,,mother ,,stories ,,from ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon ,by ,william ,a4 ,morton ,author of ,the ,gospel ,primer ,the ,primary ,helper ,a ,child's ,life of ,our ,savior1 etc4 ,published by ,william ,a4 ,morton ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah ,,contents4 ,lehi and his ,family ,how ,nephi ,got the ,good ,book ,how the ,lord ,answered ,nephi's ,prayer ,how the ,lord ,guided ,lehi and ,his ,family ,what ,happened on a ,hunting ,trip ,nephi as a ,ship ,builder ,what ,took ,place on the ,great ,waters ,lehi and ,his ,people in the ,promised ,land ,the ,nephites and the ,lamanites ,zeniff and ,his ,people ,how the ,people of ,zeniff were ,brought into ,bondage ,how the ,lord ,delivered ,his ,people ,remarkable ,conversions and ,missionary ,experience ,mission of the ,sons of ,mosiah to the ,lamanites ,samuel the ,lamanite--,his ,prophecies and their ,fulfillment ,two ,memorable ,battles ,christ's ,visit to the ,nephites ,the ,three ,nephites ,the ,reign of ,peace ,the ,last of the ,nephites ,,lehi ,,and ,,his ,,family4 ,so you want me to tell you a story1 children4 ,i will gladly do so1 for when ,i was a child like one of you1 ,i loved to listen to stories1 too--stories about great and good men and women1 and good boys and girls4 ,the story ,i am going to tell you this evening is about a good man named ,lehi1 and his family1 who lived many1 many years ago in a country far across the sea4 ,lehi had a good wife4 ,her name was ,sariah4 ,they had four sons4 ,their names were ,laman1 ,lemuel1 ,sam and ,nephi4 ,nephi and ,sam were very good boys4 ,they loved their father and mother and were always obedient to them4 ,but ,laman and ,lemuel were not at all like their brothers4 ,they did not obey their parents1 but often vexed them by doing things that were wrong4 ,that was displeasing to our ,heavenly ,father1 and ,he did not love ,laman and ,lemuel as ,he loved ,sam and ,nephi4 ,the people who lived in the same place as ,lehi were wicked4 ,they would not do as the ,lord wished1 so ,he said ,he would have to punish them1 to teach them to do better4 ,he told ,lehi to go out among them1 and to tell them that if they did not stop doing wicked things1 ,he would not bless them as ,he had done1 but would let people from another country come and take them away to be their servants4 ,lehi preached many times to the people1 but not one of them would believe what he said4 ,then the ,lord told ,lehi to gather his family together1 and ,he would lead them to a new and beautiful country1 far across great waters4 ,that was to this land in which we now live4 ,lehi did as the ,lord told him4 ,he left his home and all his riches1 and1 with his wife and children1 started out for the strange land which the ,lord had told him about4 ,i suppose you would like to know how they traveled4 ,well1 ,i believe they rode on camels4 ,camels can travel fast and carry heavy loads4 ,some of them can travel one hundred miles in a day4 ,there were no houses in the part of the country through which ,lehi and his family traveled1 so they took tents with them to live in4 ,one day they came to a large river of water4 ,it ran through a beautiful valley4 ,by the side of the river they put up their tents4 ,then they knelt in prayer1 and ,lehi gave thanks to ,god for having taken care of them on the way4 ,lehi called the river ,laman and the valley he called ,lemuel4 ,you know why he gave them those names4 ,yes1 those were the names of his two elder sons4 ,i told you that ,laman and ,lemuel were disobedient boys4 ,they were also unkind to their brothers4 ,their father1 ,lehi1 would often sit down and talk kindly to them4 ,he would plead with them to be good boys4 ,he would tell them that if they would do right1 and obey their parents1 the ,lord would love and bless them2 but that ,he would not do so if they kept on grumbling and getting angry with their brothers4 ,then ,laman and ,lemuel would say to their father1 ,we don't want to go to a new country4 ,we want to go back to our old home and stay with the people there4 ,and their father would say1 but you know1 my boys1 the people there are not good2 they do not do as our ,heavenly ,father wishes them1 and ,he is going to punish them4 ,that is why ,he told us to come away from them4 ,if we had stayed there after the ,lord told us to leave we should be punished also4 ,then ,nephi would say1 ,yes1 brothers1 that is true4 ,now1 let us be good boys1 and do what the ,lord and our parents tell us1 and after a while we will get to a beautiful country1 and we shall be far better and happier than we should be if we were to go back to the place we have left4 ,but ,laman and ,lemuel would not do as their father and brothers pleaded with them to do1 and you will hear later what happened to them4 ,,how ,,nephi ,,got ,,the ,,good ,,book4 ,one night as ,lehi lay asleep on his bed in the tent1 he heard a voice speak to him4 ,it was the voice of the ,lord out of heaven4 ,the ,lord said1 ,lehi1 ,i want you to get ,laman1 ,lemuel1 ,sam and ,nephi to go back to the place where they used to live and to bring back with them a wonderful book which a man has locked up in his home there4 ,what is the name of the man who has the book8 ,lehi asked4 ,his name is ,laban1 said the ,lord1 and ,i do not want him to have the book1 for he does not do what the good book tells him to do4 ,what is in the book8 ,lehi asked4 ,it is a very precious history1 said the ,lord4 ,it tells of ,god and of many wonderful things which ,he has done4 ,i want you to get the book and to take it with you to the promised land1 so that your children may be taught the commandments of ,god4 ,the next morning ,lehi told ,laman1 ,lemuel1 ,sam and ,nephi all that the ,lord had told him about the wonderful book4 ,how happy ,nephi and ,sam felt as they listened to what their father said4 ,then said ,nephi1 ,yes1 father1 we will go and get the book2 and when we come back you will read to us some of the wonderful things recorded in it4 ,i will1 my son1 said the father4 ,but what is the matter with ,laman and ,lemuel8 asked ,lehi1 as he turned to his two elder sons4 ,o1 how cross they looked as they said to their father1 ,we don't want to go for the book4 ,we don't believe we could get it4 ,we feel sure ,laban would not let us have it1 and perhaps he would whip us for coming for it4 ,we are not afraid of ,laban1 said ,nephi and ,sam4 ,the ,lord has told us to do this1 and we know ,he will take care of us4 ,he would not want us to go if ,he did not know that we could get the book4 ,that is right1 said the father4 ,if you will do what the ,lord wants you to do1 all will be well4 ,after a while ,laman and ,lemuel agreed to go with their brothers4 ,but they did not believe they would get the book4 ,it was a long journey to ,laban's home1 and the boys were glad when they came in sight of it4 ,now1 who is to go and try to get the book8 asked ,laman1 the eldest son4 ,i will tell you what we will do1 said ,nephi4 ,we will cast lots1 and the one on whom the lot falls will go to ,laban and ask him for the book4 ,they all agreed to that4 ,the lot fell upon ,laman1 so he set out for ,laban's home4 ,for a long time his brothers watched for him to come back4 ,at last they saw him4 ,he came running away from ,laban's house4 ,oh1 dear6 exclaimed ,nephi1 ,laman has not got the book6 ,they sat in silence till their brother came up to them4 ,his face was very pale and he was trembling with excitement4 ,he was also very angry4 ,going over to ,nephi1 he said1 with a loud voice1 ,i told you before we started that we would not get the book1 but you would not believe me4 ,do you believe me now8 ,we are sorry1 said ,nephi1 that your visit to ,laban was in vain4 ,will you please tell us why you failed to get the book8 ,when ,i told ,laban what ,i wanted1 said ,laman1 he became very angry4 ,he called me a thief and a robber1 and said if ,i did not leave his house at once he would kill me4 ,he reached for his sword1 and ,i had to run as fast as ,i could to save my life4 ,come1 let us go back to our father4 ,no1 said ,nephi1 ,i am not going to give up with one trial4 ,i still believe we will get the book4 ,o1 you do1 said ,laman1 and he turned up his nose in a sneering way4 ,pray1 how do you hope to get the book when ,i could not get it8 ,i believe the ,lord will help us to get it1 said ,nephi4 ,i have just thought of a plan1 and if you boys will help me carry it out1 it may be the means of getting us the book4 ,well1 let us hear your plan1 said ,laman4 ,it is this1 said ,nephi3 that we go down to the place where we used to live1 get all the money our father left there1 and come back and offer it to ,laban for the book4 ,that is a good idea1 said ,sam4 ,i am ready to go4 ,i like the plan1 too1 said ,lemuel4 ,come1 ,laman1 let us go and try it4 ,so the boys started for the home in which they used to live4 ,tomorrow evening ,i will tell you the rest of the story4 ,,how ,,nephi ,,got ,,the ,,good ,,book4 ,on arriving at their home1 ,nephi and his brothers got all the money and put it into a large bag4 ,then they prepared a lunch with some of the food they had brought with them1 and when they had finished the meal1 they took up the bag of money and set out for ,laban's home4 ,now1 ,laban loved money very much1 and when he saw the large bag of gold and silver his eyes sparkled with delight4 ,if ,i could get that bag of money1 he thought1 ,i would be one of the richest men in the country4 ,but he did not want to give the book for it4 ,no1 he wanted to keep the book and the money1 too4 ,the boys sat waiting for ,laban to go and get them the book4 ,suddenly he jumped up and gave a loud call for his servants1 and when they came running into the room he told them that ,laman1 ,lemuel1 ,sam and ,nephi had tried to rob him4 ,laban and the servants seized their swords and ran at the boys1 trying to kill them4 ,the boys ran quickly out of the house1 leaving the bag of money behind them4 ,laban got it and kept it4 ,nephi and his brothers ran over the hills till they came to some large rocks1 and there they hid themselves4 ,laban and his servants followed them a long way1 and when they saw they could not catch them they returned home4 ,failing to get the book1 and seeing that they had lost all their money1 ,laman and ,lemuel became very angry4 ,they put all the blame on ,nephi and ,sam1 and seizing two large branches of a tree1 they began to beat their younger brothers with them4 ,nephi and ,sam pleaded with their brothers to stop beating them1 but they would not4 ,just then ,nephi saw a bright light coming down from heaven1 and a moment later a beautiful angel1 dressed in a shining1 white robe1 stood before them4 ,you are very bad boys1 the angel said to ,laman and ,lemuel4 ,the ,lord is displeased with you because of the way you have treated your brothers4 ,he has sent me to tell you that ,he will not bless you as ,he has done1 and that ,he will give many good things to ,sam and ,nephi4 ,the angel told ,nephi to dry his tears1 and not to fear1 for the ,lord would help him to get the good book4 ,when ,laman and ,lemuel saw the angel they were frightened4 ,they said they were sorry for having beaten their brothers1 and that they would not do so again4 ,they asked ,nephi and ,sam to forgive them4 ,they did so freely4 ,nephi then told his brothers to stay behind while he made another effort to get the book4 ,it was almost dark at the time1 so1 without being seen1 he made his way towards ,laban's home4 ,as he neared the place he saw a man lying upon the ground4 ,he went over to him1 and was greatly surprised to find that the man was ,laban4 ,laban had drunk a great deal of wine that evening4 ,as ,nephi stood looking at ,laban1 the voice of the ,lord spoke to him1 telling him to dress himself in ,laban's clothes and to go to ,laban's home and get the good book4 ,nephi did as the ,lord told him4 ,on reaching the home of ,laban he was met by one of the servants4 ,nephi told the servant to go and get the good book and to follow him4 ,the servant did as he was told1 thinking all the while that ,nephi was his master1 ,laban1 and that he was taking the book out to read to the people4 ,when ,laman1 ,lemuel and ,sam saw ,nephi coming towards them1 they were very much frightened and began to run away4 ,they thought it was ,laban2 for1 as ,i told you1 ,nephi had dressed himself in ,laban's clothing4 ,nephi called to his brothers to wait1 and when they heard his voice they turned and came towards him4 ,zoram 7that was the name of ,laban's servant7 was greatly surprised at that moment4 ,he saw that ,nephi was not his master1 and he was about to run back home when ,nephi caught him by the arm4 ,do not have the least fear1 ,zoram1 said ,nephi4 ,the ,lord has told us to do this1 and if you will come down with us to our father and mother we will treat you kindly1 and will take you with us to a beautiful country far across the great waters4 ,zoram agreed to go with ,nephi and his brethren4 ,so1 with the good book safe in their hands1 they started back for the place where their father and mother were watching and waiting for them4 ,on seeing his sons coming1 ,lehi hastened to meet them1 and when he heard that they had the good book with them he shed tears of joy4 ,that evening they all knelt in prayer1 and ,lehi thanked and praised the ,lord for bringing his boys back safely4 ,then he opened the book and read to them some of the wonderful things which the ,lord had done from the creation of the world4 ,,how ,,the ,,lord ,,answered ,,nephi',s ,,prayer4 ,i am going to tell you this evening about another trip which ,nephi and his brethren made to ,jerusalem1 the city where they came from1 and what took place on the way back4 ,you see1 the country they were going to was a very large country4 ,there were no people living in it at that time4 ,but the ,lord wanted it filled with good men and women and good boys and girls4 ,so ,he told ,lehi to send his sons back to ,jerusalem to ask a man named ,ishmael and his family1 who lived there1 to go with them to the wonderful country far across the great waters4 ,ishmael had a number of beautiful daughters1 and the ,lord wanted ,lehi's sons to marry some of them1 so that they could have good families4 ,lehi told his sons what the ,lord wanted them to do1 and they all said they would go4 ,after traveling for a long time they arrived at the home of ,ishmael4 ,they were taken in and were treated very kindly4 ,nephi told ,ishmael why he and his brethren had come to his home4 ,then they all talked the matter over1 and at last ,ishmael and his family said they would go with ,nephi and his brethren4 ,a day or two later the company started out for the place where ,lehi and his wife were4 ,all went well for a time2 but after a while ,laman and ,lemuel and part of ,ishmael's family stopped and said they would go no farther4 ,nephi pleaded with them to continue the journey4 ,he told them that if they would do as the ,lord wanted them to do1 ,he would take them across the great waters and land them safely in a beautiful country1 where they would find all manner of choice fruit and other good things4 ,we don't want to go to a new country1 they answered1 sharply4 ,we want to go back to our own home1 and stay with the people there4 ,well1 said ,nephi1 you can go back if you want to1 but if you do you will be sorry4 ,the people you speak of are wicked1 and the ,lord is going to punish them4 ,so if you go back you will be punished1 too4 ,then ,laman spoke very sharply to ,nephi4 ,we do not believe you1 he said4 ,how do you know that the ,lord is going to punish the people in the place where we used to live8 ,he told our father so1 said ,nephi1 and everything that the ,lord says is true4 ,you did not believe we would get the good book our father sent us for1 but we did get it1 just as the ,lord said we would4 ,then ,laman and ,lemuel and some of ,ishmael's family grew very angry4 ,they ran and caught ,nephi and tied him with strong cords to a tree4 ,you will not preach to us any more1 they said4 ,we are going to go away and leave you here1 and after a while wild beasts will come and kill and eat you4 ,poor ,nephi6 ,what a terrible way to be treated by his own brothers6 ,he was suffering great pain1 for the cords were cutting his wrists and ankles4 ,but he did not get angry1 nor speak hard words to those who had so cruelly treated him4 ,he knew the ,lord would not let the wild beasts harm him1 and after a time ,he would help him to get free4 ,a happy thought came to him3 he would pray to the ,lord to give him strength to break the cords4 ,he looked up to heaven and said1 ,dear ,heavenly ,father1 ,i know you will not let me be left here to be killed by wild beasts4 ,please give me strength to break these cords1 that ,i may be able to go back to my dear father and mother4 ,at that moment ,nephi felt great strength come into his body4 ,the ,lord had heard and answered his prayer4 ,he broke the cords as easily as if they had been tiny threads and stood forth free before his brethren4 ,when they saw what had happened1 they began to tremble with fear4 ,surely1 the ,lord is with ,nephi1 they said1 and they came and bowed down before him and begged of him to forgive them4 ,what did ,nephi do8 ,he said1 ,my dear brothers1 ,i freely forgive you for all the wrong you have done me4 ,now pray to our ,father in ,heaven to forgive you also4 ,they did so1 and then the company began to travel again4 ,they reached home in safety4 ,nephi and his brothers married four of the daughters of ,ishmael1 and after a time little baby boys and girls were born to them4 ,,how ,,the ,,lord ,,guided ,,lehi ,,and ,,his ,,family4 ,this evening ,i am going to tell you how ,lehi and his family were guided on their journey4 ,they were now a long way from their old home4 ,they had not been in that part of the land before1 and the place was new and strange to them4 ,they could not ask anyone to tell them the way they should travel1 for1 as ,i told you1 there was no one living in that part4 ,how were they to know which way they should go8 ,i can see what is going to happen to us1 said ,laman one evening as they all sat outside their tents4 ,nephi was reading the good book at the time1 but on hearing what his brother said he stopped4 ,looking straight into the face of ,laman1 he asked1 ,what do you think is going to happen to us8 ,we are going to get lost2 that is what is going to happen1 said ,laman1 sharply4 ,i don't think so1 said ,nephi1 calmly1 and a bright smile lit up his sweet face4 ,i am sure we will get to the wonderful country all right4 ,o1 yes1 said ,laman1 as he cast a wicked glance at ,nephi1 you are sure of everything4 ,you know all and we know nothing4 ,isn't that so1 boys8 he asked1 turning to his other brothers and to the sons of ,ishmael4 ,they all1 with the exception of ,sam1 nodded their heads1 which meant that they agreed with what ,laman had said4 ,then ,sam spoke up in behalf of his brother3 ,i think1 said he1 that you are all too hard on ,nephi4 ,it is a shame the way you have treated him4 ,he is one of the best boys that ever lived1 and ,i am proud to have him for my brother4 ,well1 you won't feel so proud of him after a while1 said ,lemuel1 when he leads you away over those mountains and you get lost4 ,do not be afraid1 ,sam1 said ,nephi4 ,we will find the way all right4 ,i know we will1 said ,sam1 and ,i will follow you1 ,nephi1 wherever you go4 ,and how do you know you will find the way8 ,laman asked1 turning to his brother ,sam4 ,i believe the ,lord will show us the way1 said ,sam4 ,indeed1 ,i know ,he will1 if we will have faith in ,him and do what ,he tells us from time to time4 ,that is true1 said ,nephi4 ,and now ,i want to tell you what ,i have just read in the good book4 ,after ,moses had led the children of ,israel out of ,egypt they came to the waters of the ,red ,sea4 ,on looking back they saw ,pharaoh and his army coming after them4 ',oh1 dear1 what shall we do8' they cried4 ',we cannot cross these waters4 ,in a little while we will all be killed4' ,then ,moses stood up before them and said1 ',do not be afraid4 ,the ,lord will save yon from ,pharaoh's army4' ,then he stretched his rod across the waters1 the sea divided1 and all the children of ,israel crossed over on dry ground4 ,when they had reached the other side1 ,moses stretched forth his rod again1 the waters came back and drowned ,pharaoh and all his soldiers4 ,now1 the lesson we can learn from this1 ,nephi added1 is that as the ,lord led the children of ,israel out of ,egypt and through the ,red ,sea1 so ,he can lead us to the beautiful country ,he has told us about4 ,that is a very good lesson1 ,nephi1 said his father4 ,i am sure the ,lord will guide us right4 ,let us now go into our tents and offer up our prayers before we retire to rest4 ,nephi was the first to awake in the morning4 ,he arose quietly and dressed himself4 ,he decided to go out for a walk in the fresh air1 and listen to the birds sing their sweet songs in the trees4 ,as he stepped outside the tent1 to his great surprise he saw a large ball lying on the ground4 ,he ran and picked it up4 ,it was not like any other ball he had ever seen4 ,it was made of fine brass1 and it had two hands1 like the hands of a watch4 ,he went quickly into the tent and awoke his father4 ,look1 father dear1 he said1 at the beautiful brass ball ,i found lying outside our tent this morning4 ,lehi took the ball and examined it carefully4 ,as he looked at it one of the hands began to point in a certain direction4 ,see1 ,nephi6 he exclaimed1 the hands are moving4 ,so they are1 said ,nephi4 ,what a wonderful ball this is6 ,then all the rest of the company were awakened and shown the wonderful ball4 ,as they looked on it with wondering eyes1 ,lehi said1 ,we need fear no longer1 for if we are faithful the hands on the ball will point out to us the way we should go4 ,and so they did4 ,where do you think the wonderful ball came from8 ,,what ,,happened ,,on ,a ,,hunting ,,trip4 ,with the wonderful brass ball to guide them1 ,lehi1 his family and the rest of the company took up their tents and started to travel again4 ,it was a pretty sight to see them all in line crossing the river ,laman4 ,when they had traveled for many days they decided to stop again for a short time4 ,so they chose a cool place1 by the side of a stream of clear1 sparkling water1 and there they put up their tents4 ,that evening ,nephi and his brothers and the sons of ,ishmael began to make preparations for a hunting trip1 which they had decided to take the following morning4 ,they were not going out to hunt for pleasure4 ,no1 it was for the purpose of getting food1 for the only food the company had at that time was wild fruit and the flesh of wild animals4 ,i am sure you could not guess what kind of weapons they had4 ,guns8 ,no1 there were no guns in those days4 ,they used bows and arrows1 slings and stones4 ,some of the bows were made of wood and some of steel4 ,nephi had a good1 steel bow4 ,he and his brothers had practiced so much with their bows and arrows and slings that they were very good shots1 but ,nephi was the best of all4 ,he could hit the mark almost every time4 ,early the next morning the party of young hunters started off in search of food4 ,they took the brass ball with them to point the way4 ,they traveled for a long time without seeing an animal fit to kill4 ,at last they stopped suddenly4 ,what was the noise they heard a short distance ahead of them8 ,it was made by a fine1 large animal1 that jumped up frightened and started to run as the hunters drew near4 ,it ran to the top of a small hill1 and there it stood looking back at ,nephi and his brethren4 ,nephi quickly drew an arrow and placed it in his bow4 ,he took good aim1 and was just going to send the arrow through the air when his beautiful1 steel bow broke in two4 ,at the same moment the animal started to run again and was soon lost to sight4 ,poor ,nephi6 ,how sorry he felt as he looked down at his broken bow4 ,then he cast a glance at ,laman1 and saw that his face was pale with anger4 ,he wished he had let one of the others shoot1 but it was now too late to mend matters4 ,laman turned to ,nephi and began to scold him4 ,he was quickly stopped by ,sam1 who said sharply3 ,it is unkind of you to speak that way to ,nephi4 ,he did not break his bow wilfully4 ,it was an accident4 ,and he feels bad enough over it without you hurting his feelings more by abusing him4 ,let us say no more about the matter1 but go on our way4 ,all day long they hunted without killing a single animal4 ,when evening came the party1 with the exception of ,nephi and ,sam1 started back for their tents4 ,i do not care to go home yet1 ,nephi said4 ,i will follow you later4 ,i am going to stay with ,nephi1 said ,sam4 ,tell father and mother we will be home before midnight4 ,after ,laman and ,lemuel and the sons of ,ishmael had left1 ,nephi turned to ,sam and said3 ,sam1 ,i tell you what we will do2 we will kneel down and pray to our ,heavenly ,father to help us get some food4 ,i am sure ,he will do so4 ,so am ,i1 said ,sam4 ,he has helped us many times before4 ,the two young men went over and knelt down under a large tree1 where they prayed earnestly to ,god to help them get food for the company4 ,i will tell you presently how their prayer was answered4 ,the other members of the hunting party returned to camp and told what had happened4 ,their story cast a gloom over the whole company4 ,what a terrible state to be in6 exclaimed one of the daughters of ,ishmael4 ,there is barely enough food for another meal4 ,when that is gone1 starvation will stare us in the face4 ,lehi and his wife ,sariah were sitting together with bowed heads a short distance away4 ,tears were running down the poor mother's cheeks4 ,she was not crying because the food supply had almost run out4 ,no1 she was thinking of her boys1 ,nephi and ,sam1 out in the mountains alone1 in danger of being killed by wild beasts1 and the darkness of night fast coming on4 ,lehi took her hand in his and in a comforting voice said3 ,fear not1 ,sariah1 the ,lord will watch over and protect our boys4 ,i believe they will soon return1 and that they will bring food with them4 ,on hearing that1 ,nephi's mother dried her tears1 and turning to her husband1 said3 ,thank you1 ,lehi1 for those words4 ,i will trust in ,god to bring our sons back safely4 ,let us now go back to ,nephi and ,sam4 ,when they had ceased praying1 ,nephi sat down and quickly made a new bow out of a branch of a tree4 ,then they walked briskly to the top of a hill a short distance away4 ,at the foot of the hill lay a fertile valley1 with a stream of clear1 cool water running gently through it4 ,birds were singing their evening songs in the trees all around1 and the air was filled with the fragrance of wild flowers1 which grew in abundance on the hillside4 ,for a moment ,sam and ,nephi stood gazing in admiration on the beautiful scene before them4 ,then they began to descend the hill4 ,as they were nearing the foot they saw a sight which made them stop suddenly4 ,at the other side of the stream1 not far from where they stood1 they beheld two fine1 big animals quenching their thirst4 ,quick as a shot ,nephi and ,sam dropped to the ground4 ,placing an arrow in each of their bows1 they took aim and fired4 ,the arrows flew straight to the mark and the animals fell4 ,with thankful hearts the young hunters dashed through the stream1 and on reaching the opposite bank1 looked down upon the fine animals they had slain4 ,here was meat to last the company several days4 ,cutting down two large branches from a tree1 they fastened the beasts upon them and started for the tents of their father4 ,what a look of surprise came over the faces of ,laman and ,lemuel and the sons of ,ishmael when ,nephi and ,sam came into camp late that evening4 ,lehi heard his sons coming and went out to meet them1 and as he beheld the two fine animals1 he took ,sam and ,nephi by the hands and said3 ,i knew1 my sons1 that you would not come back without food4 ,the ,lord always provides for ,his faithful children4 ,,nephi ,,as ,a ,,ship ,,builder4 ,my story this evening is about the same people ,i told you of in my other stories--,lehi and his followers4 ,how many years1 do you think1 those people spent in traveling through the country8 ,eight4 ,that is a long time--almost as long as some of you have lived on the earth4 ,one day1 at the end of the eighth year1 they came to a very beautiful and fruitful part of the country4 ,how happy they all felt6 ,on every side there were trees and bushes laden with choice1 wild fruit4 ,but that was not all4 ,there was also a large number of natural bee-hives1 almost all of them filled with delicious honey4 ,the entire company stood for a time gazing in silence on the scene before them4 ,then they began to gather fruit and honey1 and when they had collected a good supply1 they sat down and began to feast4 ,this1 said ,nephi1 is one of the best meals we have had since we left home eight years ago4 ,isn't this honey delicious8 said ,lemuel4 ,it is1 said his father4 ,that evening as they all sat in front of their tents1 watching the sun go down behind the hills1 ,lehi said1 ,this is a very rich part of the country4 ,i have been trying all day to think of a name by which to call it1 and ,i think ,i have the right name at last4 ,and what is the name1 father dear8 asked ,nephi's wife1 a daughter of ,ishmael4 ,bountiful1 ,lehi answered4 ,the proper name6 they all shouted in chorus4 ,so the place was given the name ,bountiful4 ,after ,lehi and his people had rested for a short time1 they began to travel again4 ,nephi and ,sam--they were always together--rode ahead of the company4 ,on reaching the top of a high hill they stopped suddenly4 ,they sat gazing for a few moments at the scene before them4 ,then they turned and started at a quick pace for the rest of the party4 ,what can be the matter8 ,lehi asked1 as he saw his two sons coming back4 ,as ,nephi and ,sam came near the party1 ,nephi put his hand to his mouth and shouted as loudly as he could1 ,the great waters6 ,the great waters6 ,on hearing that1 every one in the company became excited1 and all hurried forward to get a look at the mighty ocean4 ,what strange feelings came into the hearts of ,lehi and his followers as they looked out upon the sea4 ,how were they to cross such a large body of water8 ,just then ,laman spoke4 ,it seems to me1 said he1 that it is now time for us to turn and go back home4 ,i have felt from the day we started that we would have to turn back some time4 ,that time has come at last4 ,and ,i have felt from the day we started1 said ,nephi1 in a calm but firm voice1 that we would never go back to our old home again4 ,i know that ,god is in heaven4 ,i know ,he led the children of ,israel through the ,red ,sea and ,i know that ,he can and will carry us across these mighty waters4 ,on hearing that1 ,laman and ,lemuel and some of the sons and daughters of ,ishmael began to laugh and to make fun of ,nephi4 ,so you think ,god is going to come down out of heaven and carry us in ,his arms across this great ocean1 said ,lemuel1 and set us down in a wonderful country on the other side4 ,no1 said ,nephi1 ,i do not think anything of the kind4 ,but ,i do believe ,he will tell us how we can cross these waters4 ,then ,lehi1 their father1 spoke4 ,my sons1 he said1 do not get angry with each other4 ,remember you are brothers4 ,remember1 also1 ,laman1 that the ,lord can do great things4 ,he made this world in which we live4 ,surely1 then1 ,he can help us to get to the other side of this ocean4 ,now1 let me tell you what ,i want you and the rest of the company to do3 ,i want you to gather all the fruit and honey you can4 ,we must collect a big supply1 for it will be many days before we get to the new country4 ,so you think we shall get across these great waters8 said ,laman to his father4 ,i am sure we will1 said ,lehi4 ,now1 let us get to work4 ,all day long they gathered choice fruit and honey1 and when the evening came they sat down and looked with great satisfaction upon the labors of their hands4 ,nephi arose early the next morning4 ,he looked pale1 and it was easily to be seen that he had some great matter upon his mind4 ,he had slept very little1 but had spent the greater part of the night wondering how the company could get across the great waters4 ,he went to the tent in which his parents were sleeping and gently woke his father4 ,i am going into the mountains1 father1 he said1 to spend the day in prayer4 ,i feel that ,i shall have good news for you when ,i come back4 ,his father raised himself1 and putting his arm around his son's neck1 drew him to him4 ,then he kissed him and said1 ,may ,god ,bless you1 my son1 and answers the prayers you offer up to ,him this day4 ,after traveling for a long time1 ,nephi reached the top of a very high mountain4 ,all was quiet and peaceful around him4 ,he sat down and rested a little while4 ,then he knelt in prayer4 ,he prayed to ,god with all his heart to show him how the company could get across the great waters4 ,i believe he prayed three times4 ,then something very wonderful happened4 ,the ,lord showed to ,nephi in a vision a picture of a ship4 ,it was not like any other ship he had ever seen4 ,as ,nephi gazed in wonder upon the vessel1 the ,lord said to him1 ,nephi1 ,i want you to build a ship like this one1 to carry your company across the great waters4 ,but1 ,lord1 said ,nephi1 ,i do not know how to build a ship4 ,i know that1 said the ,lord1 but ,i will teach you4 ,you will come up into this mountain often and pray to me1 and ,i will show you how to build the ship4 ,the ,lord then told ,nephi where he could get one with which to make tools1 and after giving him other instructions1 ,he told him to return and tell his people all that he had seen and heard4 ,at first ,laman and ,lemuel and the sons of ,ishmael would not believe him4 ,they made great fun of him1 saying he would never be able to build a ship4 ,but after ,nephi had talked very seriously to them1 they started to help him4 ,piece after piece was added to the vessel1 and after a long time the ship was finished and ready to be launched4 ,in my next story ,i shall tell you what happened soon after the company had set out across the great waters4 ,,what ,,took ,,place ,,on ,,the ,,great ,,waters4 ,the morning after the ship was finished all the company came together to look at it4 ,it was a very fine vessel4 ,nephi and those who had assisted him were well pleased with their labors4 ,they had built the ship exactly as the ,lord had told them1 and had done their work well4 ,then ,lehi turned to his four sons and also to the sons of ,ishmael and said1 ,you have our grateful thanks for the great work which you have done4 ,you have built a splendid vessel1 and ,i am sure it will carry us safely across these great waters to the promised land4 ,a busy time followed4 ,the men and women worked hard all day carrying meat1 fruit and honey down into the ship1 and their little sons and daughters helped them4 ,when night came they were all pretty tired2 but they did not seem anxious to go to sleep4 ,that was the last night they would spend on land for a long time4 ,on the morrow they would be out upon the great waters4 ,finally they retired1 one by one1 and the moon and stars shown brightly over the sleeping camp4 ,the company was up and at work early next morning4 ,the women prepared breakfast and the men took down the tents and attended to other duties4 ,nephi and ,sam and some of ,ishmael's sons were busily employed at fixing the sails of the ship and getting the vessel ready for her first voyage4 ,at last the time came for all to go on board4 ,a line was formed4 ,lehi and his wife1 being the oldest1 marched at the head4 ,the others followed1 according to their ages4 ,a sharp breeze was blowing and the vessel tugged at its chains as if anxious to get away4 ,when all of the company were safely on board1 ,nephi loosed the ship1 the wind immediately filled its sails1 and a moment later it was gliding swiftly through the water on its way to the promised land4 ,all went well the first day4 ,and all would have gone well every other day if ,laman and ,lemuel and some of the sons and daughters of ,ishmael had conducted themselves as they should have done4 ,the second day the company was on the water1 ,laman and ,lemuel began to sing and dance and to act in a very rude manner4 ,some of ,ishmael's sons and daughters joined them4 ,their conduct made ,nephi feel very bad1 and he reproved them sharply4 ,how can you act in such a shameful manner1 he said1 after having received so many blessings from the ,lord8 ,have you forgotten how good ,he has been to us1 how ,he provided us with food on our journey and taught us how to build this ship8 ,i tell you1 the ,lord is looking down upon you4 ,he is displeased with you because of your conduct1 and if you do not stop and humble yourselves before ,him1 ,he will surely punish you4 ,those words made ,laman and ,lemuel very angry4 ,they rushed at ,nephi1 and seizing him by the arms1 they thrust him back against the mast of the ship4 ,then they called to the sons of ,ishmael to bring a rope quickly4 ,their command was obeyed1 and they bound ,nephi hand and foot to the mast4 ,there they kept him all day1 suffering great pain1 for the rope cut deep wounds in his flesh4 ,it was a great trial to ,lehi and his wife to see their dear son in such a terrible condition4 ,they pleaded with ,laman and ,lemuel to release ,nephi1 but they would not4 ,the tears and prayers of ,nephi's wife likewise failed to soften their stony hearts4 ,nephi bore his sufferings well4 ,not one murmuring word fell from his lips4 ,when ,laman and ,lemuel and the sons of ,ishmael mocked him1 and said unkind things to him1 he heeded them not4 ,he tried to comfort his father and mother and loving wife by telling them that all would be well1 that in time the ,lord would help him to get free4 ,and the ,lord did4 ,how8 ,listen and ,i will tell you4 ,two or three days later dark clouds began to gather in the sky4 ,a storm was coming4 ,suddenly a flash of lightning lit up the heavens4 ,then a terrible peal of thunder shook the vessel4 ,the rain came down in torrents4 ,then the wind changed and the vessel began to be driven back towards land4 ,the storm grew worse every hour4 ,the waves dashed fiercely against the vessel and at times swept over its deck4 ,in the face of that awful tempest stood poor ,nephi1 tied hand and foot to the mast4 ,for three days and nights the storm lasted1 and all that time the vessel was being driven back4 ,on the morning of the fourth day a terrible wave struck the ship and almost turned it over4 ,some of the women began to scream with fright4 ,laman and ,lemuel became alarmed also4 ,they saw that the ,lord was angry with them3 that ,he had let the storm come upon them because of the way in which they had treated their brother ,nephi4 ,then another angry wave burst over the vessel and almost buried it in the depths of the sea4 ,believing they were about to be destroyed1 ,laman and ,lemuel and the sons of ,ishmael repented of what they had done4 ,they went over to ,nephi1 untied the ropes which bound him and set him free4 ,nephi was so weak that he could hardly stand upon his feet4 ,he knelt down1 and looking up towards heaven he prayed with all his heart to ,god to cause the storm to cease1 and to change the course of the wind so that the vessel might sail towards the promised land4 ,to the astonishment of all the people1 the storm suddenly ceased1 the sea became calm1 and the vessel started again on its journey across the great waters4 ,,lehi ,,and ,,his ,,people ,,in ,,the ,,promised ,,land4 ,lehi and his people had been a long time upon the great ocean4 ,they were very tired1 for they had seen nothing but water for many days4 ,some of them had begun to murmur1 and to wonder if they should ever set foot upon land again4 ,then something happened which brought joy to every heart4 ,it was early in the morning4 ,all the company were asleep except ,nephi and ,sam4 ,nephi was steering the ship and ,sam was standing in the fore part of the vessel looking over the great waters4 ,suddenly ,sam's quick eyes caught sight of a dark object4 ,he stood still and held his breath4 ,could it be land8 ,he looked again1 and then he gave a shout for joy which startled the whole company4 ,in a few moments men1 women and children were by his side1 asking what had happened4 ,look6 he exclaimed1 as he pointed across the waters4 ,see1 yonder is the promised land6 ,it is1 indeed6 they all shouted1 and the children clapped their hands and cried1 ,land6 land6 land6 ,the ,lord's name be praised6 said ,lehi when he heard the joyful news1 although he could not see the land so far off1 for he was old and his eyes had become dim4 ,after breakfast1 all set to work making preparations for landing4 ,the splendid little ship rode proudly as ever over the waves1 and early in the afternoon ,nephi steered the vessel safe to shore4 ,when the company had landed they all knelt down upon the ground1 and ,lehi offered a prayer of thanksgiving and praise to ,god for having brought them to the promised land4 ,it was a beautiful country4 ,the sun shone in its glory4 ,the birds welcomed the company with their sweet songs1 and the flowers delighted all with their rich perfume4 ,on the hillsides animals of different kinds were feeding4 ,among them were horses1 donkeys1 cows and goats4 ,there were also a great many wild fowl4 ,after breakfast the next morning1 ,lehi called the men of the company to him and said1 ,my sons1 the first thing for us to do is to clear some land and plant the seed we have brought with us4 ,the soil is very rich1 and ,i am sure we shall reap excellent crops4 ,that is just what we were going to do1 father1 said ,nephi4 ,come1 brethren1 he said to the others1 let us turn our attention to farming for a while4 ,day after day the men worked in the fields4 ,each evening all the people met together and ,nephi read to them out of the good book4 ,lehi also told them many wonderful things which the ,lord had done4 ,they felt very happy4 ,at last the seed was planted4 ,then the men went up into the hills and caught a number of horses1 donkeys1 cows1 and goats4 ,the animals were wild1 but through kind treatment they soon became tame4 ,the cows and goats gave milk1 the horses hauled wood and did other work1 and the donkeys carried the boys and girls