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Alma 27


Chapter 27

The Lord commands Ammon to lead the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi to safety—Upon meeting Alma, Ammon’s joy exhausts his strength—The Nephites give the Anti-Nephi-Lehies the land of Jershon—They are called the people of Ammon. About 90–77 B.C.

Now it came to pass that when those Lamanites who had gone to war against the Nephites had found, after their many struggles to destroy them, that it was in vain to seek their destruction, they returned again to the land of Nephi.

And it came to pass that the Amalekites, because of their loss, were exceedingly angry. And when they saw that they could not seek revenge from the Nephites, they began to stir up the people in anger against their brethren, the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi; therefore they began again to destroy them.

Now this people again refused to take their arms, and they suffered themselves to be slain according to the desires of their enemies.

Now when Ammon and his brethren saw this work of destruction among those whom they so dearly beloved, and among those who had so dearly beloved them—for they were treated as though they were angels sent from God to save them from everlasting destruction—therefore, when Ammon and his brethren saw this great work of destruction, they were moved with compassion, and they said unto the king:

Let us gather together this people of the Lord, and let us go down to the land of Zarahemla to our brethren the Nephites, and flee out of the hands of our enemies, that we be not destroyed.

But the king said unto them: Behold, the Nephites will destroy us, because of the many murders and sins we have committed against them.

And Ammon said: I will go and inquire of the Lord, and if he say unto us, go down unto our brethren, will ye go?

And the king said unto him: Yea, if the Lord saith unto us go, we will go down unto our brethren, and we will be their slaves until we repair unto them the many murders and sins which we have committed against them.

But Ammon said unto him: It is against the law of our brethren, which was established by my father, that there should be any slaves among them; therefore let us go down and rely upon the mercies of our brethren.

10 But the king said unto him: Inquire of the Lord, and if he saith unto us go, we will go; otherwise we will perish in the land.

11 And it came to pass that Ammon went and inquired of the Lord, and the Lord said unto him:

12 Get this people out of this land, that they perish not; for Satan has great hold on the hearts of the Amalekites, who do stir up the Lamanites to anger against their brethren to slay them; therefore get thee out of this land; and blessed are this people in this generation, for I will preserve them.

13 And now it came to pass that Ammon went and told the king all the words which the Lord had said unto him.

14 And they gathered together all their people, yea, all the people of the Lord, and did gather together all their flocks and herds, and departed out of the land, and came into the wilderness which divided the land of Nephi from the land of Zarahemla, and came over near the borders of the land.

15 And it came to pass that Ammon said unto them: Behold, I and my brethren will go forth into the land of Zarahemla, and ye shall remain here until we return; and we will try the hearts of our brethren, whether they will that ye shall come into their land.

16 And it came to pass that as Ammon was going forth into the land, that he and his brethren met Alma, over in the place of which has been spoken; and behold, this was a joyful meeting.

17 Now the joy of Ammon was so great even that he was full; yea, he was swallowed up in the joy of his God, even to the exhausting of his strength; and he fell again to the earth.

18 Now was not this exceeding joy? Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness.

19 Now the joy of Alma in meeting his brethren was truly great, and also the joy of Aaron, of Omner, and Himni; but behold their joy was not that to exceed their strength.

20 And now it came to pass that Alma conducted his brethren back to the land of Zarahemla; even to his own house. And they went and told the chief judge all the things that had happened unto them in the land of Nephi, among their brethren, the Lamanites.

21 And it came to pass that the chief judge sent a proclamation throughout all the land, desiring the voice of the people concerning the admitting their brethren, who were the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi.

22 And it came to pass that the voice of the people came, saying: Behold, we will give up the land of Jershon, which is on the east by the sea, which joins the land Bountiful, which is on the south of the land Bountiful; and this land Jershon is the land which we will give unto our brethren for an inheritance.

23 And behold, we will set our armies between the land Jershon and the land Nephi, that we may protect our brethren in the land Jershon; and this we do for our brethren, on account of their fear to take up arms against their brethren lest they should commit sin; and this their great fear came because of their sore repentance which they had, on account of their many murders and their awful wickedness.

24 And now behold, this will we do unto our brethren, that they may inherit the land Jershon; and we will guard them from their enemies with our armies, on condition that they will give us a portion of their substance to assist us that we may maintain our armies.

25 Now, it came to pass that when Ammon had heard this, he returned to the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi, and also Alma with him, into the wilderness, where they had pitched their tents, and made known unto them all these things. And Alma also related unto them his conversion, with Ammon and Aaron, and his brethren.

26 And it came to pass that it did cause great joy among them. And they went down into the land of Jershon, and took possession of the land of Jershon; and they were called by the Nephites the people of Ammon; therefore they were distinguished by that name ever after.

27 And they were among the people of Nephi, and also numbered among the people who were of the church of God. And they were also distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end.

28 And they did look upon shedding the blood of their brethren with the greatest abhorrence; and they never could be prevailed upon to take up arms against their brethren; and they never did look upon death with any degree of terror, for their hope and views of Christ and the resurrection; therefore, death was swallowed up to them by the victory of Christ over it.

29 Therefore, they would suffer death in the most aggravating and distressing manner which could be inflicted by their brethren, before they would take the sword or cimeter to smite them.

30 And thus they were a zealous and beloved people, a highly favored people of the Lord.

      • according to (preposition)

        In a way that agrees with.

      • Alma, son of Alma (proper noun)

        Prophet, chief judge, high priest, and main author of the book of Alma; sometimes known as Alma the Younger.

