- 50Now Moroni didn’t stop preparing for war or to defend his people against the Lamanites. Indeed, at the start of the 20th year of the judges’ rule, he had his armies begin to dig up piles of earth around the outside of all the cities throughout the Nephites’ lands. 2On top of those ridges of earth around the outside of the cities, he had walls of timbers erected to the height of a man. 3He had a frame of pointed stakes built upon those walls of timbers, around the outside of them; and they were strong and high. 4And he built towers overlooking those pickets; and he had reinforced shelters on top of the towers, so the Lamanites’ stones and arrows couldn’t hurt them. 5They were prepared to throw stones from the top of them at selected targets, using their arm strength to kill anyone who might attempt to approach the city walls. 6In this way, Moroni prepared strongholds around the outside of every city in the whole land, in anticipation of their enemies’ arrival.
- 7Then Moroni had his armies enter the eastern wilderness. And they went out and drove all the Lamanites who were in the eastern wilderness into their own lands, which were south of the land of Zarahemla. 8The land of Nephi ran in a straight line from the eastern sea to the west. 9When Moroni had driven all the Lamanites from the eastern wilderness, which was north of their own lands, he made the inhabitants who were in the land of Zarahemla and in the surrounding regions go into the eastern wilderness, all the way to the shoreline, and occupy the land. 10And he also placed armies to the south in the borders of their own lands and had them erect fortifications so they could guard their armies and their people from their enemies. 11In this way he cut off all the Lamanite strongholds in the eastern wilderness, and also to the west, fortifying the line between the Nephites and Lamanites, between the land of Zarahemla and the land of Nephi, from the western sea running by the head of the Sidon River, the Nephites occupying all the land to the north, indeed, all the land to the north of the land of Bountiful, as they saw fit. 12So Moroni with his armies, which increased daily because of the confidence in the protection his planning gave them, attempted to take away the Lamanites’ ability to invade their lands. This was to prevent the Lamanites from gaining any power over their lands.
- 13The Nephites began to build a city, and they called the city Moroni. It was by the eastern sea; and it was south, bordering the Lamanite frontier. 14And they also began building a city between the cities of Moroni and Aaron, along the same border as Aaron and Moroni, and they called the name of that city and surrounding area Nephihah. 15During that same year, they also began building many other cities in the north, one in a particular design they called Lehi, which was to the north near the seashore. 16And so ended the 20th year. 17And at the beginning of the 21st year of the judges’ rule over the Nephites, the Nephites found themselves prospering. 18In fact, they were very prosperous, and they became very rich. They increased in population and became strong in the land.
- 19Now we can see how merciful, fair, and true all the Lord’s dealings are, fulfilling all His words for the benefit of mankind. We can see, even at this time, the words He spoke to Lehi are verified, saying: 20Blessed are you, and your children as well. And they will be blessed! To the extent you keep God’s commandments, you’ll prosper in the land; and to the extent you don’t keep God’s commandments, you’ll be cut off from His presence. 21So we see these promises were kept for the Nephites; because it has been their quarrels and conflicts, their murders and thievery, their idol worship and whoredoms, and the abominations of the people that brought upon them armed conflict and destruction. 22Those who were faithful in keeping the Lord’s commandments were protected and saved every time, while thousands of their wicked fellow Nephites have been condemned to slavery or to die by the sword or to fall away in unbelief and mix with the Lamanites. 23But there never was a happier time among the Nephites since Nephi’s days than during Moroni’s days, indeed, during the 21st year of the judges’ rule. 24And the 22nd year of the judges’ rule also ended in peace, and the 23rd year as well.
- 25At the start of the 24th year of the judges’ rule, there also would have been peace among the Nephites if it hadn’t been for a conflict that arose regarding the land of Lehi and the land of Morionton, which adjoined the borders of Lehi, both of which bordered the seashore. 26The dispute came about because the people who lived in the land of Morionton claimed part of the land of Lehi. So a heated conflict arose between them, to the point that the people of Morionton armed themselves to fight their fellow Nephites, being determined to kill them with the sword. 27But the people who lived in the land of Lehi fled to Moroni’s camp and appealed to him for assistance. They did this because they weren’t in the wrong.
- 28When the people of Morionton, who were led by a man named Morionton, discovered the people of Lehi had fled to Moroni’s camp, they were very afraid that Moroni’s army would attack and kill them. 29So Morionton gave them the idea to flee northward, to the land covered with large bodies of water, and take the land to the north as their own. 30They would have put this plan into effect, which would have been a matter of deep concern; but Morionton was a man of uncontrollable anger, and he got angry with one of his female servants and assaulted and severely beat her. 31She fled and went to Moroni’s camp and told Moroni everything about the events and about their intention to flee to the north. 32Now the people of Bountiful, or rather Moroni was afraid the people of Bountiful, would listen to Morionton and unite with his people. That would result in him gaining control of those parts of the land, which would lead to serious consequences among the Nephites, consequences that would lead to the loss of their liberty. 33Therefore Moroni sent an armed force to get ahead of Morionton’s people, to stop their departure into the land to the north. 34But they didn’t get ahead of them until they had arrived at the border of the land of Desolation. They confronted them by the narrow pass beside the sea into the land to the north, between the sea on the west and on the east.
- 35And the army sent by Moroni, which was led by a man named Teancum, met Morionton’s people. And Morionton’s people, being influenced by his wickedness and persuasion, were so stubborn that a battle began, in which Teancum killed Morionton and defeated his army and took them prisoner and returned to Moroni’s camp. And so ended the 24th year of the judges’ rule over the Nephites. 36This was how the people of Morionton were brought back. Once they covenanted to keep the peace, the land of Morionton was given back to them. And a general agreement was reached between them and the people of Lehi, and their lands were also given back to them.
- 37In the same year that peace was restored among the Nephites, Nephihah the second chief judge died, having occupied the judgment seat with perfect uprightness before God. 38Nevertheless, he had declined Alma’s offer to take responsibility for those records and those things that Alma and his fathers considered most sacred. Therefore Alma had conferred them upon his son Helaman.
- 39Nephihah’s son was appointed to fill the judgment seat in his father’s place. He was appointed chief judge and governor over the people, with an oath and sacred ordinance to judge righteously, and to keep the peace and freedom of the people, and to grant them their sacred privileges to worship the Lord who is God, to support and maintain the cause of God while he ruled, and to bring the wicked to justice according to their crimes. 40Now his name was Parhoron. Parhoron occupied his father’s seat and began his rule over the Nephites at the end of the 24th year.
Chapter 22