on merry rides over the rolling prairie4 ,the crops sprang up and grew rapidly1 and when the time came for harvesting there was plenty of food for man and beast4 ,and now ,i am going to tell you1 children1 about the last days of the ,prophet ,lehi4 ,he had become old and feeble1 and the time was fast drawing near when his spirit would leave this world and go to dwell with the righteous in the ,paradise of ,god4 ,two baby boys had been born to him on the journey to the promised land4 ,their names were ,jacob and ,joseph4 ,they were good children1 always kind and obedient to their parents4 ,on beautiful1 warm days they would take their father by the hand and lead him gently to a comfortable seat under the shade of a large tree4 ,then they would sit down on the grass at his feet and listen while he told them stories of wonderful things which had happened many years before4 ,one day ,lehi sent word to all the people to come to him1 that he might bless them before he died4 ,when they had assembled1 he blessed them in turn4 ,he promised them many good things from the ,lord if they would keep the commandments of ,god and love and help each other4 ,when ,joseph1 ,lehi's youngest son1 went in to receive his blessing his father drew him close to him4 ,he looked into his sweet1 innocent face a few seconds2 then he pressed him to his bosom and placed a loving kiss upon his lips4 ,while being blessed by his father1 ,joseph saw how good the ,lord had been to him1 and when he was told of the great blessings which would be bestowed upon him because of his faithfulness1 he bowed his head on his father's neck and wept4 ,and now1 my son1 said ,lehi1 ,i am going to tell you of a wonderful thing which the ,lord has told me will take place many years from now4 ,joseph wondered what it could be4 ,you have seen the book which your brother ,nephi is writing4 ,joseph answered that he had4 ,well1 said his father1 that is a history4 ,it is an account of what has taken place among us since the day we left our home up to the present time4 ,after ,nephi has finished writing in it1 he will deliver the book to another good man1 who will continue the history4 ,when the second writer has finished his part1 he will give the book to a third1 and in this manner the history of the people will be kept for hundreds and hundreds of years4 ,when it is finished1 it will be the most precious and wonderful book ever written4 ,and what will become of the book1 father8 asked ,joseph4 ,i was just going to tell you1 said ,lehi4 ,joseph drew closer1 and looked anxiously into his father's face4 ,when the book is finished1 continued ,lehi1 the last writer will hide it in a deep hole in the ground4 ,he will do that because wicked men might get it and destroy it4 ,the book will be kept hid in the earth for thousands of years4 ,at last the time will come for the book to be brought forth again4 ,then the ,lord will send an angel to a boy named ,joseph1 the same name that you bear4 ,the heavenly messenger will tell ,joseph of the book and show him the place in which it will lie buried4 ,a few years later the precious history will be taken from its hiding place and given to the boy ,joseph4 ,the ,lord will help the boy to change the language of the book to suit the language of the people living at that time4 ,then the book will be published1 men will carry it into all the world1 and the people of every nation will learn of the great things which the ,lord will have done for us and our children4 ,that is really wonderful1 said ,joseph4 ,it is1 indeed1 said his father4 ,then ,lehi kissed his boy again and said1 ,may the ,lord bless you1 my son1 forever4 ,can my children tell me how the words of ,lehi were fulfilled concerning the book that was to be hid in the ground8 ,,the ,,nephites ,,and ,,the ,,lamanites4 ,i am going to tell you this evening what took place soon after the death of ,lehi4 ,laman and ,lemuel grew more wicked every day4 ,their hearts were full of hatred towards ,nephi and ,sam4 ,one evening they went off by themselves4 ,they sat down under a large tree and talked together for a long time4 ,i am sure you could not guess what they were doing4 ,they were making plans to kill ,sam and ,nephi4 ,laman and ,lemuel thought that if ,nephi and ,sam were dead the people would choose them to be their leaders4 ,they did not seem to know that the ,lord was looking down upon them and listening to their wicked plot4 ,but the ,lord had seen and heard all1 and ,he at once prepared a way for the escape of ,nephi and ,sam4 ,that night the ,lord told ,nephi to gather together all the people that wished to follow him and to take them away into another part of the country4 ,all the good people agreed to go with ,nephi and ,sam1 the wicked ones decided to stay with ,laman and ,lemuel4 ,nephi and his people were guided on their way by the wonderful brass ball which ,i told you about in one of my other stories4 ,after traveling many days they came to a place where they decided to settle4 ,what shall we call this place8 asked one of the company4 ,several voices answered at once3 ,we will call it ,nephi1 after our faithful leader4 ,so the place was named ,nephi4 ,from that time all the people that followed ,nephi were called ,nephites4 ,those who stayed behind with ,laman and ,lemuel were called ,lamanites4 ,now that they were away from their wicked brethren1 ,nephi and his people felt very happy4 ,they had brought with them many kinds of seed1 so they laid out farms and gardens and planted the seed in them4 ,god blessed their labors4 ,his gentle rains and warm sun caused the seed to grow and to produce splendid crops1 so that there was plenty of food for all4 ,in the evenings1 when their work was done1 the people would meet together1 and ,nephi would read to them out of the good book4 ,then they would pray to ,god1 thanking ,him for all ,his blessings1 and asking ,him to protect them from the wicked ,lamanites4 ,at first they had only tents to live in1 but after a while they took down their tents and put up beautiful houses in their place4 ,in the course of a few years a splendid little city had sprung up in that desert region4 ,one ,sabbath day1 when the people had gathered together to worship ,god1 ,nephi asked them if they would like to build a beautiful temple to the ,lord4 ,they all said they would love to do so4 ,a few days later a choice place was selected1 and a number of men began to lay the foundation of the ,lord's ,house4 ,the hearts of the people swelled with joy as they saw the walls of the sacred building rise higher and higher4 ,at last the temple was finished4 ,the ,lord was well pleased with it1 and when the people went into the temple to worship ,him ,he bestowed great blessings upon them4 ,one day all the people assembled together4 ,they sent for ,nephi1 and when he arrived they told him that1 because he had been such a good man1 and had done so much for them1 they had decided to make him their king4 ,but ,nephi would not agree to such a thing4 ,he said he did not wish to be king over them2 that he wanted to be like one of themselves1 and that he would continue to be their leader and teacher4 ,i must now take you back to ,laman and ,lemuel1 and to the people who stayed with them4 ,they1 as ,i told you1 were called ,lamanites4 ,o1 dear1 what a difference there was between them and the people of ,nephi6 ,what do you think had happened to ,laman and the people who had stayed with him8 ,the displeasure of the ,lord had come upon them so that their skins had become dark1 and they were fast becoming a wild and savage people4 ,they had neither farms nor gardens1 nor houses to live in4 ,the only food they had to eat was fish and the flesh of wild beasts1 and at night they slept in old1 worn out tents4 ,they had become dirty1 idle1 and lazy1 just like the ,indians we sometimes see going round begging food4 ,such1 dear children1 was the terrible condition into which the ,lamanites were brought because of their disobedience to the commandments of ,god4 ,,zeniff ,,and ,,his ,,people4 ,nephi lived with his people and taught them for many years4 ,they all loved him1 for he was a wise and a godly man1 and had done many great things for them4 ,at last he became old and feeble4 ,he knew that he had but a short time to live1 so he took the history he had written and gave it to his brother ,jacob4 ,then he chose a good man to reign as king over the ,nephites4 ,soon after that1 ,nephi died and his spirit went to ,paradise to live with the righteous ones who had gone before4 ,one day1 long after the death of ,nephi1 a man named ,zeniff called together a number of his ,nephite brethren4 ,he told them he wanted to go and see how the ,lamanites were getting on4 ,how many of you are willing to go with me8 he asked4 ,nearly all of them agreed to go4 ,they began at once to make preparations for the trip4 ,when the time came for them to leave1 they bade their loved ones good-bye and set out on their journy4 ,after traveling many days1 they came to the place where the ,lamanites were4 ,it was a fine country4 ,zeniff and those who were with him felt they would like to live there if the ,lamanites would be willing for them to do so4 ,after resting awhile1 ,zeniff took four men and went into the city to see the king of the ,lamanites4 ,the king received his visitors kindly4 ,zeniff told the king that he and his brethren who were with him would like to remain in that part of the land4 ,king ,laman said he would be pleased to have them stay1 and that he would get the ,lamanites who were in two of the cities to leave them and go to other places1 so that the ,nephites might go in and live in those cities4 ,you may think that that was a very kind act of the ,lamanite king2 but when ,i tell you what his object was1 you will not think so kindly of him4 ,he wanted the ,nephites to go in and build up the cities1 to cultivate the land and raise good crops4 ,when they have done that1 said the king to himself1 ,i will get my army to come down and take the cities and the crops away from them4 ,then we will make the ,nephites our servants4 ,the king of the ,lamanites told ,zeniff to bring his brethren and to settle in the land1 and they did so4 ,zeniff and his people began at once to improve the cities which the ,lamanites had turned over to them4 ,they planted crops of different kinds1 also orchards and vineyards4 ,zeniff was a good man4 ,he loved the ,lord and kept ,his commandments and taught his people to do the same4 ,the ,lord was pleased with them and gave them a great many good things4 ,he blessed their farms so that they brought forth splendid crops4 ,their orchards yielded choice fruits in abundance1 and their flocks and herds increased rapidly4 ,how little the ,nephites knew at that time of the trouble which was soon to come upon them and of the great changes which a few years would bring about4 ,for some time the ,lamanites had been watching the people of ,zeniff4 ,they saw their splendid crops1 their sheep and cattle1 and they longed to get possession of them4 ,so they decided to make war upon the ,nephites4 ,the ,lamanites1 when ready for battle1 were a terrible-looking people4 ,they were almost naked1 and had the hair shaved off their heads4 ,they were armed with bows and arrows1 slings and stones1 swords1 and other weapons4 ,zeniff1 hearing that the ,lamanites were going to attack his people1 had the women and children taken away and hid in a safe place4 ,then he called all the men together and armed them for battle4 ,the ,nephites prayed mightily to the ,lord to strengthen them1 so that they might be able to defeat the ,lamanites and thus be able to keep their homes and lands4 ,the ,lord heard and answered the prayers of ,his people4 ,the ,lamanites fought like wild beasts1 but were finally overcome4 ,those who were not killed in battle fled back to their own lands1 and the ,nephites returned to their homes1 their wives and children1 praising ,god for the victory ,he had given them4 ,,how ,,the ,,people ,,of ,,zeniff ,,were ,,brought ,,into ,,bondage4 ,while ,zeniff was king over his people they were greatly blessed of the ,lord4 ,zeniff had taught them to lead good lives and to be kind and helpful to each other4 ,the years passed by1 ,zeniff grew old and finally died4 ,his son ,noah began to reign in his stead4 ,noah was just as wicked as his father was good4 ,he gathered around him many bad men4 ,they flattered him and made him think he was a great man4 ,noah built costly palace had horses and chariots and a large number of wives and servants4 ,he led a shameful life1 spending his days in feasting and in doing things which were exceedingly displeasing in the sight of the ,lord4 ,it required a great deal of money to support this ungodly king4 ,he1 therefore1 put heavy taxes upon his people1 and the ,nephites had to work hard to pay the expenses of their wicked ruler4 ,one by one the ,nephites began to follow the example of their king1 and in the course of time the greater part of them had become almost as bad as ,noah himself4 ,now1 there was a man among the ,nephites who had watched with sorrow the conduct of his people4 ,his name was ,abinadi4 ,he was a good man1 and the ,lord loved him4 ,one day the voice of the ,lord came to ,abinadi1 saying1 ,abinadi1 ,i want you to go among this people and call them to repentance4 ,tell them that ,i1 the ,lord1 am very angry with them because of their wickedness1 and that if they do not cease doing evil1 ,i will let the ,lamanites come down upon them and overcome them1 and they will become servants to the ,lamanites4 ,abinadi did as the ,lord commanded him4 ,he stood up in the midst of the ,nephites and told them of the wicked things they had done1 how angry the ,lord was with them1 and warned them of the trouble which would come upon them if they did not repent4 ,his words made them very angry4 ,they rushed upon him1 seized him1 and marched him roughly to the king's court4 ,they told ,noah of the terrible things which ,abinadi had prophesied would come upon the king and his people if they did not repent of their wickedness4 ,what shall we do with this man1 they asked1 who has spoken such things against the