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Alma 25


Chapter 25

Lamanite aggressions spread—The seed of the priests of Noah perish as Abinadi prophesied—Many Lamanites are converted and join the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi—They believe in Christ and keep the law of Moses. About 90–77 B.C.

And behold, now it came to pass that those Lamanites were more angry because they had slain their brethren; therefore they swore vengeance upon the Nephites; and they did no more attempt to slay the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi at that time.

But they took their armies and went over into the borders of the land of Zarahemla, and fell upon the people who were in the land of Ammonihah and destroyed them.

And after that, they had many battles with the Nephites, in the which they were driven and slain.

And among the Lamanites who were slain were almost all the seed of Amulon and his brethren, who were the priests of Noah, and they were slain by the hands of the Nephites;

And the remainder, having fled into the east wilderness, and having usurped the power and authority over the Lamanites, caused that many of the Lamanites should perish by fire because of their belief—

For many of them, after having suffered much loss and so many afflictions, began to be stirred up in remembrance of the words which Aaron and his brethren had preached to them in their land; therefore they began to disbelieve the traditions of their fathers, and to believe in the Lord, and that he gave great power unto the Nephites; and thus there were many of them converted in the wilderness.

And it came to pass that those rulers who were the remnant of the children of Amulon caused that they should be put to death, yea, all those that believed in these things.

Now this martyrdom caused that many of their brethren should be stirred up to anger; and there began to be contention in the wilderness; and the Lamanites began to hunt the seed of Amulon and his brethren and began to slay them; and they fled into the east wilderness.

And behold they are hunted at this day by the Lamanites. Thus the words of Abinadi were brought to pass, which he said concerning the seed of the priests who caused that he should suffer death by fire.

10 For he said unto them: What ye shall do unto me shall be a type of things to come.

11 And now Abinadi was the first that suffered death by fire because of his belief in God; now this is what he meant, that many should suffer death by fire, according as he had suffered.

12 And he said unto the priests of Noah that their seed should cause many to be put to death, in the like manner as he was, and that they should be scattered abroad and slain, even as a sheep having no shepherd is driven and slain by wild beasts; and now behold, these words were verified, for they were driven by the Lamanites, and they were hunted, and they were smitten.

13 And it came to pass that when the Lamanites saw that they could not overpower the Nephites they returned again to their own land; and many of them came over to dwell in the land of Ishmael and the land of Nephi, and did join themselves to the people of God, who were the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi.

14 And they did also bury their weapons of war, according as their brethren had, and they began to be a righteous people; and they did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe to keep his commandments and his statutes.

15 Yea, and they did keep the law of Moses; for it was expedient that they should keep the law of Moses as yet, for it was not all fulfilled. But notwithstanding the law of Moses, they did look forward to the coming of Christ, considering that the law of Moses was a type of his coming, and believing that they must keep those outward performances until the time that he should be revealed unto them.

16 Now they did not suppose that salvation came by the law of Moses; but the law of Moses did serve to strengthen their faith in Christ; and thus they did retain a hope through faith, unto eternal salvation, relying upon the spirit of prophecy, which spake of those things to come.

17 And now behold, Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni, and their brethren did rejoice exceedingly, for the success which they had had among the Lamanites, seeing that the Lord had granted unto them according to their prayers, and that he had also verified his word unto them in every particular.

      • abroad (adverb)

        Over a wide area.

      • according as (adverb)

        Just as; in a way that corresponds to how.

      • according to (preposition)

        In a way that agrees with.

      • affliction (noun)

        Pain; problems.

      • army (noun)

        A large group of soldiers.

      • as (adverb)

        Like.

      • attempt (verb)

        To try.

      • authority (noun)

        The power or right to give commands or act officially; the power or right to act on behalf of someone else.

      • B.C. (noun)

        Before the birth of Christ.

      • because of (conjunction)

        By reason of; through.

      • behold (interjection, archaic)

        Look! See! In fact.

      • border (noun)

        Boundary; division between countries or areas.

      • bring to pass (verb)

        To bring about; to make happen.

      • brother, brethren (noun)

        Peer; neighbor; relative; kinsman.

      • caused that many of their brethren should be stirred up to anger (phrase)

        Made many of their kinsmen angry.

      • caused that someone should (phrase)

        Had someone.

      • caused that someone should (phrase)

        Made it so someone would.

      • Christ (noun)

        A title for Jesus Christ. The titles Christ and Messiah both mean a king or priest sent by God to save the world.