      • angel (noun)

        Messenger from God. Some are spirits of people who have lived or will later live on the earth. Others are people who have been resurrected.

      • army (noun)

        A large group of soldiers.

      • B.C. (noun)

        Before the birth of Christ.

      • because of (conjunction)

        By reason of; through.

      • behold (interjection, archaic)

        Look! See! In fact.

      • beloved (adjective)

        Dear; well-loved.

      • blessed (adjective)

        Having received help, protection, favors, or gifts from God.

      • border (noun)

        Boundary; division between countries or areas.

      • land of Bountiful (proper noun)

        An area in the north part of the land of the Nephites, near the narrow neck of land. (Bountiful means having plenty of food or opportunities.)

      • brother, brethren (noun)

        Peer; neighbor; relative; kinsman.

      • 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.

      • cimeter (noun)

        A sword with a curved blade (also spelled “scimitar”).

      • it came to pass (verb phrase)

        It happened; it took place.

      • command (verb)

        To give a law, order, or binding instruction.

      • concerning (preposition)

        About.

      • depart (verb)

        To leave.

      • desire (noun)

        Wish; request.

      • desire (verb)

        To ask.

      • destroy (verb)

        To kill; to thwart.

      • destruction (noun)

        The tearing down or complete ruin of something.

      • did, didst (verb, archaic)

        A term used before verbs to make them past tense.

      • divide (verb)

        Separate from; stand as a barrier between.

      • earth (noun)

        Ground.

      • establish (verb)

        To set up; to ordain; to make official.

      • even (adverb)

        Specifically.

      • even unto (adverb)

        To the point of; up until.

      • everlasting (adjective)

        Lasting forever.

      • exceed (verb)

        To be more or greater than.

      • exceeding (adjective)

        Great; extreme.

      • exceedingly (adverb)

        Very; extremely.

      • faith (noun)

        Religious teachings and practices.

      • firm (adjective)

        Unchanging; constant.

      • flee, fled (verb)

        To run away; to escape.

      • flock (noun)

        A group of animals, such as sheep or goats.

      • for (conjunction)

        Because.

      • for (preposition)

        As; to be.

      • for (preposition)

        Because of.

      • generation (noun)

        An age; a long period of time; the people living at a given time.

      • go forth (verb phrase)

        To move forward from a starting point.

      • go forth (verb)

        To move forward; to go out.

      • 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.

      • great (adjective)

        Firm; powerful.

      • heart (noun)

        A person’s thoughts, desires, and feelings.

      • herd (noun)

        A group of animals, such as cows, sheep, or goats.

      • hope (noun)

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

      • humble (adjective)

        Not proud.

      • inherit (verb)

        To receive as a right.

      • king (noun)

        Ruler or leader of a country. Kings are usually the son of the previous king.

      • 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.

      • Lord (noun)

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

      • make known (verb)

        To teach; to tell; to reveal.

      • men (noun)

        People; humanity.

      • may, might (verb)

        Can; could.

      • may (verb)

        Can; could.

      • mercy (noun)

        Kindness; forgiveness.

      • Nephites, people of Nephi (proper noun)

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

      • none (pronoun)

        No one.

      • out of someone’s hands (adverb)

        From someone.

      • over (preposition)

        Above in authority or power; having responsibility for.

      • penitent (adjective)

        Repentant; sorry.

      • perish (verb)

        To die; to be killed.

      • pitch (verb)

        To put up (a tent).

      • receive (verb)

        To get; to have given to you.

      • refuse (verb)

        To say that one is unwilling to do something; to decline to do something.

      • relate (verb)

        To tell the story of; to give an account of.

      • remain (verb)

        To stay.

      • repentance (noun)

        Feeling sorrow for one’s sins, making amends, changing one’s life, and seeking forgiveness.

      • resurrection (noun)

        Coming to life after being dead; the body and spirit coming together permanently; becoming immortal.

      • save it be (adverb phrase)

        Except; other than.

      • seek, sought (verb)

        To strive for; to try to obtain or make happen.

      • send (verb)

        To cause someone to go to someone or someplace or to do something.

      • shall, should (verb)

        Will, would.

      • shedding of blood, shedding the blood of (verb phrase)

        Killing; attacking with a weapon to injure or kill.

      • sin (noun)

        An evil act; disobedience to God’s commandments.

      • sin (noun)

        Evil acts; disobedience to God’s commandments.

      • slay (verb)

        To kill.

      • stir up (verb)

        To excite; to provoke to action.

      • strength (noun)

        Force; power; vigor.

      • suffer (verb, archaic)

        To allow; to permit.

      • suffer (verb)

        To endure; to have something bad happen.

      • sword (noun)

        A weapon with a long blade, similar to but longer than a knife.

      • tent (noun)

        Shelter made from skins or cloth, supported by poles, and secured by ropes; a temporary shelter for travelling.

      • that (conjunction)

        In order that; so that.

      • thee (pronoun, archaic)

        You.

      • therefore (adverb)

        For this reason.

      • therefore (adverb)

        Now; so.

      • truly (adverb)

        Genuinely; sincerely; actually.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • wickedness (noun)

        Evil; wrongdoing; disobedience to God’s commandments.

      • wilderness (noun)

        Land where few or no people live.

      • with (preposition)

        Through; by means of.

      • word (noun)

        Message; teachings.

      • ye (pronoun, archaic)

        You.

      • yea (interjection, archaic)

        Indeed; yes. This is pronounced “yay.”