Unit 69

the

111 occurrences in 46 verses

Alma 54:1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 24,

Alma 55:1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 35

Alma 54:1

And now it came to pass

in the commencement of the twenty and ninth year of the judges,

that Ammoron sent unto Moroni desiring that he would exchange prisoners.

Alma 54:2

And it came to pass that Moroni felt to rejoice exceedingly at this request,

for he desired the provisions

which were imparted for the support of the Lamanite prisoners

for the support of his own people;

and he also desired his own people

for the strengthening of his army.

Alma 54:3

Now the Lamanites had taken many women and children,

and there was not a woman nor a child among all the prisoners of Moroni,

or the prisoners whom Moroni had taken;

therefore Moroni resolved upon a stratagem to obtain

as many prisoners of the Nephites from the Lamanites as it were possible.

Alma 54:4

Therefore he wrote an epistle, and sent it by the servant of Ammoron,

the same who had brought an epistle to Moroni.

Now these are the words which he wrote unto Ammoron, saying:

Alma 54:6

Behold, I would tell you somewhat concerning the justice of God,

and the sword of his almighty wrath, which doth hang over you

except ye repent and withdraw your armies into your own lands,

or the land of your possessions, which is the land of Nephi.

Alma 54:8

But as ye have once rejected these things,

and have fought against the people of the Lord,

even so I may expect you will do it again.

Alma 54:9

And now behold, we are prepared to receive you;

yea, and except you withdraw your purposes,

behold, ye will pull down

the wrath of that God whom you have rejected

upon you,

even to your utter destruction.

Alma 54:10

But, as the Lord liveth,

our armies shall come upon you except ye withdraw,

and ye shall soon be visited with death,

for we will retain our cities and our lands;

yea, and we will maintain our religion and the cause of our God.

Alma 54:11

But behold, it supposeth me that I talk to you concerning these things in vain;

or it supposeth me that thou art a child of hell;

therefore I will close my epistle by telling you

that I will not exchange prisoners, save it be on conditions

that ye will deliver up a man and his wife and his children, for one prisoner;

if this be the case that ye will do it, I will exchange.

Alma 54:12

And behold, if ye do not this,

I will come against you with my armies;

yea, even I will arm my women and my children,

and I will come against you,

and I will follow you even into your own land,

which is the land of our first inheritance;

yea, and it shall be blood for blood, yea, life for life;

and I will give you battle

even until you are destroyed from off the face of the earth.

Alma 54:13

Behold, I am in my anger, and also my people;

ye have sought to murder us,

and we have only sought to defend ourselves.

But behold, if ye seek to destroy us more

we will seek to destroy you;

yea, and we will seek our land,

the land of our first inheritance.

Alma 54:14

Now I close my epistle.

I am Moroni;

I am a leader of the people of the Nephites.

Alma 54:15

Now it came to pass that Ammoron, when he had received this epistle,

was angry; and he wrote another epistle unto Moroni,

and these are the words which he wrote, saying:

Alma 54:16

I am Ammoron, the king of the Lamanites;

I am the brother of Amalickiah whom ye have murdered.

Behold, I will avenge his blood upon you,

yea, and I will come upon you with my armies

for I fear not your threatenings.

Alma 54:17

For behold, your fathers did wrong their brethren,

insomuch that they did rob them of their right to the government

when it rightly belonged unto them.

Alma 54:18

And now behold, if ye will lay down your arms,

and subject yourselves to be governed by those

to whom the government doth rightly belong,

then will I cause that my people shall lay down their weapons

and shall be at war no more.

Alma 54:20

Nevertheless, I will grant to exchange prisoners according to your request, gladly,

that I may preserve my food for my men of war;

and we will wage a war which shall be eternal,

either to the subjecting the Nephites to our authority

or to their eternal extinction.

Alma 54:24

And behold now, I am a bold Lamanite;

behold, this war hath been waged to avenge their wrongs,

and to maintain and to obtain their rights to the government;

and I close my epistle to Moroni.

Alma 55:1

Now it came to pass that when Moroni had received this epistle

he was more angry,

because he knew that Ammoron had a perfect knowledge of his fraud;

yea, he knew that Ammoron knew that it was not a just cause

that had caused him to wage a war against the people of Nephi.

Alma 55:3

Behold, I know the place where the Lamanites do guard my people

whom they have taken prisoners;

and as Ammoron would not grant unto me mine epistle,

behold, I will give unto him according to my words;

yea, I will seek death among them until they shall sue for peace.