king and against us8 ,the cry went up1 ,let him be put to death6 ,but ,abinadi had not completed his mission1 so the ,lord delivered him out of their hands4 ,two years later he appeared in their midst again4 ,he began to preach with great power and courage4 ,he repeated all that he had said before1 and told them of the fate which awaited them if they refused to listen to the warning of the ,lord4 ,o1 foolish people6 ,instead of thanking the prophet for pointing out to them their errors1 and for telling them how they could be saved from the judgments of ,god1 they turned upon him with hearts full of anger1 treated him in a shameful manner1 and finally put him to death4 ,among those who listened to the preaching of ,abinadi was a young man named ,alma4 ,alma believed what the prophet had said4 ,he knew that he had spoken the truth4 ,so ,alma repented of his sins and began to live a godly life4 ,he wrote down all that ,abinadi had said4 ,then he went quietly among the people and read to those who would listen to him the wonderful things which the prophet had spoken4 ,many believed the teachings of ,alma4 ,they repented also and commenced to serve the ,lord4 ,they had to be very careful4 ,they knew that if ,king ,noah heard that they believed what ,abinadi had said1 he would have them put to death also4 ,so on certain days they would go away out into the country1 to a little forest1 and there they would worship ,god and listen to the preaching of ,alma4 ,in the forest there was a fountain of clear water1 called the waters of ,mormon4 ,one day when all the believers were gathered together ,alma asked them if they would like to be baptized1 to show to the ,lord that they were willing to serve ,him and keep ,his commandments4 ,they all clapped their hands for joy and said that that was what they desired4 ,so ,alma went down into the waters of ,mormon and baptized them4 ,others were baptized from time to time1 and finally the followers of ,alma numbered four hundred and fifty4 ,it was too bad that poor ,abinadi died without seeing the result of his labors4 ,he had been the means of converting ,alma1 and ,alma had converted four hundred and fifty people4 ,therefore1 if ,abinadi's life had been spared a few years longer his heart would have been made glad at seeing hundreds of his people forsake their evil ways and turn unto the ,lord4 ,one day a man went to ,king ,noah and told him that ,alma had gathered a large number of people together and was advising them to turn against the king4 ,that was not true1 but the king believed it1 and he at once sent out his army to destroy ,alma and his people4 ,but ,alma heard of the coming of the army4 ,he told the news to his followers and they quickly took down their tents and went away to another part of the country4 ,you will remember that ,abinadi told the ,nephites that if they did not stop doing wicked things the ,lord would let the ,lamanites come down upon them1 conquer them and make them their servants4 ,i will now tell you how the words of the prophet were fulfilled4 ,one day ,king ,noah was up in a high tower4 ,as he looked over the land he saw a sight which frightened him terribly--the armies of the ,lamanites were coming to make war upon the ,nephites6 ,noah ran down quickly out of the tower calling to his people to flee for their lives1 as the ,lamanites were coming to destroy them4 ,noah was a coward4 ,he not only ran away himself1 but told his men to leave their wives and children1 so as to save their own lives4 ,some of them did so1 but the greater part of them stayed with their families4 ,the cowardly ,nephites who ran away were pursued by the ,lamanites4 ,a number of them were overtaken and slain4 ,when the ,nephites who had stayed with their families saw the ,lamanites coming towards them they sent out their fair daughters to plead with the ,lamanites to spare their lives4 ,the ,lamanites were charmed with the beauty of the ,nephite maidens4 ,they told them not to fear1 that they would neither hurt them nor their parents4 ,the ,lamanites told the ,nephites they would let them return to their homes and farms if they would agree to pay to the king of the ,lamanites one-half of all their gold and silver and precious things1 and also one-half of the crops which they might raise each year4 ,in order to save their lives the ,nephites agreed to the demands of the ,lamanites4 ,that day the words of the ,prophet ,abinadi were fulfilled--the ,nephites had become servants to the ,lamanites4 ,did they remain all their lives in that condition8 ,i will answer that question in my next story4 ,,how ,,the ,,lord ,,delivered ,,his ,,people4 ,at the close of my last story you asked me if the ,nephites had to stay in bondage to the ,lamanites all the rest of their lives4 ,it will1 ,i know1 make you glad to hear that1 in ,his own time1 the ,lord delivered them out of the hands of their oppressors4 ,but before setting them free4 ,he permitted great afflictions to come upon them as punishment for their sins and to teach them to be humble and to live good lives4 ,as the years went by1 the ,lamanites treated the ,nephites more cruelly4 ,they made them go out and work in their fields1 carry heavy burdens1 and when they complained1 the ,lamanites beat them and told them to remember they were their servants4 ,there was a man reigning as king over the ,nephites at that time1 whose name was ,limhi4 ,he was the grandson of ,zeniff4 ,it made him feel very bad to look upon the afflictions of his people4 ,but he could not help them1 except by speaking kindly to them1 telling them to bear their trials as patiently as possible1 and to pray often and earnestly to the ,lord to deliver them4 ,three times the ,nephites came to ,limhi1 saying1 ,o1 king1 we cannot stand the treatment of the ,lamanites any longer4 ,we would just as lieve die as continue to live in this condition4 ,we want you to let us go to war with the ,lamanites4 ,we will fight with all our might to rid ourselves of this terrible slavery4 ,but ,limhi knew that his people were weak and that they were far less in number than the ,lamanites2 so he advised them not to go to war4 ,they kept on pleading with him1 however1 and1 seeing that they were determined1 he finally yielded4 ,the ,nephites fought three battles with the ,lamanites and each time the ,nephites were badly beaten4 ,then they saw that no power save the power of ,god could deliver them2 so they cried to the ,lord in anguish of soul to help them to get free from their enemies4 ,at last the ,lord heard and listened to their prayers4 ,he saw that they were sorry for all the wicked things they had done1 and for the way in which they had treated the ,prophet ,abinadi4 ,so ,he looked down in mercy upon them and began to prepare a way for their escape4 ,this is how ,he did it3 ,you remember that ,zeniff and his followers left the rest of the ,nephites to go up to the land of the ,lamanites4 ,the people whom ,zeniff left were living in a city called ,zarahemla4 ,they had as their ruler a wise and good man named ,mosiah4 ,a number of times ,mosiah's people had gone to him and said1 ,king ,mosiah1 what do you think has become of ,zeniff and those who went with him to the land of the ,lamanites8 ,it is many years since they left us1 and we have never heard from them4 ,and ,mosiah would say1 ,i am sure1 my people1 ,i do not know what has become of them4 ,i fear the ,lamanites have slain them4 ,it seems to me that if they were alive we would have heard from them4 ,one day1 sixteen large1 strong men went to ,king ,mosiah and told him they had decided to go in search of the people of ,zeniff4 ,at first ,mosiah refused to let them go3 he was afraid they might get lost also4 ,but after they had talked with him for some time he consented4 ,they chose for their leader a man named ,ammon4 ,he was a man of great strength and courage4 ,so1 with ,amnion at their head1 and provisions to last them a long time1 the party set out in search of their brethren4 ,a large number of men and women1 boys and girls followed them to the outskirts of the city1 cheering them on their way4 ,for forty days ,ammon and his followers traveled in the wilderness in search of their brethren4 ,they had seen no sign of them1 so they began to feel discouraged and to think that their mission had been in vain4 ,they did not know that at that time they were only a short distance from them1 and that ere long they would be rejoicing in their company4 ,at the end of forty days' travel1 ,ammon and his brethren came to a high hill4 ,at the foot of the hill they put up their tents4 ,after having refreshed themselves1 ,ammon took three of his brethren and climbed to the top of the hill4 ,when they reached the summit they saw a sight which brought the greatest joy to their hearts4 ,in the valley below was a beautiful city1 and in the city were their long-lost brethren4 ,ammon and his comrades lost no time in making their way to the city4 ,but just as they were about to enter it they were seized by several men--guards of the king--and taken off to prison4 ,the men who arrested ,ammon and his brethren did not know who they were3 they thought they were spies sent out by the ,lamanites4 ,the next day ,ammon and his three companions were brought before ,king ,limhi4 ,the king asked them who they were1 and when ,ammon told him they were his brethren1 and that they had come from ,zarahemla in search of him and his people1 ,limhi rejoiced and praised the ,lord4 ,he sent out and brought the other members of ,ammon's party into the city and treated them all with the greatest kindness4 ,the king then told ,ammon all that had happened to the people of ,zeniff from the time they had left their brethren3 how they had broken the commandments of ,god and had killed the ,prophet ,abinadi4 ,because of that the ,lord had forsaken them and had suffered them to be brought into bondage to the ,lamanites4 ,well1 said ,ammon1 ,i feel that the ,lord has sent us to deliver you and to lead you back to your own people in the land of ,zarahemla4 ,king ,limhi called his people together1 and they listened with the greatest interest while ,ammon told them that he and his brethren had come all the way from ,zarahemla in search of them1 and now that they had found them1 they were going to help them to free themselves from bondage4 ,when ,ammon had finished speaking1 a man named ,gideon1 leader of the ,nephite army1 went forward and bowed down before the king4 ,o1 king1 said he1 if you will grant me permission ,i will undertake to deliver our people out of the power of the ,lamanites4 ,how do you think you can do that8 asked the king4 ,in this way1 said ,gideon1 let all the people get ready for the journey1 and tonight when the ,lamanites are asleep ,i will lead our people out by the back pass4 ,when the ,lamanites awake in the morning we will be so far away that they cannot overtake us4 ,gideon's plan pleased the king1 and he at once gave orders to his people to prepare to make their escape4 ,that night1 while the ,lamanites slept1 ,gideon got his people together1 and1 with ,ammon and his brethren leading the way1 they started for ,zarahemla4 ,you can imagine the surprise of the ,lamanites when they awoke the next morning and found the cities of the ,nephites deserted4 ,you can also imagine the surprise and joy of ,king ,mosiah and the ,nephites in ,zarahemla when ,ammon and his followers returned accompanied by their brethren and sisters who1 through the power of ,god1 had been delivered out of the hands of the ,lamanites4 ,i suppose you would also like to know what became of ,alma and his people1 who made their escape from the army of ,king ,noah4 ,they settled in another part of the land and were doing well1 when one day an army of ,lamanites came down upon them and captured them and their city4 ,they also became servants to the ,lamanites2 but after a time the ,lord helped them to make their escape1 and they1 too1 came and joined their brethren in the land of ,zarahemla4 ,,remarkable ,,conversions ,,and ,,missionary ,,experience4 ,after the ,nephites had become reunited in ,zarahemla1 ,king ,mosiah placed ,alma at the head of the ,church4 ,alma was a faithful servant of the ,lord4 ,he spent his time traveling through the land1 teaching the ,nephites the ways of the ,lord and establishing branches of the ,church among them4 ,for a number of years there was peace1 happiness and prosperity in ,zarahemla4 ,then a division took place among the people4 ,many of them ceased serving the ,lord1 left the ,church1 and began to persecute those who believed in and remained true to the faith of their fathers4 ,among the unbelievers and persecutors were the four sons of ,king ,mosiah1 and a young man named ,alma1 the son of ,alma who presided over the ,church4 ,the hearts of the parents of these young men were sorely grieved at the conduct of their sons4 ,they did all in their power to turn them from their wicked course1 but they utterly failed4 ,they refused1 however1 to give them up4 ,they knew that where they had failed the ,lord could succeed4 ,so every day they knelt in prayer and pleaded with the ,lord in behalf of their wayward and rebellious sons4 ,let me tell you now what the prayers of these righteous parents accomplished4 ,one day ,alma the younger and the four sons of ,mosiah decided to go to a certain place and make trouble for the ,church there4 ,they thought they were great fellows1 and that they knew much more than did the people who belonged to the ,church of ,god4 ,but the ,lord showed them that day how weak and ignorant they were1 and how foolish it was for them to try to destroy the work which ,he had established4 ,what did the ,lord do8 ,he sent an angel from heaven to turn these young men from their wicked course and to save them from destruction4 ,standing before ,alma and the sons of ,mosiah1 the heavenly messenger spoke with a voice which caused the ground to tremble beneath their feet and ,alma and his companions fell to the earth4 ,the ,lord has sent me to you1 said the angel1 to tell you that you are doing a very wicked thing in persecuting ,his people and trying to destroy ,his ,church4 ,the ,lord has great