Unit 69

to

68 occurrences in 39 verses



Alma 54:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18, 20, 22, 24,

Alma 55:1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33



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 54:5

Behold, Ammoron, I have written unto you somewhat

concerning this war which ye have waged against my people,

or rather which thy brother hath waged against them,

and which ye are still determined to carry on after his death.



Alma 54:7

Yea, I would tell you these things

if ye were capable of hearkening unto them;

yea, I would tell you concerning that awful hell

that awaits to receive such murderers as thou and thy brother have been,

except ye repent and withdraw your murderous purposes,

and return with your armies to your own lands.



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 54:11

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 54:13

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 54:15

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 54:17

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 54:22

And if it so be that there is a devil and a hell,

behold will he not send you there

to dwell with my brother whom ye have murdered,

whom ye have hinted that he hath gone to such a place?

But behold these things matter not.



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 55:4

And now it came to pass that when Moroni had said these words,

he caused that a search should be made among his men,

that perhaps he might find a man

who was a descendant of Laman among them.



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 55:8

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 55:10

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 55:12

And Laman said unto them:

You may do according to your desires.



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 55:14

And it came to pass they did drink and were merry,

and by and by they were all drunken.



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 55:17

Yea, even to their women, and all those of their children,

as many as were able to use a weapon of war,

when Moroni had armed all those prisoners;

and all those things were done in a profound silence.



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 55:24

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.