“Chapter 23: Ammon: A Great Servant,” Book of Mormon Stories (1997), 64–68
“Chapter 23,” Book of Mormon Stories, 64–68
Chapter 23
Ammon: A Great Servant
The four sons of Mosiah left Zarahemla to teach the Lamanites the gospel. They each went to a different city.
Ammon went to the land of Ishmael. As he entered the city, the Lamanites tied him up and took him to their king, Lamoni.
Ammon told King Lamoni that he wanted to live among the Lamanites. Lamoni was pleased and had his men untie Ammon.
Ammon said he would be one of the king’s servants. The king sent him to watch his flocks.
One day while Ammon and some other servants were taking the flocks to get water, Lamanite robbers scattered the animals and tried to steal them.
The servants who were with Ammon were scared. King Lamoni had killed his other servants who had lost animals to these robbers.
Ammon knew this was his chance to use the Lord’s power to win the hearts of the Lamanites. Then they would listen to his teachings.
Ammon told the servants that if they gathered the scattered animals, the king would not kill them.
Ammon and the other servants quickly found the animals and drove them back to the watering place.
The Lamanite robbers came back. Ammon told the other servants to guard the flocks while he fought the robbers.
The Lamanite robbers were not afraid of Ammon. They thought they could easily kill him.
The power of God was with Ammon. He hit and killed some of the robbers with stones, which made the rest of the robbers very angry.
They tried to kill Ammon with their clubs, but each time a robber lifted a club to hit Ammon, he cut off the robber’s arm. Frightened, the robbers ran away.
The servants took the cut-off arms to King Lamoni and told him what Ammon had done.
The king was astonished at Ammon’s great power. He wanted to see Ammon but was afraid to because he thought Ammon was the Great Spirit.
When Ammon did go in to see him, King Lamoni did not know what to say. He did not speak for an hour.
The Holy Ghost helped Ammon know what the king was thinking. Ammon explained that he was not the Great Spirit. He was a man.
The king offered Ammon anything he wanted if he would tell him what power he had used to defeat the robbers and to know the king’s thoughts.
Ammon said the only thing he wanted was for King Lamoni to believe what he would say. The king said he would believe everything Ammon told him.
Ammon asked King Lamoni if he believed in God. The king said he believed in a Great Spirit.
Ammon said that the Great Spirit is God, that he created everything in heaven and on the earth, and that he knows people’s thoughts.
Ammon said people were created in God’s image. He also said God had called him to teach the gospel to Lamoni and his people.
Using the scriptures, Ammon taught King Lamoni about the Creation, Adam, and Jesus Christ.
King Lamoni believed Ammon and prayed to be forgiven of his sins. Then he fell to the ground and appeared to be dead.
Servants carried the king to his wife and laid him on a bed. After two days the servants thought he was dead and decided to bury him.
The queen did not believe that her husband was dead. Having heard of Ammon’s great power, she asked him to help the king.
Ammon knew Lamoni was under the power of God. He told the queen that Lamoni would awaken the next day.
She stayed by Lamoni’s side all night. The next day Lamoni got up and said he had seen Jesus Christ. The king and queen were filled with the Holy Ghost.
Lamoni taught his people about God and Jesus Christ. Those who believed repented of their sins and were baptized.