Alma 55:5

And it came to pass that they found one, whose name was Laman;

and he was one of the servants of the king who was murdered by Amalickiah.

Alma 55:6

Now Moroni caused that Laman and a small number of his men

should go forth unto the guards who were over the Nephites.

Alma 55:7

Now the Nephites were guarded in the city of Gid;

therefore Moroni appointed Laman and caused that a small number of men

should go with him.

Alma 55:8

And when it was evening

Laman went to the guards who were over the Nephites,

and behold, they saw him coming and they hailed him;

but he saith unto them:

Fear not;

behold, I am a Lamanite.

Behold, we have escaped from the Nephites, and they sleep;

and behold we have taken of their wine and brought with us.

Alma 55:9

Now when the Lamanites heard these words

they received him with joy;

and they said unto him:

Give us of your wine, that we may drink;

we are glad that ye have thus taken wine with you

for we are weary.

Alma 55:10

But Laman said unto them:

Let us keep of our wine till we go against the Nephites to battle.

But this saying only made them more desirous to drink of the wine;

Alma 55:11

For, said they: We are weary,

therefore let us take of the wine,

and by and by we shall receive wine for our rations,

which will strengthen us to go against the Nephites.

Alma 55:13

And it came to pass that they did take of the wine freely;

and it was pleasant to their taste,

therefore they took of it more freely;

and it was strong, having been prepared in its strength.

Alma 55:15

And now when Laman and his men saw

that they were all drunken, and were in a deep sleep,

they returned to Moroni and told him all the things that had happened.

Alma 55:16

And now this was according to the design of Moroni.

And Moroni had prepared his men with weapons of war;

and he went to the city Gid,

while the Lamanites were in a deep sleep and drunken,

and cast in weapons of war unto the prisoners,

insomuch that they were all armed;

Alma 55:18

But had they awakened the Lamanites,

behold they were drunken

and the Nephites could have slain them.

Alma 55:19

But behold, this was not the desire of Moroni;

he did not delight in murder or bloodshed,

but he delighted in the saving of his people from destruction;

and for this cause he might not bring upon him injustice,

he would not fall upon the Lamanites and destroy them in their drunkenness.

Alma 55:20

But he had obtained his desires;

for he had armed those prisoners of the Nephites

who were within the wall of the city,

and had given them power to gain possession

of those parts which were within the walls.

Alma 55:21

And then he caused the men who were with him

to withdraw a pace from them, and surround the armies of the Lamanites.

Alma 55:22

Now behold this was done in the night-time,

so that when the Lamanites awoke in the morning

they beheld that they were surrounded by the Nephites without,

and that their prisoners were armed within.

Alma 55:23

And thus they saw that the Nephites had power over them;

and in these circumstances they found that it was not expedient

that they should fight with the Nephites;

therefore their chief captains demanded their weapons of war,

and they brought them forth and cast them at the feet of the Nephites,

pleading for mercy.

Alma 55:24

Now behold, this was the desire of Moroni.

He took them prisoners of war, and took possession of the city,

and caused that all the prisoners should be liberated, who were Nephites;

and they did join the army of Moroni, and were a great strength to his army.

Alma 55:25

And it came to pass that

he did cause the Lamanites, whom he had taken prisoners,

that they should commence a labor

in strengthening the fortifications round about the city Gid.

Alma 55:26

And it came to pass that

when he had fortified the city Gid,

according to his desires,

he caused that his prisoners should be taken to the city Bountiful;

and he also guarded that city with an exceedingly strong force.

Alma 55:27

And it came to pass that they did,

notwithstanding all the intrigues of the Lamanites,

keep and protect all the prisoners whom they had taken,

and also maintain all the ground and the advantage which they had retaken.

Alma 55:28

And it came to pass that the Nephites began again to be victorious,

and to reclaim their rights and their privileges.

Alma 55:29

Many times did the Lamanites attempt to encircle them about by night,

but in these attempts they did lose many prisoners.

Alma 55:30

And many times did they attempt to administer of their wine to the Nephites,

that they might destroy them with poison or with drunkenness.

Alma 55:31

But behold, the Nephites were not slow

to remember the Lord their God in this their time of affliction.

They could not be taken in their snares;

yea, they would not partake of their wine,

save they had first given to some of the Lamanite prisoners.

Alma 55:33

And now it came to pass that it was expedient

for Moroni to make preparations to attack the city Morianton;

for behold, the Lamanites had, by their labors, fortified the city Morianton

until it had become an exceeding stronghold.

Alma 55:35

And thus ended the twenty and ninth year

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