- 10As I said about the Holy Order, or this High Priesthood: many were ordained and became high priests of God. It was because of their great faith, repentance, and righteousness before God, choosing to repent and bring about righteousness rather than perish. 11Therefore they were called according to this Holy Order and were sanctified, and their clothes were washed white through the Lamb’s blood. 12Now they — after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their clothes made white, being pure and spotless before God — could only look upon sin with abhorrence. And there were many, a very great many, who were enabled to become pure and entered the rest of the Lord their God. 13Now, my friends, I advise you to humble yourselves before God and show by your conduct that you’ve really repented, so you can also enter that rest. 14Humble yourselves like the people in the time of Melchizedek, who was a high priest of this same Order I discussed, who also took upon himself the High Priesthood eternally. 15And it was this Melchizedek to whom Abraham paid tithes — yes, even our father Abraham paid one-tenth of all he owned. 16Now these ordinances were given as a pattern to show the people how to anticipate and recognize the Son of God, since it demonstrated His Order, and in fact was His Order. These ordinances pointed forward to His coming and provided a remission of their sins, so they could enter the Lord’s rest.
- 17Now Melchizedek was ruler and teacher over the land of Salem. And his people had relapsed into iniquity and abominations; indeed, they had all gone astray and were involved in all kinds of wickedness. 18But Melchizedek was a faithful, godly man ordained to the office of the High Priesthood according to the Holy Order of God, who preached repentance to his people. And they repented. And Melchizedek established peace in the land during his time; so he was called the Prince of Peace, because he was the King of Salem; and he ruled and taught under his father. 19Now there were many before him and there were many after him, but no one was greater. Therefore he was identified specifically with this Order, more so than others. 20Now I don’t intend to explain this at length; what I’ve said is enough. The scriptures are readily available to you; if you deliberately misinterpret or distort them, it will be to your own destruction.
- 21Now when Alma had said these words to them, he stretched out his hand to them and loudly proclaimed: Now is the time to repent, because the day of salvation is approaching. 22And the Lord’s voice, sent through angels, is declaring it to all nations, so they can hear this good news of great joy. Indeed, He’s making this announcement of good news to all His people, including those scattered widely around the earth, and therefore we get this news too. 23It’s announced to us in plain terms so we can understand it and so we can’t go wrong. We’re included even though we’re wanderers in a foreign land. We are very blessed since we’re included in this good news coming to us here. 24Right now angels are declaring it to many in our land, and this is to prepare hearts to welcome His message when He comes in His glory. 25Now we await the joyful news of His arrival, announced to us by angels. Indeed, the time is coming, but we don’t know how soon. I wish it would be in my lifetime; but whether it comes sooner or later, I’ll rejoice in the news. 26Angels will reveal the news to righteous and holy men when He arrives. Then the prophecies our fathers recorded about Him will be fulfilled.
- 27Now, my people, I plead with all my heart, with painful anxiety, that you listen to my words and abandon your sins and not delay the day you repent. 28Please humble yourselves before the Lord, call upon His holy name, and watch and pray continually, so you aren’t tempted more than you can resist. Then you can be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering. 29I ask you to have faith in the Lord, and hope to receive eternal life, and have God’s love always in your hearts, so you can be lifted up on the last day and enter His rest. 30And may the Lord acknowledge your repentance, so you don’t experience His wrath upon you, and you avoid the chains of hell, so you don’t suffer the second death. 31Alma said many more things to them, words that aren’t written in this book.
- 14After Alma finished speaking to the people, many of them believed what he said and began to repent and study the scriptures. 2But most of them wanted to kill Alma and Amulek, since they were angry with Alma because he had spoken bluntly to Zeezrom. They also accused Amulek of lying to them and mocking their law as well as their lawyers and judges. 3They were also angry with both Alma and Amulek because they testified so openly and directly condemning their wickedness, and they attempted to kill them secretly. 4But they didn’t, and instead they arrested them, tied them up with ropes, and took them in front of the chief judge of their land. 5People came to testify against them, declaring they had mocked the law, their lawyers and judges, and insulted the people who lived in the land, and claimed they testified there was only one God, who would send His Son among the people, but He wouldn’t save them. The people made many other accusations against Alma and Amulek before the chief judge of the land. 6But Zeezrom was very surprised by what was said. He also realized his lying words had blinded the people’s minds. So his soul began to be tormented by the guilt he felt, like the pains of hell.
- 7Finally, he shouted to the people: I’m the guilty one, and these men are spotless before God. He began to defend them from that time forward. But the crowd yelled insults at him, saying: Are you also possessed by the devil? Then they spit on him and threw him out of their city, as well as anyone who believed in the words taught by Alma and Amulek. They expelled them and sent men to throw stones at them. 8Then they gathered the wives and children of those they threw out, and anyone who remained in the city who believed in God’s word, and threw them all into a bonfire. They also gathered their records containing the holy scriptures, and threw them into the fire to burn them up.
- 9Then they forced Alma and Amulek to go where they were killing the martyrs, to make them watch the people being killed in the fire. 10When Amulek saw the pains of the women and children dying in the fire, he was shocked and pained. He said to Alma: How can we watch this awful scene? Let’s stretch out our hands and use God’s power given to us to save them from the flames. 11But Alma replied: The Spirit restrains me from stretching out my hand. Understand that the Lord receives them up to Himself in glory. He allows them to do this thing — that is, He permits the people to do this to them because of the hardness of their hearts, so that His judgments punishing them in His wrath will be justified and righteous. The blood of the innocent will stand as a witness and testify powerfully against them at the last day. 12Now Amulek said to Alma: Maybe they’ll burn us too. 13And Alma replied: If that’s according to the Lord’s will so be it. However, our work isn’t finished; so they won’t burn us.