respect for your parents1 for they are good people4 ,he has heard their prayers in your behalf1 and that is why ,he sent me to you4 ,now1 you must repent of all the evil you have done1 and turn to the ,lord and serve ,him faithfully all the days of your life4 ,after having delivered his message1 the angel left them4 ,alma was so weak that he could not stand upon his feet1 so the sons of ,mosiah carried him to his father and told the elder ,alma all that had happened4 ,on hearing the news1 ,alma's father rejoiced1 and gave thanks to ,god for the great mercy which ,he had shown to his sons and also to the sons of ,mosiah4 ,he called a large number of people together and they fasted and prayed two days and two nights for ,alma's recovery4 ,at the end of that time his strength returned4 ,he stood upon his feet and told the people all that the ,lord had done for him4 ,from that time ,alma and the sons of ,mosiah became faithful workers in the ,church1 and were the means of turning many people to the ,lord4 ,you will be interested1 ,i know1 in hearing of some remarkable things which took place while ,alma was laboring as a missionary among certain of the ,nephites who had departed from the true faith4 ,what ,i am about to tell took place in one of the cities of the ,nephites1 called ,ammonihah4 ,alma had gone there alone to preach to the people4 ,his mission was a hard one1 for the people were very wicked4 ,day after day he stood up and preached to them1 pleading with them to repent of their sins1 that the judgments of ,god might not come upon them4 ,but they had become so wicked that the preaching of ,alma had no effect upon them except to make them exceedingly angry and to cause them to treat the prophet in a shameful manner4 ,they spat in his face1 slapped him on the cheeks1 and finally drove him out of the city4 ,we can imagine the feelings of the poor missionary as1 with bowed head and sorrowful heart1 he traveled along the road leading from ,ammonihah to the city of ,aaron4 ,he believed when he first entered ,ammonihah that he would find a few people at least who would give heed to what he said1 and turn from their wicked ways2 but1 alas6 he had not found one who was willing to do so4 ,yes1 thought he1 my mission has been a complete failure4 ,just at that moment an angel of ,god descended from heaven and stood before him4 ,he told ,alma that he was the same heavenly messenger who had appeared to him and the sons of ,mosiah some years before1 and had converted them4 ,the angel told ,alma that the ,lord was well pleased with him1 because he had kept ,his commandments4 ,he said also that the ,lord wanted ,alma to return to the city of ,ammonihah and preach again to the people there4 ,the words of the heavenly visitor caused new joy and hope to spring up in ,alma's heart4 ,as soon as the angel had delivered his message1 ,alma turned and walked back towards the city from which he had been banished a short time before4 ,he was very weak and hungry1 for he had fasted many days4 ,as he was about to enter the city he met a man whom he stopped1 and asked1 ,will you give an humble servant of ,god something to eat8 ,the man gazed on ,alma with astonishment4 ,then he said1 ,why1 you are the man an angel told me about last night in a vision4 ,i am very glad ,i have met you1 for ,i know you are a true prophet of ,god4 ,the man's name was ,amulek4 ,he took ,alma to his home1 gave him food and drink1 and made him rest several days4 ,then ,alma and ,amulek went out among the people and began to preach to them4 ,they were filled with the spirit and power of ,god4 ,to their great joy1 many believed their message1 repented of their sins1 and began to live righteous lives4 ,but the greater part of the people would not believe the preaching of ,alma and ,amulek4 ,they not only mocked the missionaries1 but beat them and abused them in other shameful ways4 ,finally they seized ,alma and ,amulek and cast them into prison4 ,they stripped them of all their clothing1 bound them with strong cords1 and kept them there for several days without either food or drink4 ,each day a number of wicked men went to the prison and made mock of ,alma and his companion4 ,but that was not all3 they also spat in their faces and slapped their cheeks4 ,the missionaries bore all these things with such patience that they astonished their enemies4 ,you might say1 ,why did not the ,lord come to the aid of ,his servants and deliver them out of the hands of those wicked men8 ,well1 my children1 that is just what ,he did do1 as you will now hear4 ,one day a number of very bad men went to the prison in which the servants of the ,lord were bound4 ,they treated them in the same cruel manner as before4 ,suddenly the power of ,god rested mightily upon ,alma and ,amulek1 and they sprang to their feet4 ,how long1 ,lord1 cried ,alma1 shall we suffer these great afflictions8 ,o1 ,lord1 give us strength1 according to our faith which is in ,christ1 even unto our deliverance6 ,at that moment they broke the cords which bound them and stood free before their persecutors4 ,on seeing that1 every one of the ungodly crowd began to tremble with fright4 ,they tried to run out of the prison1 but they could not4 ,they were so overcome with fear that they fell on the prison floors4 ,then the ,lord caused a terrible earthquake to shake the prison to its foundation1 and a few moments later it was in a heap of ruins4 ,alma and ,amulek walked out of the prison unharmed1 but every one of the wicked men inside perished4 ,what a serious thing it is for people to persecute the servants of the living ,god4 ,,mission ,,of ,,the ,,sons ,,of ,,mosiah ,,to ,,the ,,lamanites4 ,some time after their conversion1 ,ammon1 ,aaron1 ,omner1 and ,himni1 the four sons of ,mosiah1 requested their father to grant them permission to go to the land of ,nephi1 to preach the ,gospel to the ,lamanites there4 ,mosiah prayed to the ,lord concerning the matter1 and the answer which he received was as follows3 ,let them go up1 for many shall believe on their words1 and they shall have eternal life2 and ,i will deliver thy sons out of the hands of the ,lamanites4 ,this promise gave joy and encouragement to ,mosiah and his sons4 ,the day for the young men's departure came4 ,they were joined by a number of faithful companions1 and1 with their father's blessing upon their heads1 the little band of missionaries went forth to seek and to save the lost4 ,that was one of the hardest missions ever undertaken by mortal man4 ,the ,lamanites in ,nephi and surrounding places were a wild and wicked people4 ,they took delight in murdering the ,nephites and in stealing their property4 ,they knew nothing concerning the true ,god1 but worshiped idols4 ,the ,lord1 however1 had made a promise to the ,lamanites that1 through repentance1 they would be blessed and given a knowledge of the true plan of salvation4 ,when the sons of ,mosiah and their companions came to the land of the ,lamanites they separated1 each going to the place assigned him by ,ammon1 who was in charge of the company4 ,ammon chose as his field of labor the land of ,ishmael4 ,he had no sooner entered it than he was arrested by ,lamanites1 who bound him and confined him in a prison4 ,he was later brought before ,king ,lamoni1 who asked him if he were desirous of living with his people1 the ,lamanites4 ,ammon said he would be pleased to do so for a time1 and that1 perhaps1 he might stay with them the rest of his life4 ,that pleased the king1 and he ordered his servants to release ,ammon4 ,lamoni told ,ammon he would like him to marry one of his daughters1 but the missionary respectfully declined4 ,he told the king1 however1 that he would be his servant1 and his offer was promptly accepted4 ,you might think that that was a strange thing for the missionary to do1 and it was2 but it was the right thing1 as you will agree when you hear what took place a little later4 ,one day ,ammon and a number of other servants of ,king ,lamoni took their master's flocks to a certain place to water them4 ,they had no sooner reached the place than a party of ,lamanites came with their flocks4 ,the latter began at once to make trouble for the king's servants by driving3 their flocks away and scattering them4 ,that was a very serious matter4 ,the same thing had happened before to other servants of the king1 and when they returned and told ,lamoni what had taken place1 he became very angry with them and ordered them to be put to death4 ,so1 fearing that a similar fate might befall them1 those who were with ,ammon began to cry piteously4 ,ammon now saw an opportunity for him to exercise his powder1 and he did so with good effect4 ,he told his fellow-servants to dry their tears1 and that he would help them to get the flocks together4 ,he did so1 but again the ,lamanites began to drive them off4 ,then ,alma told his companions to look after the flocks while he went over to teach the ,lamanites a lesson4 ,he had not the least fear1 for he remembered the promise which the ,lord had made to his father--that ,he would deliver his sons out of the hands of the ,lamanites4 ,the ,lamanites laughed at one man coming out to oppose them1 but their laughter was turned into mourning when six of their number lay dead upon the ground4 ,with simple sling and stones ,ammon fought his opponents single-handed1 and1 as ,i have said1 slew six of them4 ,seizing heavy clubs1 a number of the ,lamanites rushed at ,ammon to kill him2 but he was too smart for them4 ,he grasped his sword and melded it with such skill that he slew their leader and also cut an arm off every man who raised his club against him4 ,the rest fled in terror4 ,then ,ammon returned1 and1 with his companions1 attended to the watering of their master's flocks4 ,when ,king ,lamoni heard what ,ammon had done he was greatly astonished and exclaimed1 ,this is the ,great ,spirit1 and he has come down at this time to preserve your lives1 that ,i might not slay you as ,i did your brethren4 ,where is ,ammon8 the king asked1 and when he was told that he was out attending to his majesty's horses1 he said1 ,surely there has not been any servant among all my servants that has been as faithful as this man2 for even he doth remember all my commandments to execute them4 ,lamoni sent for ,amnion4 ,he told him that he had heard of the wonderful thing which he had done1 and asked him if he were the ,great ,spirit4 ,ammon answered that he was not1 that he was simply a servant of the true and living ,god4 ,he told the king that he had not slain the ,lamanites by his own power1 but by the power which ,god had given ,him4 ,the king requested ,ammon to tell him about the true ,god whom he and his fathers worshiped4 ,ammon did so1 and also explained to him the ,gospel1 pointing out to the king how he could obtain forgiveness of all his sins and at last be saved in the kingdom of ,god4 ,the king and queen of the ,lamanites believed the things which ,ammon told them1 and they and many of their people were converted and baptized4 ,the ,lord bestowed great blessings upon them4 ,king ,lamoni had a vision1 in which he beheld the ,savior1 and a number of others saw and conversed with angels4 ,then ,ammon organized a branch of the ,church amongst them1 and had great joy at seeing the fruits of his missionary labors4 ,the ,lord now made known to ,ammon that three of his missionary companions were in prison in the land of ,middoni4 ,ammon told the news to the king1 and added that he would have to go at once and do all in his power to have them released4 ,the king said he would go with him and assist him4 ,on the way they met ,lamoni's father1 who was king over the whole land4 ,the sight of his son riding in company with a ,nephite threw the old king into a fit of fierce anger4 ,he called ,ammon all manner of vile names1 and ordered his son to slay him4 ,but1 instead of doing so1 ,lamoni1 to the astonishment of his father1 stood up and defended ,amnion4 ,lamoni's father drew his sword and rushed at ,ammon to slay him1 but ,ammon smote him on the arm so that he could not use the weapon4 ,finding himself at the mercy of ,ammon1 ,lamoni's father pleaded with him to spare his life1 saying if he would do so he would give him even to the half of his kingdom4 ,i will spare your life on these conditions1 ,ammon replied1 that you allow your son ,lamoni to retain his kingdom1 and that you have my brethren released from prison4 ,to that the old king willingly agreed4 ,ammon's brethren were given their liberty1 and they and their companions traveled for years among the ,lamanites preaching to them the everlasting ,gospel4 ,thousands of the ,lamanites were converted to the ,lord1 and they remained true to the faith all the days of their life4 ,they became a kind and industrious people1 and the ,lord in ,his mercy took the curse away from them1 so that they became white like the ,nephites4 ,,samuel ,,the ,,lamanite--,,his ,,prophecies ,,and ,,their ,,fulfillment4 ,i am going to tell you this evening about a great prophet who lived on this continent in the days of the ,nephites4 ,his name was ,samuel4 ,he was a ,lamanite1 but1 because of his holy life1 he was beloved of ,god1 and was chosen to be a prophet unto ,his people4 ,through the blessings of the ,lord and their own industry the ,nephites in ,zarahemla became exceedingly wealthy4 ,then1 like many others1 before and since1 they allowed pride and other corrupt feelings to enter into their hearts and to drive out the love for ,god and ,his rightousness which had held place there for years4 ,as their good works had won for them the favor and blessings of ,god1 so their wickedness was fast bringing upon them ,his condemnation and punishment4 ,in order to save them from destruction1 the ,lord sent ,samuel the ,lamanite to plead with them to repent of their sins and to turn again into the way of righteousness from which they had wandered4 ,day after day the voice of the prophet was heard among the ,nephites crying repentance1 and prophesying concerning great and wonderful things which would take place in the future4 ,i am going to tell you about a remarkable prophecy which he uttered at that time1 and which was fulfilled