THE BOOK OF ALMA

THE SON OF ALMA

The account of Alma, who was the son of Alma, the first and chief judge over the people of Nephi, and also the high priest over the church. An account of the reign of the judges, and the wars and contentions among the people. And also an account of a war between the Nephites and the Lamanites according to the record of Alma, the first and chief judge.

Now it came to...

Now it came to pass in the sixth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, there were no contentions nor wars in the land of Zarahemla. But the people were afflicted, yea, greatly afflicted, for the loss of their brethren, and also for the loss of their flocks and herds, and also for the loss of their fields of grain, which were trodden underfoot and destroyed by the Lamanites....

The words which Alma, the high priest according to the Holy Order of God, delivered to the people in their cities and villages throughout the land.

Now it came to pass that Alma began to declare the word of God unto the people, first in the land of Zarahemla, and from thence throughout all the land. And these are the words which he spake to the people in the church which were established in the...

And now it came to pass that after Alma had made an end of speaking unto the people of the church which was established in the city of Zarahemla, he ordained priests and elders by laying on his hands, according to the order of God, to preside and watch over the church. And it came to pass that whosoever did not belong to the church, who repented of their sins, were baptized unto repentance and...

The words of Alma which he delivered to the people in Gideon, according to his own record.

Behold, my beloved brethren, seeing that I have been permitted to come unto you, therefore I attempt to address you in my language, yea, by my own mouth, seeing that it is the first time that I have spoken unto you by the words of my mouth, I having been wholly confined to the judgment seat, having had much...

And now it came to pass that Alma returned from the land of Gideon, after having taught the people of Gideon many things which cannot be written, having established the order of the church according as he had before done in the land of Zarahemla, yea, he returned to his own house at Zarahemla to rest himself from the labors which he had performed. And thus ended the ninth year of the reign of the...

The words of Alma, and also the words of Amulek, which were declared unto the people who were in the land of Ammonihah. And also, they are cast into prison, and delivered by the miraculous power of God which was in them, according to the record of Alma.

And again I, Alma, having been commanded of God that I should take Amulek and go forth and preach again unto this people, or the people who were...

Now these are the words that Amulek preached unto the people who were in the land of Ammonihah, saying, I am Amulek. I am the son of Gidanah, who was the son of Ishmael, who was a descendant of Aminadi; and it was that same Aminadi who interpreted the writing which was upon the wall of the temple, which was written by the finger of God. And Aminadi was a descendant of Nephi, who was the son of...

Now Alma, seeing that the words of Amulek had silenced Zeezrom — for he beheld that Amulek had caught him in his lying and deceiving to destroy him — and seeing that he began to tremble under a consciousness of his guilt, he opened his mouth and began to speak unto him, and to establish the words of Amulek, and to explain things beyond, or to unfold the scriptures beyond that which Amulek had...

Now as I said concerning the Holy Order, or this High Priesthood, there were many who were ordained and became high priests of God. And it was on account of their exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness before God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness rather than to perish. Therefore, they were called after this Holy Order and were sanctified, and their garments were...

And it came to pass in the eleventh year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, on the fifth day of the second month — there having been much peace in the land of Zarahemla, there having been no wars nor contentions for a certain number of years, even until the fifth day of the second month in the eleventh year — there was a cry of war heard throughout the land. For behold, the...

An account of the sons of Mosiah, who rejected their rights to the kingdom for the word of God and went up to the land of Nephi to preach to the Lamanites. Their sufferings and deliverance according to the record of Alma.

And now it came to pass that as Alma was journeying from the land of Gideon, southward, away to the land of Manti, behold, to his astonishment he met the sons of Mosiah...

An account of the preaching of Aaron, and Muloki, and their brethren, to the Lamanites.

Now when Ammon and his brethren separated themselves in the borders of the land of the Lamanites, behold, Aaron took his journey towards the land which was called by the Lamanites, Jerusalem, calling it after the land of their fathers’ nativity; and it was away joining the borders of Mormon. Now the Lamanites,...

Behold, now it came to pass that the king of the Lamanites sent a proclamation among all his people, that they should not lay their hands on Ammon, or Aaron, or Omner, or Himni, nor either of their brethren, who should go forth preaching the word of God, in whatsoever place they should be, in any part of their land. Yea, he sent a decree among them that they should not lay their hands on them to...

