Alma 51:13

And it came to pass that

when the men who were called king-men had heard

that the Lamanites were coming down to battle against them,

they were glad in their hearts;

and they refused to take up arms,

for they were so wroth with the chief judge,

and also with the people of liberty,

that they would not take up arms to defend their country.

Alma 51:14

And it came to pass that when Moroni saw this,

and also saw that the Lamanites were coming into the borders of the land,

he was exceedingly wroth because of the stubbornness of those people

whom he had labored with so much diligence to preserve;

yea, he was exceedingly wroth;

his soul was filled with anger against them.

Alma 51:15

And it came to pass that he sent a petition,

with the voice of the people, unto the governor of the land,

desiring that he should read it,

and give him (Moroni) power to compel those dissenters

to defend their country or to put them to death.

Alma 51:16

For it was his first care to put an end

to such contentions and dissensions among the people;

for behold, this had been hitherto a cause of all their destruction.

And it came to pass that it was granted according to the voice of the people.

Alma 51:17

And it came to pass that Moroni commanded

that his army should go against those king-men,

to pull down their pride and their nobility

and level them with the earth,

or they should take up arms and support the cause of liberty.

Alma 51:18

And it came to pass that the armies did march forth against them;

and they did pull down their pride and their nobility,

insomuch that as they did lift their weapons of war

to fight against the men of Moroni

they were hewn down and leveled to the earth.

Alma 51:19

And it came to pass that there were four thousand of those dissenters

who were hewn down by the sword;

and those of their leaders who were not slain in battle

were taken and cast into prison,

for there was no time for their trials at this period.

Alma 51:20

And the remainder of those dissenters,

rather than be smitten down to the earth by the sword,

yielded to the standard of liberty,

and were compelled to hoist the title of liberty

upon their towers, and in their cities,

and to take up arms in defence of their country.

Alma 51:21

And thus Moroni put an end to those king-men,

that there were not any known by the appellation of king-men;

and thus he put an end to the stubbornness and the pride of those people

who professed the blood of nobility;

but they were brought down to humble themselves like unto their brethren,

and to fight valiantly for their freedom from bondage.