to the very letter4 ,standing upon the top of a high wall1 so that many of the people could see and hear him1 ,samuel prophesied of a wonderful event which he said would take place five years from that time4 ,it would be the greatest event in history--the birth of ,jesus1 the ,savior of the world4 ,it was to take place in another country1 near the city in which ,lehi and his family lived before they set out for the promised land4 ,the prophet told them of certain signs which would be given at the time of the ,savior's birth4 ,when they saw the signs they might know that the ,son of ,god had come into the world to redeem mankind from sin and death4 ,these were some of the signs3 the night before the ,lord would be born there would be no darkness at all2 the night would be just as bright and clear as the day had been2 a new star1 one that had never been seen before1 would make its appearance in the heavens4 ,the prophet said that when these signs would be given many of the people would be so astonished and overcome that they would fall to the earth4 ,then ,samuel the ,lamanite prophesied concerning the ,savior's life--that ,he would be despised and rejected of men--and also concerning ,his death and resurrection4 ,he told the people that at the time the ,savior would be put to death1 neither the sun1 moon1 nor stars would give any light1 so that on this continent there would be continuous darkness for three days and nights4 ,there would also be terrible tempests1 and earthquakes which would shake the earth1 cause the mountains to fall1 and many cities to be destroyed4 ,then the warning voice of the prophet was heard again1 calling upon the ,nephites to repent of their sins1 that they might escape the judgments of ,god4 ,you will be glad to hear that many of the people who heard ,samuel believed his words4 ,they repented sincerely of their wickedness and were baptized for the remission of their sins4 ,others1 however1 became angry1 and tried to take the prophet's life by throwing stones and shooting arrows at him as he stood upon the wall4 ,strange to tell1 the servant of the ,lord was not hit once1 although rocks and arrows flew round him in great numbers4 ,on seeing how ,samuel was protected by the power of ,god1 many more of the ,nephites were converted1 and1 through repentance and baptism1 were restored to the ,church of ,christ4 ,then the cry went up from the ungodly ones1 ,take this fellow and bind him1 for behold he hath a devil2 and because of the power of the devil which is in him1 we cannot hit him with our stones and our arrows2 therefore take him and bind him1 and away with him4 ,they began to climb the wall1 but before they had reached the top1 ,samuel had jumped down on the other side and made his escape4 ,he was never seen again by the ,nephites4 ,five years passed by4 ,the time had now come for the fulfillment of the first part of ,samuel the ,lamanite's prophecy--the time of the ,savior's birth4 ,then the wicked and unbelieving among the ,nephites arose and said that the time was past1 that the signs had not appeared1 that ,samuel was a false prophet1 and that all who believed on him should be put to death4 ,they decided1 however1 before carrying out their threat1 to name a certain day on which the signs should appear4 ,if that day should pass without the signs being given1 then the believers among the ,nephites might prepare for the fate which had been decreed against them4 ,among the faithful was a man named ,nephi4 ,he believed every word that ,samuel the ,lamanite had spoken4 ,the day before the one set apart by the unbelievers ,nephi went out and prayed for hours unto the ,lord in behalf of his people4 ,then the voice of the ,lord came unto him1 saying1 ,be of good cheer1 for behold the time is at hand1 and on this night shall the sign be given1 and on the morrow come ,i into the world4 ,his heart filled with joy and gladness1 ,nephi returned and told the good news to his brethren and sisters1 and they rejoiced and praised the ,lord4 ,to the great astonishment of all the unbelievers1 that night the signs were given--there was no darkness1 but the night was just as bright as the midday before4 ,the new star appeared1 and then1 just as the prophet had predicted1 many of the wicked fell to the earth1 being overcome with fear because of their iniquities4 ,the spirit of repentance took possession of the great majority of the unbelievers2 they were converted1 baptized1 and made members of the ,church4 ,about thirty-four years later some terrible things took place in this land4 ,for three days and nights the whole country was enveloped in darkness4 ,so great was the darkness that it was impossible for the people to strike a light or kindle a fire4 ,then a frightful storm burst forth1 the like of which had never been seen in all the land4 ,the thunders of heaven shook the earth and lightning set fire to many cities1 among them the great city of ,zarahemla4 ,mountains fell1 cities were buried1 and others sank in the depths of the sea4 ,all that terrible destruction took place at the time the ,savior was put to death on the cross outside of ,jerusalem4 ,it had come upon the people just as ,samuel the ,lamanite had predicted1 as a punishment for their sins4 ,then followed a time of weeping and mourning among those whose lives had been spared4 ,in anguish of soul they cried1 ,o1 that we had repented before this great and terrible day1 and had not killed the prophets and cast them out4 ,then none of these things would have come upon us4 ,in the midst of their heart-rending lamentations a voice was heard from heaven4 ,it was the voice of ,jesus4 ,behold1 said ,he1 ,i am ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of ,god4 ,i created the heavens and the earth1 and all things that in them are4 ,the ,savior told them that ,he had finished the mission which ,his ,father had given ,him4 ,he called upon them to repent and to be baptized1 promising them1 if they would do so1 a remission of their sins and the gift of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,the words of the blessed ,redeemer brought peace and consolation to their souls4 ,they willingly yielded obedience to ,his ,divine commands1 and the blessings of the ,lord were bestowed upon them in rich abundance4 ,,two ,,memorable ,,battles4 ,the ,lamanites throughout the land who had not been converted preserved in their hearts a deadly hatred towards the ,nephites4 ,time after time the ,lamanites made war upon the ,nephites1 and tens of thousands of lives were sacrificed on both sides4 ,if ,i were to begin to tell you the terrible results of their wars1 before ,i had proceeded far you would put your fingers in your ears and cry1 ,stop6 stop6 stop6 ,i am going to tell you of two of their battles4 ,a remarkable thing happened in connection with one of them which1 when you have heard it1 will show you some of the wonderful things which can be accomplished through faith4 ,the ,lamanites who were converted through the preaching of the sons of ,mosiah were afterwards known as the people of ,ammon4 ,they left their own lands and went to reside in a place called ,jershon1 not far from ,zarahemla4 ,they entered into a covenant with the ,lord that they would never take up arms against their ,lamanite brethren4 ,now1 there were a great many of the ,nephites who had broken the commandments of ,god4 ,because of that1 they had lost their membership in the ,church1 and were not numbered among the people of the ,lord4 ,that was a terrible thing4 ,but their condition became much worse when they turned traitors1 joined themselves to the ,lamanites1 and began to fight against their ,nephite brethren4 ,the chief captain over the armies of the ,nephites at that time was a young man named ,moroni4 ,he ,avas a ,god-fearing man1 and a prophet4 ,he was also a great general4 ,in time of peace he prepared for war4 ,he provided his soldiers with thick clothing1 with breast-plates1 head-plates and arm-plates1 as protection against the deadly weapons of the ,lamanites4 ,the ,lamanite armies had at their head a man named ,zarahemna4 ,he was a great soldier1 too4 ,but he had not thought of protecting his men as ,moroni had protected his4 ,the ,lamanite soldiers were naked1 except for a girdle of skin1 which they wore about their loins4 ,moroni heard that the ,lamanites were coming to make war upon his people4 ,he1 therefore1 got his armies ready to meet them4 ,feeling confident of an easy victory1 the ,lamanites marched towards the land of ,jershon4 ,as they drew near it they saw ,moroni's army prepared to oppose them4 ,seeing how well the ,nephite soldiers were protected1 the ,lamanites changed their minds1 and instead of attacking ,jershon they turned and proceeded towards the land of ,manti4 ,moroni did not know where the ,lamanites were going1 so he sent out spies to watch them4 ,he also sent a messenger to ,alma to request the prophet to ask the ,lord to reveal to him the movements of the ,lamanites4 ,the ,lord told ,alma they were marching towards the land of ,manti4 ,on hearing that1 ,moroni left part of his army in ,jershon1 to protect that place1 and with the rest he hastened to ,manti1 arriving there some time ahead of the ,lamanites4 ,he called to his assistance all the men in ,manti who could bear arms1 and when the ,lamanites again appeared ,moroni was ready to give them battle4 ,the war commenced4 ,both sides fought with all the courage and fierceness they could command4 ,several times the ,lamanites were driven back1 and each time they returned to the conflict4 ,the slaughter which took place is terrible to read about4 ,before the war was half over1 thousands of lives had been sacrificed4 ,at one time the ,nephites showed signs of weakening4 ,then the voice of ,general ,moroni rang out1 reminding his men of that for which they were fighting--their religion1 their liberty1 their wives and children1 their houses and lands4 ,his words filled their hearts with renewed courage1 and with a cry to the ,lord to help them1 the ,nephites rushed upon the ,lamanites and slew them in great numbers4 ,seeing that his enemies were beaten1 ,moroni commanded his men to stop slaying them4 ,addressing ,zerahemna1 ,moroni said1 ,you see now that you are in our power4 ,it would be easy for us to slay you1 but we do not desire to shed your blood4 ,i1 therefore1 call upon you and your followers to deliver unto us your weapons of war1 and to enter into a covenant that you will never again take up arms against us4 ,if you refuse to do this1 ,i will command my men to attack you again and utterly destroy you4 ,when ,moroni had finished speaking1 ,zerahemna stepped forward and handed him his sword1 cimeter and bow4 ,we are willing1 he said1 to surrender to your our weapons1 but we will not enter into a covenant never to go to war with you again1 because we know we would not keep our promise4 ,on hearing that1 ,moroni handed ,zerahemna back his weapons and the deadly conflict was resumed4 ,the ,lord gave great strength to the ,nephites so that the ,lamanites fell before them in large numbers4 ,at last ,zerahemna began to plead for mercy1 so ,moroni gave orders for the battle to cease4 ,the conquered ,lamanites laid down their arms at the feet of the ,nephites1 and after entering into the covenant proposed by ,moroni1 they were permitted to return to their own lands4 ,peace reigned throughout the land for a number of years4 ,then the ,lamanites broke the covenant they had made with the ,nephites and a series of terrible wars followed4 ,several times the people of ,ammon 7the ,lamanites whom ,ammon and his brethren had converted7 were tempted to break their covenant with the ,lord and to take up arms in defense of the ,nephites4 ,they refrained1 however1 from doing so4 ,but among the people of ,ammon there were two thousand young men who were little boys when their fathers made covenant with the ,lord that they would never fight against their ,lamanite brethren4 ,these young men had not made such a promise1 so they came forward and offered their services to the ,nephites--to help them preserve their religion1 their liberty1 their houses and lands4 ,their kind offer was willingly accepted4 ,they chose as their leader a man named ,helaman4 ,no father was ever more proud of his sons than was ,helaman of his two thousand young soldiers4 ,and well he might be1 for no better army ever entered a field of battle4 ,besides their weapons of war1 they were armed with a far greater thing--a perfect faith in ,god4 ,that faith had been planted in their hearts through the teachings of their godly mothers4 ,they had been taught from their childhood to have implicit faith in the ,lord1 and to tryst ,him in every hour of trial4 ,one day these two thousand young soldiers found themselves engaged in battle with a large army of the ,lamanites4 ,the lighting was terrible on both sides4 ,helaman and his little army fought like dragons4 ,many of the ,lamanites were slain1 and finally the remainder threw down their arms and offered themselves as prisoners of war4 ,the battle ended1 ,helaman proceeded to call the roll of his army1 and to his great astonishment every one of his two thousand young warriors answered ,present4 ,not one of them was killed6 ,no1 not a single one4 ,their faith had saved them4 ,,christ',s ,,visit ,,to ,,the ,,nephites4 ,one day a large number of ,nephites were assembled at the temple in the land ,bountiful4 ,it was soon after the terrible destruction ,i told you about in a former story1 and the people were talking about the great changes which had taken place4 ,suddenly the whole multitude was startled by a strange voice speaking to them out of heaven4 ,it was neither a loud nor a harsh voice1 but it was so powerful that it thrilled the hearts of all who heard it4 ,the voice was heard twice1 but no one understood the words which were spoken4 ,as the people stood looking up towards heaven1 the voice spoke to them again1 and that time they understood the heavenly message4 ,it was the voice of ,god4 ,behold1 said ,he1 my beloved ,son1 in whom ,i am well pleased1 in whom ,i have glorified my name2 hear ye him4 ,at that moment the heavens were opened