- 7King Mosiah enjoyed three years of peace, but he became curious about the people who had left Zarahemla to live in the land of Lehi-Nephi. He and his people hadn’t heard from them since their departure, and his people constantly asked him to find out what happened to them.
- 2Eventually, king Mosiah gave his permission for 16 strong men to search for them in the land of Lehi-Nephi and find out what happened to them. 3The next day, a man named Ammon, who was a descendant of Zarahemla and a strong leader, led them on their journey to the land of Lehi-Nephi. 4However, they didn’t know which way to go, and wandered aimlessly in the wilderness, traveling in various directions for forty days. 5Finally, after forty days of wandering, they arrived at a hill north of Shilom, where they set up camp. 6Ammon, along with three of his men named Amaleki, Helem, and Hem, went down to the land of Nephi. 7While they were there, they met the king of the people living in the lands of Nephi and Shilom. While there, they were surrounded by the king’s guard, captured, tied up, and imprisoned.
- 8After they had been in prison for two days, their hands were untied, and they were again brought before the king. They stood before the king and were permitted — or rather ordered — to answer the questions he asked them. 9He said to them: I’m Limhi, the son of Noah, son of Zeniff, who came as a rightful heir from Zarahemla to take these ancestral lands. By the voice of the people, I’ve been made king over this land. 10I would like to know why you boldly approached the city walls while I was outside the gate with my guards. 11I’ve only spared your life so that I can inquire about this; otherwise, my guards would have killed you. You may now explain yourselves.
- 12When Ammon saw that he was allowed to speak, he stepped forward and bowed before the king. Rising, he said: O king, I’m very grateful to God today that I’m still alive and able to speak. I’ll speak honestly. 13I’m certain if you had known who I was, you wouldn’t have wanted me tied up. My name is Ammon, I’m a descendant of Zarahemla, and I’ve come from the land of Zarahemla to inquire about our relatives whom Zeniff led from that land.
- 14After hearing Ammon’s words, Limhi was thrilled and said: Now I know for certain my relatives who were in the land of Zarahemla are still alive. Tomorrow, I’ll have my people celebrate this news. 15We are currently in servitude to the Lamanites and are forced to pay a heavy tax that is difficult to bear. But when our relatives free us from this slavery, we’ll willingly become their slaves. We would rather be Nephite slaves than continue paying tribute to the king of the Lamanites.
- 16King Limhi gave orders to his guards to release Ammon and his men from detention. He then commanded his guards to go to the hill north of Shilom and bring Ammon’s men into the city so they could eat, drink, and rest from their difficult journey. They had been through numerous hardships, including hunger, thirst, and fatigue.
- 17King Limhi sent out an announcement to his people on the following day, asking them to gather at the temple to hear what he had to say. 18When they had all gathered, he spoke to them, saying: My people, look up and take courage. The time has come when we’ll escape from our enemies, even though we’ve failed in our previous attempts. Nevertheless, I’m confident we’ll succeed this time. 19So look up, rejoice, and trust in God — in the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He’s the one who brought the Israelites out of Egypt and led them through the Red Sea on dry ground. He fed them with manna to keep them alive in the wilderness and did many more things for them. 20That same God led our ancestors out of the land of Jerusalem, and has continuously watched over and preserved His people, up until now. It was our sins and abominations that brought us into slavery.
- 21You’re all witnesses today that Zeniff, who was made king over this people, was ambitious to reclaim his ancestral land as an inheritance. He was misled by the careful fraud of king Laman, who made a treaty with king Zeniff, giving him part of the land — including the city of Lehi-Nephi, the city of Shilom, and the surrounding area. 22He did all this for the sole purpose of bringing us under their total control. Now, we pay taxes to the king of the Lamanites, giving them one-half of our corn, barley, and grain of every kind, as well as one-half of the increase of our flocks and herds. The king of the Lamanites even demands one-half of all that we own and threatens to take our lives if we fail to pay. 23Aren’t we suffering? Isn’t this intolerable? Think what a miserable situation we’re in. 24I don’t need to remind you that we have many reasons to mourn! To begin with, many of our people have been killed and have died needlessly — all because of our iniquity! 25If this people hadn’t fallen into transgression, the Lord wouldn’t have let this misery happen to us. But the people wouldn’t listen to His words. As a result, we turned against one another to such an extent that we’ve resorted to killing each other.
