pons of war at the feet of Moroni, and entered into a cove nant of peace. And as many as entered into a covenant they suffered to depart into the wilderness.

16. Now it came to pass that Zerahemnah was exceeding wroth, and he did stir up the remainder of his soldiers to anger, to contend more powerfully against the Nephites. And now Moroni was angry, because of the stubbornness of the Lamanites; therefore he commanded his people that they should fall upon them and slay them. And it came to pass that they began to slay them: yea, and the Lamanites did contend with their swords and their mights. But behold, their naked skins and their bare heads were exposed to the sharp swords of the Nephites; yea, behold they were pierced and smitten; yea, and did fall exceeding fast before the swords of the Nephites; and they began to be swept down, even as the soldier of Moroni had prophesied. Now Zerahemnah, when he saw that they were all about to be destroyed, cried mightily unto Moroni, promising that he would covenant, and also his people with them, if they would spare the remainder of their lives, that they never would come te war again against them. And it came to pass that Moroni caused that the work of death should cease again among the people. And he took the weapons of war from the Lamanites; and after they had entered into a covenant with him of peace, they were suffered to depart into the wilderness. Now the number of their dead were not numbered, because of the greatness of the number; yea, the number of their dead were exceeding great, both on the Nephites and on the Lamanites. And it came to pass that they did cast their dead into the waters of Sidon, and they have gone forth and are buried in the depths of the sea. And the armies of the Nephites, or of Moroni, returned and came to their houses and their lands. And thus ended the eighteenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi. And thus ended the record of Alma, which was wrote upon the plates of Nephi.

CHAPTER XXI.

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.

1. 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 much, and they did worship God with exceeding great joy.

2. And it came to pass in the nineteenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi, that Alma came unto his son Helaman and said unto him, believest thou the words which I spake unto thee conceruing those records which have been kept? And Helaman said unto him, yea, I believe. And Alma said again, believest thou in Jesus Christ, who shall come? And he said, yea, I believe all the words which thou hast spoken. And Alma said unto him again, will ye keep my commandments? And he said, yea, I will keep thy commandments with all my heart. Then Alma said unto him, blessed art thou; and the Lord shall prosper thee in this land. But behold, I have somewhat to prophesy unto thee; but what I prophesy unto thee, ye shall not make known; yea, what I prophesy unto thee shall not be made known, even until the prophecy is fulfilled; therefore write the words which I shall say. And these are the words: behold, I perceive that this very people, the Nephites, according to the spirit of revelation which is in me, in four hundred years from the time that Jesus Christ shall manifest himself unto them, shall dwindle in unbelief; yea, and then shall they see wars and pestilences, yea, famines and bloodshed, even until the people of Nephi shall become extinct; yea, and this because they shall dwindle in unbelief, and fall into the works of darkness, and lasciviousness, and all manner of iniquities; yea, I say unto you, that because they shall sin against so great light and knowledge; yea, I say unto you, that from that day, even the fourth generation shall not all pass away, before this great iniquity shall come; and when that great day cometh, behold, the time very soon cometh that those who are now, or the seed of those who are now numbered among the people of Nephi, shall no more be numbered among the people of Nephi ; but whosoever remaineth, and is not destroyed in that great and dreadful day, shall be numbered among the Lamanites, and shall become like unto them, all, save it be a few, who shall be called the disciples of the Lord; and them shall the Lamanites pursue, even until they shall become extinct. And now, because of iniquity, this prophecy shall be fulfilled.

3. And now it came to pass that after Alma had said these things to Helaman, he blessed him, and also his other sons;

and he also blessed the earth for the righteous' sake. And he said, thus saith the Lord God; Cursed shall be the land, yea, this land, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, unto destruction, which do wickedly, when they are fully ripe; and as I have said, so shall it be; for this is the cursing and the blessing of God upon the land, for the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. And now, when Alma had said these words, he blessed the church, yea, all those who should stand fast in the faith, from that time henceforth; and when Alma had done this, he departed out of the land of Zarahemla, as if to go into the land of Melek. And it came to pass that he was never heard of more; as to his death or burial we know not of. Behold, this we know, that he was a righteous man; and the saying went abroad in the church, that he was taken up by the Spirit, or buried by the hand of the Lord, even as Moses. But behold, the scripture saith the Lord took Moses unto himself; and we suppose that he has also received Alma in the spirit, unto himself: therefore, for this cause, we know nothing concerning his death and burial.

