Unit 46

began to

10 occurrences in 7 verses

Alma 4:4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15

Alma 4:4

And they began to establish the church more fully;

yea, and many were baptized in the waters of Sidon

and were joined to the church of God;

yea, they were baptized by the hand of Alma,

who had been consecrated the high priest over the people of the church,

by the hand of his father Alma.

Alma 4:6

And it came to pass in the eighth year of the reign of the judges,

that the people of the church began to wax proud,

because of their exceeding riches, and their fine silks, and their fine-twined linen,

and because of their many flocks and herds,

and their gold and their silver, and all manner of precious things,

which they had obtained by their industry;

and in all these things were they lifted up in the pride of their eyes,

for they began to wear very costly apparel.

Alma 4:8

For they saw and beheld with great sorrow

that the people of the church began to be lifted up in the pride of their eyes,

and to set their hearts upon riches and upon the vain things of the world,

that they began to be scornful, one towards another,

and they began to persecute those that did not believe

according to their own will and pleasure.

Alma 4:9

And thus, in this eighth year of the reign of the judges,

there began to be great contentions among the people of the church;

yea, there were envyings, and strife, and malice, and persecutions, and pride,

even to exceed the pride of those who did not belong to the church of God.

Alma 4:10

And thus ended the eighth year of the reign of the judges;

and the wickedness of the church was a great stumbling-block

to those who did not belong to the church;

and thus the church began to fail in its progress.

Alma 4:11

And it came to pass in the commencement of the ninth year,

Alma saw the wickedness of the church,

and he saw also that the example of the church

began to lead those who were unbelievers on

from one piece of iniquity to another,

thus bringing on the destruction of the people.

Alma 4:15

And now it came to pass that

Alma, having seen the afflictions of the humble followers of God,

and the persecutions which were heaped upon them by the remainder of his people,

and seeing all their inequality,

began to be very sorrowful;

nevertheless the Spirit of the Lord did not fail him.