Zeniff’S Group Journeys to Land Ofnephi

Event 54

Reference: Mosiah 9:1-19; 10:1-22

The Record of Zeniff—An account of his people, from the timethey left the land of Zarahemla until the time that they weredelivered out of the hands of the Lamanites.I, ZENIFF, having been taught in all the language of the Nephites,and having had a knowledge of the land of Nephi, or of the land ofour fathers’ first inheritance, and having been sent as a spy amongthe Lamanites that I might spy out their forces, that our armymight come upon them and destroy them—but when I saw thatwhich was good among them I was desirous that they should notbe destroyed. 2 Therefore, I contended with my brethren in thewilderness, for I would that our ruler should make a treaty withthem; but he being an austere and a blood-thirsty man commandedthat I should be slain; but I was rescued by the shedding of muchblood; for father fought against father, and brother against brother,until the greater number of our army was destroyed in thewilderness; and we returned, those of us that were spared, to theland of Zarahemla, to relate that tale to their wives and theirchildren. 3 And yet, I being over-zealous to inherit the land of ourfathers, collected as many as were desirous to go up to possess theland, and started again on our journey into the wilderness to go upto the land; but we were smitten with famine and sore afflictions;for we were slow to remember the Lord our God. 4 Nevertheless,after many days’ wandering in the wilderness we pitched our tentsin the place where our brethren were slain, which was near to theland of our fathers.ZeniffWilderness280 to 121 B.C.5 And it came to pass that I went again with four of my men intothe city, in unto the king, that I might know of the disposition ofthe king, and that I might know if I might go in with my peopleand possess the land in peace. 6 And I went in unto the king, andhe covenanted with me that I might possess the land of Lehi-Nephi, and the land of Shilom. 7 And he also commanded that hispeople should depart out of the land, and I and my people wentinto the land that we might possess it.City of the king ofthe Lamanites8 And we began to build buildings, and to repair the walls of thecity, yea, even the walls of the city of Lehi-Nephi, and the city ofShilom. 9 And we began to till the ground, yea, even with allmanner of seeds, with seeds of corn, and of wheat, and of barley,and with neas, and with sheum, and with seeds of all manner offruits; and we did begin to multiply and prosper in the land. 10Now it was the cunning and the craftiness of king Laman, to bringmy people into bondage, that he yielded up the land that we mightpossess it.Land of Nephiand land ofShilom 11 Therefore it came to pass, that after we had dwelt in the land forthe space of twelve years that king Laman began to grow uneasy,lest by any means my people should wax strong in the land, andthat they could not overpower them and bring them into bondage.12 Now they were a lazy and an idolatrous people; therefore theywere desirous to bring us into bondage, that they might glutthemselves with the labors of our hands; yea, that they might feastthemselves upon the flocks of our fields.ZeniffLand of Nephiand land ofShilom280 to 121 B.C.13 Therefore it came to pass that king Laman began to stir up hispeople that they should contend with my people; therefore therebegan to be wars and contentions in the land. 14 For, in thethirteenth year of my reign in the land of Nephi, away on the southof the land of Shilom, when my people were watering and feedingtheir flocks, and tilling their lands, a numerous host of Lamanitescame upon them and began to slay them, and to take off theirflocks, and the corn of their fields.South of the landof Shilom15 Yea, and it came to pass that they fled, all that were notovertaken, even into the city of Nephi, and did call upon me forprotection.City of Nephi16 And it came to pass that I did arm them with bows, and witharrows, with swords, and with cimeters, and with clubs, and withslings, and with all manner of weapons which we could invent,and I and my people did go forth against the Lamanites to battle.17 Yea, in the strength of the Lord did we go forth to battle againstthe Lamanites; for I and my people did cry mightily to the Lordthat he would deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, for wewere awakened to a remembrance of the deliverance of ourfathers. 18 And God did hear our cries and did answer our prayers;and we did go forth in his might; yea, we did go forth against theLamanites, and in one day and a night we did slay three thousandand forty-three; we did slay them even until we had driven themout of our land. 19 And I, myself, with mine own hands, did helpto bury their dead. And behold, to our great sorrow andlamentation, two hundred and seventy-nine of our brethren wereslain.Near city of Nephi1 AND it came to pass that we again began to establish thekingdom and we again began to possess the land in peace. And Icaused that there should be weapons of war made of every kind,that thereby I might have weapons for my people against the timethe Lamanites should come up again to war against my people. 