      • it came to pass (verb phrase)

        It happened; it took place.

      • commandment (noun)

        Law; order; binding instruction (especially from God).

      • concerning (preposition)

        About.

      • contention (noun)

        Disputes; disagreements (sometimes leading to violence).

      • destroy (verb)

        To kill; to thwart.

      • did, didst (verb, archaic)

        A term used before verbs to make them past tense.

      • dwell (verb)

        To live; to reside.

      • eternal (adjective)

        Lasting forever.

      • even (adverb)

        In the same way.

      • exceedingly (adverb)

        Much; a lot.

      • expedient (adjective)

        Necessary; appropriate.

      • faith (noun)

        Belief in God, willingness to follow His gospel, and trust in the impressions of the Holy Ghost.

      • fathers (noun)

        Ancestors (one’s parents, their parents, theirs, and so on).

      • flee, fled (verb)

        To run away; to escape.

      • for (conjunction)

        Because.

      • for (preposition)

        Because of.

      • God (proper noun)

        God the Father or His Son, Jesus Christ. God the Father rules all things with perfect justice, mercy, and love. Jesus Christ often speaks and acts for His Father. He suffered so that we could be forgiven of our sins and be resurrected. The Father and Son are separate individuals but are united in purpose.

      • grant (verb)

        To give.

      • hope (noun)

        Confidence that one will get something one desires; a spiritual gift to believe in God’s promises.

      • hunt (verb)

        To look for people to try to kill them.

      • keep (verb)

        To follow; to obey; to live according to.

      • Lamanites (proper noun)

        A people of the Book of Mormon, often enemies of the Nephites, who descended from Nephi’s brother Laman and of those who followed him.

      • law of Moses (proper noun)

        Law given by God through Moses to the people of Israel. It included instructions on worship, personal righteousness, family and community relationships, care for the poor, and other subjects. Some parts of the law of Moses, such as animal sacrifice, were to be practiced only until the death of Jesus Christ.

      • Lord (noun)

        A term of respect for God the Father or Jesus Christ.

      • Moses (proper noun)

        Prophet who led the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt to the land of Israel, as recounted in the first part of the Bible.

      • much (adjective)

        A large amount of.

      • Nephites, people of Nephi (proper noun)

        A people of the Book of Mormon descended from Nephi and from those who followed him.

      • over (preposition)

        Above in authority or power; having responsibility for.

      • perish (verb)

        To die; to be killed.

      • prayer (noun)

        Asking God for something; speaking to God, vocally or in one’s heart.

      • preach (verb)

        To teach or proclaim the gospel.

      • priest (noun)

        A man authorized by God to teach, lead, and perform ordinances like baptism; a leader in one of the apostate churches in the Book of Mormon.

      • spirit of prophecy (noun)

        A gift from God to be able to foretell future events or deliver messages from Him.

      • prophesy (verb)

        To deliver a message or predict future events by inspiration from God.

      • rejoice (verb)

        To feel or express great joy.

      • remnant (noun)

        Those left when members of a group of people die or disappear.

      • righteous (adjective)

        Good; virtuous; just; consistent with God’s law.

      • ruler (noun)

        Leader; law-giver.

      • salvation (noun)

        Being saved by God from death and the effects of sin; being saved by God from enemies or other physical danger.

      • seed (noun)

        Posterity; descendants.

      • shall, should (verb)

        Will, would.

      • shall, should (verb)

        Will, would.

      • should (verb)

        May; must; ought to.

      • slay (verb)

        To kill.

      • smite, smote, smitten (verb, archaic)

        Hit.

      • spake (verb, archaic)

        Spoke.

      • stir up (verb)

        To excite; to provoke to action.

      • strengthen (verb)

        To make stronger; to increase in strength.

      • success (noun)

        Good results.

      • suffer (verb)

        To endure; to have something bad happen.

      • suppose (verb)

        To believe.

      • that (conjunction)

        Who.

      • therefore (adverb)

        For this reason.

      • through (preposition)

        By means of; because of.

      • thus (adverb)

        In this way.

      • tradition (noun)

        Belief or practice received from previous generations.

      • unto (preposition)

        Until they receive.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • wilderness (noun)

        Land where few or no people live.

      • word (noun)

        Message; teachings.

      • ye (pronoun, archaic)

        You.

      • yea (interjection, archaic)

        Indeed; yes. This is pronounced “yay.”