter; andthey were laid before the judges.7 And it came to pass that the voice of the people cameagainst Amlici, that he was not made king over the people. 8Now this did cause much joy in the hearts of those whowere against him; but Amlici did stir up those who were inhis favor to anger against those who were not in his favor.9 And it came to pass that they gathered themselvestogether, and did consecrate Amlici to be their king. 10 Nowwhen Amlici was made king over them he commandedthem that they should take up arms against their brethren;and this he did that he might subject them to him. 11 Nowthe people of Amlici were distinguished by the name ofAmlici, being called Amlicites; and the remainder werecalled Nephites, or the people of God. 12 Therefore thepeople of the Nephites were aware of the intent of the Amlicites, and therefore they did prepare to meet them; yea,they did arm themselves with swords, and with cimeters,and with bows, and with arrows, and with stones, and withslings, and with all manner of weapons of war, of everykind. 13 And thus they were prepared to meet the Amlicitesat the time of their coming. And there were appointedcaptains, and higher captains, and chief captains, accordingto their numbers.MormonLand ofZarahemla87 B.C.14 And it came to pass that Amlici did arm his men with allmanner of weapons of war of every kind; and he alsoappointed rulers and leaders over his people, to lead them towar against their brethren.15 And it came to pass that the Amlicites came upon the hillAmnihu, which was east of the river Sidon, which ran bythe land of Zarahemla, and there they began to make warwith the Nephites. 16 Now Alma, being the chief judge andthe governor of the people of Nephi, therefore he went upwith his people, yea, with his captains, and chief captains,yea, at the head of his armies, against the Amlicites tobattle. 17 And they began to slay the Amlicites upon the hilleast of Sidon. And the Amlicites did contend with theNephites with great strength, insomuch that many of theNephites did fall before the Amlicites. 18 Nevertheless theLord did strengthen the hand of the Nephites, that they slewthe Amlicites with great slaughter, that they began to fleebefore them.Hill Amnihu nearland of Zarahemla19 And it came to pass that the Nephites did pursue theAmlicites all that day, and did slay them with muchslaughter, insomuch that there were slain of the Amlicitestwelve thousand five hundred thirty and two souls; andthere were slain of the Nephites six thousand five hundredsixty and two souls.Between hillAmnihu andvalley of Gideon20 And it came to pass that when Alma could pursue theAmlicites no longer he caused that his people should pitchtheir tents in the valley of Gideon, the valley being calledafter that Gideon who was slain by the hand of Nehor withthe sword; and in this valley the Nephites did pitch theirtents for the night.Valley of Gideon21 And Alma sent spies to follow the remnant of theAmlicites, that he might know of their plans and their plots,whereby he might guard himself against them, that he mightpreserve his people from being destroyed. 22 Now thoseNear camp ofAmlicites in landof Minon whom he had sent out to watch the camp of the Amliciteswere called Zeram, and Amnor, and Manti, and Limher;these were they who went out with their men to watch thecamp of the Amlicites.MormonNear camp ofAmlicites in landof Minon87 B.C.23 And it came to pass that on the morrow they returned intothe camp of the Nephites in great haste, being greatlyastonished, and struck with much fear, saying:Valley of Gideon24 Behold, we followed the camp of the Amlicites, and to our greatastonishment, in the land of Minon, above the land of Zarahemla,in the course of the land of Nephi, we saw a numerous host of theLamanites; and behold, the Amlicites have joined them; 25 Andthey are upon our brethren in that land; and they are fleeing beforethem with their flocks, and their wives, and their children, towardsour city; and except we make haste they obtain possession of ourcity, and our fathers, and our wives, and our children be slain.Four Spies26 And it came to pass that the people of Nephi took theirtents, and departed out of the valley of Gideon towards theircity, which was the city of Zarahemla. 27 And behold, asthey were crossing the river Sidon, the Lamanites and theAmlicites, being as numerous almost, as it were, as thesands of the sea, came upon them to destroy them. 28Nevertheless, the Nephites being strengthened by the handof the Lord, having prayed mightily to him that he woulddeliver them out of the hands of their enemies, therefore theLord did hear their cries, and did strengthen them, and theLamanites and the Amlicites did fall before them.MormonEast bank of riverSidon29 And it came to pass that Alma fought with Amlici withthe sword, face to face; and they did contend mightily, onewith another.30 And it came to pass that Alma, being a man of God,being exercised with much faith, cried, saying:O Lord, have mercy and spare my life, that I may be an instrumentin thy hands to save and preserve this people.Alma31 Now when Alma had said these words he contendedagain with Amlici; and he was strengthened, insomuch thathe slew Amlici with the sword. 32 And he also contendedwith the king of the Lamanites; but the king of theLamanites fled back from before Alma and sent his guardsto contend with Alma. 33 But Alma, with his guards,contended with the guards of the king of the Lamanitesuntil he slew and drove them back.Mormon 34 And thus he cleared the ground, or rather the bank, whichwas on the west of the river Sidon, throwing the bodies ofthe Lamanites who had been slain into the waters of Sidon,that thereby his people might have room to cross andcontend with the Lamanites and the Amlicites on the westside of the river Sidon.MormonWest bank of riverSidon87 B.C.35 And it came to pass that when they had all crossed theriver Sidon that the Lamanites and the Amlicites began toflee before them, notwithstanding they were so numerousthat they could not be numbered. 