- 14When the bodies thrown in the fire were burned up, and also the records thrown in with them, the chief judge of the land came and stood in front of Alma and Amulek while they were tied up, hitting them with his hand on their cheeks and taunting them: After what you’ve seen, will you preach again to this people that they’ll be thrown into a fiery lake that burns like lava? 15You see you didn’t have power to save these people who were thrown into the bonfire, and neither has God saved them, despite them being of your faith. And the judge struck them again on their cheeks and asked: What do you say for yourselves? 16Now this judge belonged to the order and faith of Nehor, who killed Gideon. 17And Alma and Amulek didn’t answer him. So he struck them again and handed them over to the officers to be thrown in prison. 18When they had been in prison three days, many lawyers, judges, priests, and teachers — all who were of Nehor’s beliefs — entered the prison to confront them. They asked many questions, but they received no answers. 19And the judge stood in front of them and asked: Why don’t you answer their questions? Don’t you realize I have the power to send you to be burned alive? And he ordered them to speak, but they said nothing.
- 20Then they left and went their way but returned the next day. And the judge hit them again on their cheeks; and many others came forward and hit them as well, asking: Will you stand before the people again and judge them and condemn our law? If you have such great power, why don’t you free yourselves? 21They said many similar things to them in uncontrolled rage, spitting on them and asking: What will it look like when we’re damned? 22They continued saying similar things mocking them like this for many days. They withheld food from them to starve them, and water so they would be thirsty. They also took their clothes from them, so they were naked, and they were tied up with strong ropes and confined in prison.
- 23After they had suffered like this for many days, on the 12th day of the 10th month in the 10th year of the judges’ rule over the Nephites, the chief judge over Ammonihah, as well as many of their teachers and lawyers, entered the prison where Alma and Amulek were tied up with ropes. 24The chief judge stood in front of them and struck them again, saying: If you have God’s power, free yourselves from your restraints, then we’ll believe what you said about the Lord destroying this people. 25After all of them came forward and struck them, saying the same thing, from the first to the last, when the last one had insulted them, God’s power came upon Alma and Amulek, and they arose and stood on their feet. 26Then Alma declared: O Lord, how long must we suffer these great afflictions? O Lord, give us strength — according to our faith in Christ — to free ourselves. Then they broke apart the ropes that tied them. When the people saw this, they began to run away, because now they were afraid of being destroyed.
- 27They were so afraid they stumbled and fell to the ground and didn’t reach the prison’s outer door. The earth shook and quaked violently, and the prison walls began to fall apart to the ground; and the chief judge and the lawyers and priests and teachers who struck Alma and Amulek were killed in the collapse. 28But Alma and Amulek emerged from the prison unscathed, since the Lord had given them power according to their faith in Christ. They came immediately out of the prison, with no ropes tying them or walls confining them. But the prison had collapsed, and everyone within its walls was killed except for Alma and Amulek, who then walked directly into the city. 29Now the people heard a loud noise and came running together in large numbers to find out the cause. When they saw Alma and Amulek coming from the prison and the walls had fallen to the ground, they were very frightened and ran away from them, like a goat with her kids fleeing from two lions. And so they bolted from Alma and Amulek.
- 15Then Alma and Amulek were commanded to leave that city. So they left and entered the land of Sidom. There they found the other people who had left Ammonihah, who had been thrown out and stoned because they believed in Alma’s words. 2Alma and Amulek told them everything that had happened to their wives and children, and what happened to them, including how they were miraculously set free. 3Now Zeezrom lay sick at Sidom with a burning fever caused by his great mental distress over his iniquity. He thought Alma and Amulek were dead and had been killed because of his evil. This great sin, and his many other sins, tormented his mind until he suffered in agony, finding no relief. Therefore he developed a scorching fever. 4When he heard Alma and Amulek were in Sidom, his heart took courage. He immediately sent them a message, asking them to come and see him.
- 5They responded and went immediately to see Zeezrom where he lay. They found him sick on his bed — very weak and depressed with a burning fever. His mind was also deeply troubled by his iniquities. When he saw them, he reached out his hand and begged them to heal him.
- 6Then Alma took his hand and asked him: Do you believe in Christ’s power to save? 7He answered: Yes, I believe all the words you’ve taught. 8And Alma said: If you believe in Christ’s redemption, you can be healed. 9And he said: Yes, I believe what you’ve taught. 10Then Alma asked the Lord: O Lord our God, have mercy on this man and heal him according to his faith in Christ. 11When Alma said these words, Zeezrom sprang to his feet and began to walk. This astonished all the people, and the news spread throughout the land of Sidom. 12Then Alma baptized Zeezrom in the name of the Lord, and from then on he began to preach to the people. 13Alma established a congregation in Sidom and ordained priests and teachers there, to baptize any who wished to be baptized in the name of the Lord.
- 14And there were many people who gathered from the region around Sidom and were baptized. 15But as for the people in Ammonihah, they continued to be hard-hearted and stubborn. They didn’t repent of their sins since they believed what Nehor taught, therefore they rejected any idea of repenting from sins, and they attributed Alma and Amulek’s power to the devil.
- 16Amulek left behind all his gold, silver, and valuables in Ammonihah for God’s word, and was rejected by those who were once his friends, as well as by his father and family. 17Then Alma established a congregation at Sidom. He saw the people stopped being proud. They began to humble themselves before God and assemble at their sanctuaries to worship God at the altar. They watched and prayed continually, so they could be saved from Satan, death, and destruction. 18Once Alma saw all these things, he took Amulek and came over to the land of Zarahemla and took him to his own house and supported him in his needy circumstances, and strengthened him in the Lord. 19And so ended the 10th year of the judges’ rule over the Nephites.
Chapter 10