Now it came to pass that when those Lamanites who had gone to war against the Nephites had found, after their many struggles to destroy them, that it was in vain to seek their destruction, they returned again to the land of Nephi. And it came to pass that the Amlicites, because of their loss, were exceeding angry. And when they saw that they could not seek revenge from the Nephites, they began to...

Behold, now it came to pass after the people of Ammon were established in the land of Jershon, yea, and also after the Lamanites were driven out of the land, and their dead were buried by the people of the land — now their dead were not numbered because of the greatness of their numbers, neither were the dead of the Nephites numbered — but it came to pass after they had buried their dead, and...

The commandments of Alma to his son Helaman.

My son, give ear to my words, for I swear unto you that inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God, ye shall prosper in the land. I would that ye should do as I have done in remembering the captivity of our fathers; for they were in bondage and none could deliver them, except it were the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob....

The commandments of Alma to his son Shiblon.

My son, give ear to my words, for I say unto you even as I said unto Helaman, that inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God, ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep the commandments of God, ye shall be cast off from his presence. And now, my son, I trust that I shall have great joy in you because of your steadiness and...

The commandments of Alma to his son Corianton.

And now, my son, I have somewhat more to say unto thee than what I said unto thy brother. For behold, have ye not observed the steadiness of thy brother? His faithfulness and his diligence in keeping the commandments of God? Behold, has he not set a good example for thee? For thou didst not give so much heed unto my words as did thy brother among the...

And now it came to pass that the sons of Alma did go forth among the people to declare the word unto them. And Alma also, himself, could not rest, and he also went forth. Now we shall say no more concerning their preaching, except that they preached the word and the truth according to the spirit of prophecy and revelation, and they preached after the Holy Order of God by which they were called.

And

The account of the people of Nephi, and their wars and dissensions in the days of Helaman, according to the record of Helaman which he kept in his days.

Behold, now it came to pass that the people of Nephi were exceedingly rejoiced because the Lord had again delivered them out of the hands of their enemies. Therefore, they gave thanks unto the Lord their God; yea, and they did fast much and pray...

And now it came to pass that Moroni did not stop making preparations for war or to defend his people against the Lamanites; for he caused that his armies should commence, in the commencement of the twentieth year of the reign of the judges, that they should commence in digging up heaps of earth round about all the cities throughout all the land which was possessed by the Nephites. And upon the...

And now it came to pass in the commencement of the twenty and fifth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, they having established peace between the people of Lehi and the people of Morionton concerning their lands, and having commenced the twenty and fifth year in peace, nevertheless, they did not long maintain an entire peace in the land, for there began to be a contention...

And now it came to pass in the twenty and sixth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, behold, when the Lamanites awoke on the first morning of the first month, behold, they found Amalickiah was dead in his own tent, and they also saw that Teancum was ready to give them battle on that day. And now, when the Lamanites saw this, they were affrighted, and they abandoned their...

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. 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...

And now it came to pass in the commencement of the thirtieth year of the reign of the judges, in the second day on the first month, Moroni received an epistle from Helaman stating the affairs of the people in that quarter of the land. And these are the words which he wrote, saying, My dearly beloved brother Moroni, as well in the Lord as in the tribulations of our warfare, behold, my beloved...

Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, after Moroni had received and had read Helaman’s epistle, he was exceedingly rejoiced because of the welfare, yea, the exceeding success which Helaman had had in obtaining those lands which were lost. Yea, and he did make it known unto all his people in all the land round about in that part where he...

Behold, now it came to pass that soon after Moroni had sent his epistle unto the chief governor, he received an epistle from Parhoron, the chief governor. And these are the words which he received: I, Parhoron, who am the chief governor of this land, do send these words unto Moroni, the chief captain over the army. Behold, I say unto you, Moroni, that I do not joy in your great afflictions, yea,...

And now it came to pass that when Moroni had received this epistle, his heart did take courage and was filled with exceeding great joy because of the faithfulness of Parhoron, that he was not also a traitor to the freedom and cause of his country. But he did also mourn exceedingly because of the iniquity of those who had driven Parhoron from the judgment seat, yea, in fine, because of those who...

And it came to pass, in the commencement of the thirty and sixth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, that Shiblon took possession of those sacred things which had been delivered unto Helaman by Alma. And he was a just man, and he did walk uprightly before God, and he did observe to do good continually, to keep the commandments of the Lord his God, and also did his brother.

And