4. And now it came to pass in the commencement of the nineteenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi, that Helaman went forth among the people to declare the word unto them: for behold, because of their wars with the Lamanites, and the many little dissensions and disturbances which had been among the people, it became expedient that the word of God should be declared among them; yea, and that a regulation should be made throughout the church; therefore Helaman and his brethren went forth to establish the church again in all the land, yea, in every city throughout all the land which was possessed by the people of Nephi. And it came to pass that they did appoint priests and teachers throughout all the land, over all the

churches.

5. And now it came to pass that after Helaman and his brethren had appointed priests and teachers over the churches, that there arose a dissension among them, and they would not give heed to the words of Helaman and his brethren ; but they grew proud, being lifted up in their hearts, because of their exceeding great riches; therefore they grew rich in their own eyes, and would not give heed to their words, to walk uprightly before God.

6. And it came to pass that as many as would not hearken to the words of Helaman and his brethren, were gathered together against their brethren. And now behold, they

were exceeding wroth, insomuch that they were determined to slay them. Now the leader of those who were wroth against their brethren, was a large and a strong man; and his name was Amalickiah. And Amalickiah was desirous to be a king and those people who were wroth, were also desirous that he should be their king: and they were the greater part of them the lower judges of the land: and they were seeking for power. And they had been led by the flatterers of Amalickiah, that if they would support him and establish him to be their king, that he would make them rulers over the people. Thus they were led away by Amalickiah to dissensions, notwithstanding the preaching of Helaman and his brethren; yea, notwithstanding their exceeding great care over the church, for they were High Priests over the church. And there were many in the church who believed in the flattering words of Amalickiah; therefore they dissented even from the church; and thus were the affairs of the people of Nephi exceeding precarious and dangerous, notwithstanding their great victory which they had had over the Lamanites, and their great rejoicings which they had had, because of their deliverance by the hands of the Lord. Thus we see how quick the children of men do forget the Lord their God: yea, how quick to do iniquity, and to be led away by the evil one: yea, and we also see the great wickedness one very wicked man can cause to take place among the children of men: yea, we see that Amalickiah because he was a man of cunning device, and a man of many flattering words, that he led away the hearts of many people to do wickedly: yea, and to seek to destroy the church of God, and to destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them, or which blessing God had sent upon the face of the land for the righteous' sake.

7. And now it came to pass that when Moroni, who was the chief commander of the armies of the Nephites had heard of these dissensions, he was angry with Amalickiah. And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it, in memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children; and he fastened it upon the end of a pole thereof. And he fastened on his head-plate, and on his breast-plate, and his shield, and girded on his armour about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty,) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God, for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren so long as there

should a band of Christians remain to possess the land: for thus were all the true believers of Christ, who belonged to the church of God, called by those who did not belong to the church; and those who did belong to the church were faithful; yea, all those who were true believers in Christ, took upon them, gladly, the name of Christ, or Christians, as they were called, because of their belief in Christ, who should come and therefore, at this time, Moroni prayed that the cause of the Christians, and the freedom of the land might be favored.

8. And it came to pass that when he had poured out his soul to God, he gave all the land which was south of the land Desolation: yea, and in fine, all the land, both on the north and on the south, a chosen land, and the land of liberty. And he said, surely God shall not suffer that we, who are despised because we take upon us the name of Christ, shall be trodden down and destroyed, until we bring it upon us by our own transgressions. And when Moroni had said these words, he went forth among the people, waving the rent of his garment in the air, that all might see the writing which he had wrote upon the rent, and crying with a loud voice, saying, behold, whosoever will maintain this title upon the land, let them come forth in the strength of the Lord, and enter into a covenant that they will maintain their rights, and their religion, that the Lord God may bless them.

9. And it came to pass that when Moroni had proclaimed these words, behold, the people came running together with their armours girded about their loins, rending their garments in token, or as a covenant, that they would not forsake the Lord their God, or, in other words, if they should transgress the commandments of God, or fall into transgression, and be ashamed to take upon them the name of Christ, the Lord should rend them even as they had rent their garments. Now this was the covenant which they made: and they cast their garments at the feet of Moroni, saying, we covenant with our God, that we shall be destroyed, even as our brethren in the land northward, if we shall fall into transgression yea, he may cast us at the feet of our enemies, even as we have cast our garments at thy feet, to be trodden under foot, if we shall fall into transgression. Moroni said unto them, behold, we are a remnant of the seed of Jacob yea, we are a remnant of the seed of Joseph, whose coat was rent by his brethren into many pieces: yea, and now behold, let us remember to keep the commandments of God, or our garments shall be rent by our brethren, and we