- 9I Alma was commanded by God to take Amulek and again preach to the people in Ammonihah. As I started to preach to them, they argued with me. They asked, 2Who are you? Do you think we’re going to believe one man’s testimony, even if he preached to us the earth would pass away? 3Now they didn’t understand what they said, because they didn’t understand the earth will pass away. 4They also said: We won’t believe your words, even if you were to prophesy this great city is going to be destroyed in a single day. 5They didn’t believe God could do such miraculous things, because they were a hard-hearted and stubborn people. 6And they asked: If it were actually true, why wouldn’t God send more authority than a single man to warn us about these important threats? 7Then they started to arrest me, but hesitated.
- I boldly stood my ground, fearlessly warning them: 8You wicked and corrupt generation! How have you abandoned the tradition of your forefathers? Yes, how have you so quickly discarded God’s commandments! 9Don’t you remember God rescued our father Lehi from Jerusalem? Don’t you remember God led Lehi’s people through the wilderness? 10Have you so soon forgotten the many times He rescued our forefathers from enemies and saved their lives, including at the hands of their own brothers? 11If it hadn’t been for His unequaled power, mercy, and long-suffering toward us, we would certainly have vanished from the earth long before now. We may have been condemned to a state of endless misery, pain, and sorrow. 12Now I tell you He commands you to repent. And unless you repent, there’s no way for you to inherit God’s kingdom. But this isn’t all. He’s commanded you to repent, or He’ll completely destroy you from off the earth. He’ll punish you in anger! He won’t end His fierce anger at you.
- 13Don’t you remember what He told Lehi: that to the degree you keep My commandments, you’ll prosper in the land. Also to the degree you don’t keep My commandments, you’ll be cut off from the Lord’s presence. 14Now I want you to remember that the Lamanites haven’t kept God’s commandments, and they’ve been cut off from the Lord’s presence. Therefore the Lord’s word on this has been vindicated, and the Lamanites were cut off from His presence from the start of their rebellion. 15Nevertheless, I warn you that they’ll be better off than you at judgment time if you remain in your sins. They’re even better off in this life than you, unless you repent. 16Indeed, many promises have been given to the Lamanites, because they remain ignorant due to their ancestors’ traditions. Therefore the Lord will be merciful to them and patient with them living on the land. 17At some time in the future, they’ll be taught to believe in His word and understand their ancestors’ traditions were wrong. Many of them will be saved because the Lord will forgive all those who call on His name.
- 18But I warn you if you persist in doing evil, your time on the land will end, because the Lamanites will attack you. If you don’t repent, they’ll come when you don’t expect it, and you’ll be punished and destroyed. It will be the result of the Lord’s fierce anger. 19He won’t allow you to live in your iniquities, polluting His people. I tell you: No, He would choose to let the Lamanites destroy the entire Nephite nation if they were to fall into sin and transgression by rejecting so much light and knowledge given to them by the Lord their God. 20You’ve been a greatly blessed people by the Lord, more blessed than people of other nations, tribes, and languages. You’ve had things revealed to you about the past, present, and future. You’ve had your desires, faith, and prayers answered. 21You’ve been visited by the Spirit of God and heard the Lord’s voice speak to you. You’ve talked with angels and received the spirit of prophecy and revelation. You’ve been given many gifts: the gift of speaking in tongues, the gift of preaching, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the gift of translation; 22you were rescued by God from the land of Jerusalem by His hand and then saved from famine, illness, and all kinds of diseases. The Nephites have been strengthened in battle so they couldn’t be killed and have been repeatedly freed from slavery and watched over and preserved until now. You’ve prospered until you’re now rich in many things.
- 23I warn you that if this people, who have received so many blessings from the Lord, were to sin against the light and knowledge they have, if you fall into transgression, then it will be far more bearable for the Lamanites than for you. 24Indeed, the Lord’s promises are extended to the Lamanites, but if you sin they aren’t extended to you. Hasn’t the Lord expressly promised and firmly decreed that if you rebel against Him, you will be completely destroyed and removed from the earth?
- 25And now, to prevent you from being destroyed, the Lord has sent His angel to visit many of His people, instructing them to come and solemnly warn you: Repent! Repent, because the kingdom of heaven is coming soon. 26Not many days from now the Son of God will come in His glory. His glory will be the glory of the Father’s Only Begotten: full of grace, fairness, truth, patience, mercy, and long-suffering, and quick to hear His people’s cries and answer their prayers. 27He is coming to redeem those who are baptized as a sign of repentance, through faith in His name. 28Therefore get ready for the coming Lord, because the time is near when everyone will reap a reward for their works based upon what they’ve been: If they’ve been righteous, they’ll receive salvation through the power and redemption of Jesus Christ. But if they’ve been evil, they’ll receive damnation through the power and captivity of the accuser. 29This is the angel’s message to you. 30Now, my cherished people (because you are my people and you should be cherished), you must produce evidence of your repentance, because your hearts remain hardened against God’s word, and you’re now a lost and fallen people.
- 31When I said this, the people were furious with me because I told them they were hard-hearted and stubborn. 32And because I also told them they were a lost and fallen people, they were angry and tried to take me by force and throw me into prison. 33But at that time the Lord didn’t let them throw me into prison.
- 34Then Amulek spoke up and also began to preach to them. Not everything Amulek said has been written, but some of his words are included below.
Chapter 7
The words of both Alma and Amulek that were proclaimed to the people living in Ammonihah. In addition, they’re imprisoned and rescued by the miraculous power of God protecting them, according to Alma’s record.