Unit 64

of the

70 occurrences in 43 verses

Alma 43:3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 44, 46, 48, 51, 52, 53,

Alma 44:5, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24

Alma 43:3

And now I return to an account of the wars

between the Nephites and the Lamanites,

in the eighteenth year of the reign of the judges.

Alma 43:4

For behold, it came to pass that the Zoramites became Lamanites;

therefore, in the commencement of the eighteenth year

the people of the Nephites saw that the Lamanites were coming upon them;

therefore they made preparations for war;

yea, they gathered together their armies in the land of Jershon.

Alma 43:5

And it came to pass that the Lamanites came with their thousands;

and they came into the land of Antionum,

which is the land of the Zoramites;

and a man by the name of Zerahemnah was their leader.

Alma 43:9

And now the design of the Nephites was to support their lands, and their houses,

and their wives, and their children,

that they might preserve them from the hands of their enemies;

and also that they might preserve their rights and their privileges,

yea, and also their liberty,

that they might worship God according to their desires.

Alma 43:10

For they knew that if they should fall into the hands of the Lamanites,

that whosoever should worship God in spirit and in truth,

the true and the living God,

the Lamanites would destroy.

Alma 43:11

Yea, and they also knew the extreme hatred of the Lamanites

towards their brethren, who were the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi,

who were called the people of Ammon —

and they would not take up arms,

yea, they had entered into a covenant and they would not break it —

therefore, if they should fall into the hands of the Lamanites

they would be destroyed.

Alma 43:13

And the people of Ammon did give unto the Nephites

a large portion of their substance to support their armies;

and thus the Nephites were compelled, alone, to withstand against the Lamanites,

who were a compound of Laman and Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael,

and all those who had dissented from the Nephites,

who were Amalekites and Zoramites, and the descendants of the priests of Noah.

Alma 43:15

And it came to pass as the armies of the Lamanites

had gathered together in the land of Antionum,

behold, the armies of the Nephites were prepared

to meet them in the land of Jershon.

Alma 43:16

Now, the leader of the Nephites,

or the man who had been appointed to be the chief captain over the Nephites —

now the chief captain took the command of all the armies of the Nephites —

and his name was Moroni;

Alma 43:17

And Moroni took all the command, and the government of their wars.

And he was only twenty and five years old

when he was appointed chief captain over the armies of the Nephites.

Alma 43:19

And when the armies of the Lamanites saw

that the people of Nephi,

or that Moroni, had prepared his people with breastplates and with arm-shields,

yea, and also shields to defend their heads,

and also they were dressed with thick clothing —

Alma 43:21

But they were not armed with breastplates, nor shields —

therefore, they were exceedingly afraid of the armies of the Nephites

because of their armor,

notwithstanding their number being so much greater than the Nephites.

Alma 43:22

Behold, now it came to pass that

they durst not come against the Nephites in the borders of Jershon;

therefore they departed out of the land of Antionum into the wilderness,

and took their journey round about in the wilderness,

away by the head of the river Sidon,

that they might come into the land of Manti and take possession of the land;

for they did not suppose

that the armies of Moroni would know whither they had gone.

Alma 43:23

But it came to pass, as soon as they had departed into the wilderness

Moroni sent spies into the wilderness to watch their camp;

and Moroni, also, knowing of the prophecies of Alma, sent certain men unto him,

desiring him that he should inquire of the Lord

whither the armies of the Nephites should go

to defend themselves against the Lamanites.

Alma 43:24

And it came to pass that the word of the Lord came unto Alma,

and Alma informed the messengers of Moroni,

that the armies of the Lamanites were marching round about in the wilderness,

that they might come over into the land of Manti,

that they might commence an attack upon the weaker part of the people.

And those messengers went and delivered the message unto Moroni.

Alma 43:25

Now Moroni, leaving a part of his army in the land of Jershon,

lest by any means a part of the Lamanites should come into that land

and take possession of the city,

took the remaining part of his army

and marched over into the land of Manti.

Alma 43:26

And he caused that all the people in that quarter of the land

should gather themselves together to battle against the Lamanites,

to defend their lands and their country, their rights and their liberties;

therefore they were prepared against the time of the coming of the Lamanites.

Alma 43:27

And it came to pass that Moroni caused

that his army should be secreted in the valley

which was near the bank of the river Sidon,

which was on the west of the river Sidon in the wilderness.

Alma 43:28

And Moroni placed spies round about,

that he might know when the camp of the Lamanites should come.

Alma 43:29

And now, as Moroni knew the intention of the Lamanites,

that it was their intention to destroy their brethren,

or to subject them and bring them into bondage

that they might establish a kingdom unto themselves over all the land;

Alma 43:30

And he also knowing that it was the only desire of the Nephites

to preserve their lands, and their liberty, and their church,

therefore he thought it no sin that he should defend them by stratagem;

therefore, he found by his spies which course the Lamanites were to take.