2And I set guards round about the land, that the Lamanites mightnot come upon us again unawares and destroy us; and thus I didguard my people and my flocks, and keep them from falling intothe hands of our enemies.Land of Nephiand land ofShilom3 And it came to pass that we did inherit the land of our fathers formany years, yea, for the space of twenty and two years. 4 And Idid cause that the men should till the ground, and raise all mannerof grain and all manner of fruit of every kind. 5 And I did causethat the women should spin, and toil, and work, and work all manner of fine linen, yea, and cloth of every kind, that we mightclothe our nakedness; and thus we did prosper in the land—thuswe did have continual peace in the land for the space of twentyand two years.ZeniffLand of Nephiand land ofShilom280 to 121 B.C.6 And it came to pass that king Laman died, and his son began toreign in his stead. And he began to stir his people up in rebellionagainst my people; therefore they began to prepare for war, and tocome up to battle against my people. 7 But I had sent my spies outround about the land of Shemlon, that I might discover theirpreparations, that I might guard against them, that they might notcome upon my people and destroy them.8 And it came to pass that they came up upon the north of the landof Shilom, with their numerous hosts, men armed with bows, andwith arrows, and with swords, and with cimeters, and with stones,and with slings; and they had their heads shaved that they werenaked; and they were girded with a leathern girdle about theirloins.North of the landof Shilom9 And it came to pass that I caused that the women and children ofmy people should be hid in the wilderness; and I also caused thatall my old men that could bear arms, and also all my young menthat were able to bear arms, should gather themselves together togo to battle against the Lamanites; and I did place them in theirranks, every man according to his age.Wilderness nearland of Nephi10 And it came to pass that we did go up to battle against theLamanites; and I, even I, in my old age, did go up to battle againstthe Lamanites. And it came to pass that we did go up in thestrength of the Lord to battle. 11 Now, the Lamanites knew nothingconcerning the Lord, nor the strength of the Lord, therefore theydepended upon their own strength. Yet they were a strong people,as to the strength of men. 12 They were a wild, and ferocious, anda blood-thirsty people, believing in the tradition of their fathers,which is this—Believing that they were driven out of the land ofJerusalem because of the iniquities of their fathers, and that theywere wronged in the wilderness by their brethren, and they werealso wronged while crossing the sea; 13 And again, that they werewronged while in the land of their first inheritance, after they hadcrossed the sea, and all this because that Nephi was more faithfulin keeping the commandments of the Lord—therefore he wasfavored of the Lord, for the Lord heard his prayers and answeredthem, and he took the lead of their journey in the wilderness. 14And his brethren were wroth with him because they understoodnot the dealings of the Lord; they were also wroth with him uponthe waters because they hardened their hearts against the Lord. 15And again, they were wroth with him when they had arrived in thepromised land, because they said that he had taken the ruling ofthe people out of their hands; and they sought to kill him. 16 Andagain, they were wroth with him because he departed into theNorth of the landof Shilom wilderness as the Lord had commanded him, and took the recordswhich were engraven on the plates of brass, for they said that herobbed them.ZeniffNorth of the landof Shilom280 to 121 B.C.17 And thus they have taught their children that they should hatethem, and that they should murder them, and that they should roband plunder them, and do all they could to destroy them; thereforethey have an eternal hatred towards the children of Nephi. 18 Forthis very cause has king Laman, by his cunning, and lyingcraftiness, and his fair promises, deceived me, that I have broughtthis my people up into this land, that they may destroy them; yea,and we have suffered these many years in the land. 19 And now I,Zeniff, after having told all these things unto my peopleconcerning the Lamanites, I did stimulate them to go to battle withtheir might, putting their trust in the Lord; therefore, we didcontend with them, face to face.20 And it came to pass that we did drive them again out of ourland; and we slew them with a great slaughter, even so many thatwe did not number them.21 And it came to pass that we returned again to our own land, andmy people again began to tend their flocks, and to till their ground.22 And now I, being old, did confer the kingdom upon one of mysons; therefore, I say no more. And may the Lord bless my people.Amen.