36 And they fled before theNephites towards the wilderness which was west and north,away beyond the borders of the land; and the Nephites didpursue them with their might, and did slay them. 37 Yea,they were met on every hand, and slain and driven, untilthey were scattered on the west, and on the north, until theyhad reached the wilderness, which was called Hermounts;and it was that part of the wilderness which was infested bywild and ravenous beasts.Wilderness ofHermounts38 And it came to pass that many died in the wilderness oftheir wounds, and were devoured by those beasts and alsothe vultures of the air; and their bones have been found, andhave been heaped up on the earth.1 AND it came to pass that the Nephites who were not slainby the weapons of war, after having buried those who hadbeen slain—now the number of the slain were notnumbered, because of the greatness of their number—afterthey had finished burying their dead they all returned totheir lands, and to their houses, and their wives, and theirchildren.2 Now many women and children had been slain with thesword, and also many of their flocks and their herds; andalso many of their fields of grain were destroyed, for theywere trodden down by the hosts of men. 3 And now asmany of the Lamanites and the Amlicites who had beenslain upon the bank of the river Sidon were cast into thewaters of Sidon; and behold their bones are in the depths ofthe sea, and they are many.Land ofZarahemla4 And the Amlicites were distinguished from the Nephites,for they had marked themselves with red in their foreheadsafter the manner of the Lamanites; nevertheless they hadnot shorn their heads like unto the Lamanites. 5 Now theheads of the Lamanites were shorn; and they were naked, save it were skin which was girded about their loins, andalso their armor, which was girded about them, and theirbows, and their arrows, and their stones, and their slings,and so forth. 6 And the skins of the Lamanites were dark,according to the mark which was set upon their fathers,which was a curse upon them because of their transgressionand their rebellion against their brethren, who consisted ofNephi, Jacob, and Joseph, and Sam, who were just and holymen. 7 And their brethren sought to destroy them, thereforethey were cursed; and the Lord God set a mark upon them,yea, upon Laman and Lemuel, and also the sons of Ishmael,and Ishmaelitish women. 8 And this was done that theirseed might be distinguished from the seed of their brethren,that thereby the Lord God might preserve his people, thatthey might not mix and believe in incorrect traditions whichwould prove their destruction.MormonLand ofZarahemla87 B.C.9 And it came to pass that whosoever did mingle his seedwith that of the Lamanites did bring the same curse uponhis seed. 10 Therefore, whosoever suffered himself to be ledaway by the Lamanites was called under that head, andthere was a mark set upon him.11 And it came to pass that whosoever would not believe inthe tradition of the Lamanites, but believed those recordswhich were brought out of the land of Jerusalem, and alsoin the tradition of their fathers, which were correct, whobelieved in the commandments of God and kept them, werecalled the Nephites, or the people of Nephi, from that timeforth— 12 And it is they who have kept the records whichare true of their people, and also of the people of theLamanites. 13 Now we will return again to the Amlicites, forthey also had a mark set upon them; yea, they set the markupon themselves, yea, even a mark of red upon theirforeheads. 14 Thus the word of God is fulfilled, for these arethe words which he said to Nephi:Behold, the Lamanites have I cursed, and I will set a mark on themthat they and their seed may be separated from thee and thy seed,from this time henceforth and forever, except they repent of theirwickedness and turn to me that I may have mercy upon them.The Lord15 And again:MormonI will set a mark upon him that mingleth his seed with thybrethren, that they may be cursed also.The Lord16 And again:Mormon I will set a mark upon him that fighteth against thee and thy seed.The LordLand ofZarahemla87 B.C.17 And again,MormonI say he that departeth from thee shall no more be called thy seed;and I will bless thee, and whomsoever shall be called thy seed,henceforth and forever;The Lordand these were the promises of the Lord unto Nephi and tohis seed. 18 Now the Amlicites knew not that they werefulfilling the words of God when they began to markthemselves in their foreheads; nevertheless they had comeout in open rebellion against God; therefore it wasexpedient that the curse should fall upon them. 19 Now Iwould that ye should see that they brought upon themselvesthe curse; and even so doth every man that is cursed bringupon himself his own condemnation.Mormon20 Now it came to pass that not many days after the battlewhich was fought in the land of Zarahemla, by theLamanites and the Amlicites, that there was another army ofthe Lamanites came in upon the people of Nephi, in thesame place where the first army met the Amlicites.Hill Amnihu nearland of Zarahemla21 And it came to pass that there was an army sent to drivethem out of their land. 22 Now Alma himself being afflictedwith a wound did not go up to battle at this time against theLamanites; 23 But he sent up a numerous army againstthem; and they went up and slew many of the Lamanites,and drove the remainder of them out of the borders of theirland.Borders of land ofZarahemla24 And then they returned again and began to establishpeace in the land, being troubled no more for a time withtheir enemies.Land ofZarahemla25 Now all these things were done, yea, all these wars andcontentions were commenced and ended in the fifth year ofthe reign of the judges. 26 And in one year were thousandsand tens of thousands of souls sent to the eternal world, thatthey might reap their rewards according to their works,whether they were good or whether they were bad, to reapeternal happiness or eternal misery, according to the spiritwhich they listed to obey, whether it be a good spirit or abad one. 27 For every man receiveth wages of him whom helisteth to obey, and this according to the words of the spiritof prophecy; therefore let it be according to the truth. Andthus endeth the fifth year of the reign of the judges.