Alma 43:31

Therefore, he divided his army and brought a part over into the valley,

and concealed them on the east, and on the south of the hill Riplah;

Alma 43:32

And the remainder he concealed in the west valley,

on the west of the river Sidon,

and so down into the borders of the land Manti.

Alma 43:34

And it came to pass that the Lamanites came up on the north of the hill,

where a part of the army of Moroni was concealed.

Alma 43:35

And as the Lamanites had passed the hill Riplah,

and came into the valley, and began to cross the river Sidon,

the army which was concealed on the south of the hill,

which was led by a man whose name was Lehi,

and he led his army forth

and encircled the Lamanites about on the east in their rear.

Alma 43:37

And the work of death commenced on both sides,

but it was more dreadful on the part of the Lamanites,

for their nakedness was exposed to the heavy blows of the Nephites

with their swords and their cimeters,

which brought death almost at every stroke.

Alma 43:38

While on the other hand,

there was now and then a man fell among the Nephites,

by their swords and the loss of blood,

they being shielded from the more vital parts of the body,

or the more vital parts of the body being shielded

from the strokes of the Lamanites,

by their breastplates, and their armshields, and their head-plates;

and thus the Nephites did carry on the work of death among the Lamanites.

Alma 43:39

And it came to pass that the Lamanites became frightened,

because of the great destruction among them,

even until they began to flee towards the river Sidon.

Alma 43:40

And they were pursued by Lehi and his men;

and they were driven by Lehi into the waters of Sidon,

and they crossed the waters of Sidon.

And Lehi retained his armies upon the bank of the river Sidon

that they should not cross.

Alma 43:41

And it came to pass that

Moroni and his army met the Lamanites in the valley,

on the other side of the river Sidon,

and began to fall upon them and to slay them.

Alma 43:44

And they were inspired by the Zoramites and the Amalekites,

who were their chief captains and leaders,

and by Zerahemnah,

who was their chief captain, or their chief leader and commander;

yea, they did fight like dragons,

and many of the Nephites were slain by their hands,

yea, for they did smite in two many of their head-plates,

and they did pierce many of their breastplates,

and they did smite off many of their arms;

and thus the Lamanites did smite in their fierce anger.

Alma 43:46

And they were doing that which they felt

was the duty which they owed to their God;

for the Lord had said unto them, and also unto their fathers,

that: Inasmuch as ye are not guilty of the first offense, neither the second,

ye shall not suffer yourselves to be slain by the hands of your enemies.

Alma 43:48

And it came to pass that

when the men of Moroni saw the fierceness and the anger of the Lamanites,

they were about to shrink and flee from them.

And Moroni, perceiving their intent,

sent forth and inspired their hearts with these thoughts —

yea, the thoughts of their lands, their liberty,

yea, their freedom from bondage.

Alma 43:51

Now, the Lamanites were more numerous,

yea, by more than double the number of the Nephites;

nevertheless, they were driven

insomuch that they were gathered together in one body in the valley,

upon the bank by the river Sidon.

Alma 43:52

Therefore the armies of Moroni encircled them about,

yea, even on both sides of the river,

for behold, on the east were the men of Lehi.

Alma 43:53

Therefore when Zerahemnah saw the men of Lehi on the east of the river Sidon,

and the armies of Moroni on the west of the river Sidon,

that they were encircled about by the Nephites,

they were struck with terror.

Alma 44:5

And now, Zerahemnah, I command you,

in the name of that all-powerful God, who has strengthened our arms

that we have gained power over you, by our faith,

by our religion, and by our rites of worship, and by our church,

and by the sacred support which we owe to our wives and our children,

by that liberty which binds us to our lands and our country;

yea, and also by the maintenance of the sacred word of God,

to which we owe all our happiness;

and by all that is most dear unto us —

Alma 44:17

And now Moroni was angry, because of the stubbornness of the Lamanites;

therefore he commanded his people

that they should fall upon them and slay them.

And it came to pass that they began to slay them;

yea, and the Lamanites did contend with their swords and their might.

Alma 44:18

But behold, their naked skins and their bare heads were exposed

to the sharp swords of the Nephites;

yea, behold they were pierced and smitten,

yea, and did fall exceedingly fast before the swords of the Nephites;

and they began to be swept down,

even as the soldier of Moroni had prophesied.

Alma 44:21

Now the number of their dead was not numbered

because of the greatness of the number;

yea, the number of their dead was exceedingly great,

both on the Nephites and on the Lamanites.

Alma 44:22

And it came to pass that they did cast their dead into the waters of Sidon,

and they have gone forth and are buried in the depths of the sea.

Alma 44:23

And the armies of the Nephites, or of Moroni, returned

and came to their houses and their lands.

Alma 44:24

And thus ended the eighteenth year

of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.

And thus ended the record of Alma,

which was written upon the plates of Nephi.