- 26We’ve killed a prophet of the Lord. He was a chosen man of God who exposed our wickedness and abominations. He prophesied about many future events, including the coming of the Messiah. 27He taught that the Messiah was God, the Father of all things, who would come down in a mortal body, resembling the image after which mankind was created in the beginning. In other words, he taught that mankind was created in the image of God, and that God would come down to earth in a mortal body. 28Because of his teachings, they killed him. And they committed many other sins that angered God.
- Therefore how can we be surprised to find ourselves in slavery and afflicted with terrible troubles? 29The Lord has warned: I won’t help my people while they continue in transgression, but instead will block their ways, preventing them from prospering, and their own behavior will be a hindrance to them. 30He has also said: If my people plant wickedness, they’ll harvest a tornado of rubbish; and the results are poisonous. 31If my people plant filthiness, they’ll reap a scorching wind, which brings immediate destruction. 32Now the promise of the Lord has been fulfilled, and you are driven and afflicted. 33However, if you return to the Lord with all your heart, trust in Him, and serve Him with determination, He’ll free you from slavery in His own due time.
- 8After king Limhi finished addressing his people, saying more than what’s recorded here, he informed them about their relatives in the land of Zarahemla. 2And he had Ammon stand before the crowd and tell them all that had happened to their relatives since Zeniff departed, up to the time Ammon arrived in this land. 3Additionally, Ammon explained to king Limhi’s people the final teachings of king Benjamin, to familiarize them with what he taught. 4After finishing, king Limhi dismissed the crowd and allowed them to return to their homes.
- 5Then he had the plates containing the record of his people from when they left the land of Zarahemla brought to Ammon for him to read. 6As soon as Ammon finished reading the record, the king asked him if he could interpret languages. Ammon told him that he could not. 7Then the king said to him: Because I was troubled by the suffering of my people, I sent 43 of them to explore the wilderness in search of the land of Zarahemla, hoping our relatives there could help free us from slavery. 8However, despite their best efforts, they were lost in the wilderness for many days and couldn’t locate Zarahemla. They returned after wandering through a land dotted with many lakes, where they also found a place scattered with the bones of men and animals, as well as other objects. They stumbled upon the ruins of various types of buildings that were once inhabited by many people, as numerous as the Israelites. 9To prove their claims, they brought back 24 plates made of pure gold, filled with engravings. 10They also brought back intact breastplates made of brass and copper, 11as well as swords with rusted hilts and corroded blades. No one here can translate the language or engravings found on these plates. Therefore I’m asking you: Can you translate them? 12Additionally, do you know anyone who can translate them? I want these records to be translated into our language so we can learn more about the people who were destroyed, potentially the same people whose bones were found with these records. It would be valuable to understand what caused their destruction.
- 13Ammon then replied: I can confidently inform you, king, about a man who’s able to translate the records. He possesses the means that allow him to see and translate ancient records, and this ability is a gift from God. These things are known as Interpreters, and no man can look into them unless God commands him to do so, in order to prevent him from seeing something he shouldn’t see and perishing. Whoever is commanded to look in them is called a seer. 14The king in Zarahemla is the one who’s been commanded to perform these tasks; he’s been given this special gift from God. 15The king declared that a seer is greater than a prophet. 16Ammon explained that a seer is both a revelator and a prophet. No one can have a greater gift unless they possess God’s power, which is impossible, but a man can receive great power from God. 17A seer can know about the past and the future; the Interpreters can reveal everything — hidden secrets can be revealed, and unknown things can be uncovered. A seer can discover the unknown and reveal things that would otherwise remain unknown to us. 18This is how God has established a way for mankind to perform great miracles through faith; therefore seers are a benefit to their fellow men.
- 19When Ammon had finished speaking, the king was overjoyed and thanked God, saying: These plates surely hold a great mystery, and these Interpreters must have been prepared for the purpose of uncovering such mysteries for mankind. 20How awe-inspiring are the Lord’s works! How patient He is with His people! In contrast, how blind and stubborn are people in their understanding. They won’t seek Wisdom and don’t want Her to rule over them. 21Yes, they’re like a wild flock fleeing from the shepherd, scattered, hunted, and eaten by forest predators.
Chapter 5