and a glorious personage1 clothed in a robe of spotless white1 descended and stood in the midst of the people4 ,every eye was turned upon ,him4 ,he stretched forth ,his hand and there was perfect silence4 ,then ,he addressed the multitude1 saying1 ,behold1 ,i am ,jesus ,christ1 whom the prophets testified shall come into the world4 ,they listened with almost breathless interest while ,he told them of the mission which ,he had performed and of the cruel death which ,he had suffered upon the cross4 ,he showed them the wounds which the nails had made in ,his hands and feet and which the sword had made in ,his side4 ,he invited them to come forward one by one and feel the prints of the nails and the mark of the sword4 ,they all did as ,he desired4 ,then with united voice they exclaimed1 ,hosanna6 blessed be the name of the ,most ,high ,god4 ,and they fell down at the feet of ,jesus and worshiped ,him4 ,the ,savior bade ,nephi to come to ,him4 ,the faithful disciple went forward1 and kneeling upon the ground1 kissed the feet of his beloved ,redeemer4 ,the ,lord gave ,nephi authority to baptize1 as ,he also did to a number of others whom ,he chose from among the assembly4 ,he gave them instructions concerning the manner in which they were to baptize people1 and told them the words they should use when performing the ordinance4 ,when repentant believers came to be baptized they were to be taken down into the water4 ,then1 calling them by name1 the person appointed to perform the ordinance should say1 ,having authority given me of ,jesus ,christ1 ,i baptize you in the name of the ,father1 and of the ,son1 and of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,amen4 ,and then1 said ,jesus1 ye shall immerse them in the water1 and come forth again out of the water4 ,for a long time the ,savior stood up in the midst of the ,nephites teaching them the glorious principles of the everlasting ,gospel4 ,then ,he told them to go to their homes1 but to meet again on the morrow1 when ,he would pay them another visit and give them further instructions4 ,but they had no desire to go away4 ,they stood looking pleadingly at the ,lord1 wishing in their hearts that ,he would tarry with them a little longer4 ,tears were coursing down their cheeks1 and on seeing ,his people weeping1 the ,savior was filled with compassion for them4 ,he asked them if there were any sick among them1 and on being told there were many4 ,he requested that they be brought to ,him4 ,at ,his ,divine command the blind received their sight1 the lame were made to walk1 and the sick were restored to perfect health4 ,so grateful were those who were healed that they knelt down before the ,lord1 kissed ,his feet and bathed them with their tears4 ,jesus then told the ,nephites to bring their little children to ,him4 ,they did so4 ,he requested all present to kneel with ,him upon the ground4 ,then the voice of the ,lord was heard in prayer1 and so marvelous were the words which ,he uttered that no one was permitted to make a record of them4 ,after prayer1 the ,savior blessed each of the little ones1 when immediately the heavens were opened and angels came down and ministered unto them4 ,christ then instituted the sacrament among the ,nephites1 and1 after giving them much good counsel1 ,he dismissed them4 ,that was the most glorious day in the history of the ,nephites4 ,when we read of the wonderful things which took place on that occasion the wish arises in our hearts that we had been there1 to behold the face of our resurrected ,lord1 and to hear the glorious truths which fell from ,his libs4 ,,the ,,three ,,nephites4 ,after ministering to the ,nephites1 ,jesus returned to ,his ,father in ,heaven4 ,then the people went to their homes4 ,the news of the ,savior's visit1 and of the wonderful things which ,he had done1 was carried to all the ,nephites4 ,there were many of them who did not go to bed that night4 ,they had to get ready for the next day1 for the ,lord had promised the ,nephites that ,he would visit them again on the morrow4 ,the day following1 when all the people had assembled together1 there were so many that they had to be divided into twelve bodies4 ,jesus had chosen twelve disciples to preside over the ,nephites and to teach them the ,gospel4 ,these ministers of the ,lord knelt down with the people upon the ground and prayed with all their hearts to ,god for the gift of ,his ,holy ,spirit4 ,their prayers were answered4 ,they not only received the ,holy ,spirit1 but angels came down from heaven and ministered unto them4 ,then1 to the great joy of all the people1 ,jesus descended and stood in their midst4 ,he requested them to kneel down upon the ground1 and when they had done so the ,lord and ,his disciples prayed for them4 ,when their prayers were ended the people arose4 ,jesus brought forth bread and wine and they all partook of the sacrament4 ,the ,savior remained with them a long time1 teaching them many glorious principles--things which you1 my children1 will learn as you grow in years4 ,one day the twelve disciples whom ,jesus had chosen met together to fast and pray4 ,while thus engaged in worshiping ,god1 the ,lord appeared in their midst4 ,he asked them what they would like ,him to do for them after ,he had returned to ,his ,father4 ,nine of them said the desire of their hearts was that1 after having fulfilled their mission on earth1 they might be permitted to go to the ,lord in ,his kingdom4 ,jesus was pleased with their request1 and ,he told the nine that when they were seventy-two years old ,he would take them to heaven1 to live in peace and happiness forever4 ,the ,lord then turned to the three disciples who had not spoken4 ,he asked them what they desired ,him to do for them4 ,they did not answer ,him1 for they were afraid to tell ,him the desire that was in their hearts4 ,but ,jesus knew their thoughts4 ,he told them they desired to have power over death1 that they might live till ,he would come in ,his glory1 and spend their days in the service of ,god4 ,the ,lord blessed them1 and promised them that they should never taste of death1 neither would they have any more pain or sorrow4 ,jesus touched the three ,nephites with ,his finger1 and then left them4 ,immediately the heavens were opened1 and the three disciples were caught up into heaven1 where they saw and heard many wonderful things4 ,later they appeared again on earth and began to teach the people the things which the ,savior had commanded them4 ,these three men were the greatest of all the ,nephites4 ,they were filled with the ,spirit and power of ,god1 and death had no power over them4 ,one time they were cast into prison4 ,they commanded the prison to fall1 and1 to the astonishment of all the people1 the prison fell1 but the three ,nephites walked forth unharmed4 ,on another occasion they were cast into a furnace1 but the fire had no effect upon them2 they came out unhurt4 ,then they were thrown into a den of wild beasts4 ,their persecutors expected to see them devoured immediately1 but1 to their great surprise1 the beasts became as gentle as lambs and the three disciples played with them4 ,i suppose you would like to know what became of the three ,nephites4 ,i believe they are still on the earth4 ,they are to minister among all nations1 without being known1 and shall perform great and mighty works before the ,lord shall come4 ,,the ,,reign ,,of ,,peace4 ,i am going to tell you this evening of some of the great blessings which came to the ,nephites1 after the visit of the ,savior to them4 ,the twelve disciples whom ,jesus had chosen established the true ,church in all parts of the land4 ,it was called the ,church of ,christ4 ,the ,lord told ,his disciples that that was to be the name of the ,church4 ,in order to become a member of the ,church1 a person had to repent of his sins4 ,he had to confess to the ,lord that he had broken ,his commandments1 that he felt sorry for having done so1 and that in future he would live a good life4 ,then he would be ready for baptism4 ,a man1 who had authority to baptize1 would take him down into a pond or river4 ,he would call the person by name1 and repeat the words which the ,lord had told ,his servants to use3 ,having authority given me of ,jesus ,christ1 ,i baptize you in the name of the ,father1 and of the ,son1 and of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,amen4 ,then he would immerse him in the water and bring him up again out of the water4 ,by obedience to these commandments of the ,lord1 the person was cleansed from all his sins1 and became pure and holy in the sight of ,god4 ,then the elders of the ,church would place their hands upon his head and confirm him a member of the ,church1 and say1 ,receive ye the ,holy ,ghost4 ,the ,lord was highly pleased with ,his people4 ,they all loved each other1 and took delight in helping one another4 ,the elders of the ,church had great power4 ,they were able1 through the help of the ,lord1 to heal the sick1 open the eyes of the blind1 cause the lame to walk1 and even raise the dead4 ,the ,lamanites were converted also1 and became members of the ,church of ,christ4 ,all the ill-feeling which they had towards the ,nephites was taken out of their hearts and the love of ,god took its place4 ,instead of going to war with the ,nephites1 they went to ,church with them1 and united in praising ,god for the great blessings which ,he had given them4 ,those were the happiest days the ,nephites and ,lamanites had ever known4 ,all the people were just like the members of one family4 ,there were no rich nor poor among them1 but all were equal4 ,i will tell you how they came to be in that condition4 ,when the ,church was established1 all the members who had money brought it to the authorities and had it put into a common fund4 ,all that was made after that was put into the same fund1 and each family received from time to time the amount needed for its support4 ,so1 you see1 that made the people equal in temporal things as well as in spiritual things4 ,through keeping the commandments of ,god1 the ,nephites became very strong and very beautiful4 ,they married and raised families4 ,they scattered all over the land and built up many fine cities4 ,the farms yielded abundance of food for man and beast and the orchards were laden with fruit in the season thereof4 ,every man dealt honestly with his neighbor4 ,there was neither lying1 nor stealing1 nor murdering1 nor any kind of wickedness known among the people4 ,they loved the ,lord and kept ,his commandments1 and the ,lord loved them and poured down ,his blessings upon them without measure4 ,in that blessed state the ,nephites lived for over one hundred and eighty years4 ,soon after that time a terrible change took place1 which ,i will tell you about in my next--my last--story4 ,,the ,,last ,,of ,,the ,,nephites4 ,for almost two hundred years after the ,savior's appearance among them1 the ,nephites lived in a state of perfect peace and happiness4 ,it seemed as if heaven and earth had been joined together4 ,from time to time angels came down and ministered unto the people1 bringing them glad tidings from the ,lord4 ,then certain of the ,nephites began to do things which were displeasing in the sight of ,god4 ,they did not attend to their prayers as they had done1 neither did they go to the house of the ,lord on the ,sabbath day to worship ,him4 ,they made mock of sacred things and persecuted those who remained true to the faith4 ,the ,lord took ,his ,holy ,spirit out of the hearts of those wicked people4 ,he also took the three ,nephites away from them4 ,he would not suffer ,his servants to preach to them1 for they had become so bad that they could not be brought to repentance4 ,then the ,lamanites began to make war upon the ,nephites4 ,there was a young man among the ,nephites whose name was ,mormon4 ,he had led an upright1 godly life1 and possessed great faith and courage4 ,he was chosen to lead the ,nephite army4 ,mormon armed his men and got them in readiness to meet the ,lamanites4 ,the day of battle at last arrived4 ,an army of fifty thousand ,lamanites came down upon the ,nephites4 ,in ,mormon's army there were only thirty thousand men4 ,before the battle commenced ,mormon addressed his soldiers4 ,men1 said he1 be of good courage1 the victory will be ours4 ,remember1 it is for your wives and your children1 your homes and your lands that you go out to fight this day4 ,on hearing those inspiring words the heart of every soldier in the ,nephite ranks was filled with renewed courage4 ,with swords unsheathed they marched forth boldly to meet the foe4 ,the battle commenced4 ,how long it raged ,i know not1 but the ,lamanites were finally beaten and driven back with considerable loss4 ,the ,nephites regained possession of their own lands1 and lived in peace for a number of years4 ,their victories over the ,lamanites1 instead of teaching the ,nephites humility1 caused them to become proud and boastful4 ,they did not give any glory to ,god for the success which had come to them4 ,they said it was by their own strength they had defeated their enemies1 and declared they would fight the ,lamanites till they had utterly destroyed them4 ,mormon went among his people time after time and pleaded with them to turn from their evil ways4 ,he knew that if they did not do so the judgments of ,god would come upon them4 ,they paid no attention to his pleadings1 so he told them they could get another man to take charge of their armies1 as he would no longer act as their general4 ,the ,lord saw that the ,nephites did not appreciate the blessings which ,he had bestowed upon them1 and that they had no desire to serve ,him4 ,he1 therefore1 turned away from them and left them to fight their own battles4 ,again the ,lamanites armed themselves and proclaimed war against the ,nephites4 ,feeling confident of victory1 the ,nephites entered the field of battle4 ,but the ,lord was not on their side1 so they met with a terrible defeat4 ,other battles were fought1 in which tens of thousands of ,nephites were slain4 ,i cannot describe the sorrow of ,mormon when he saw the awful destruction which had been wrought among his people4 ,he determined to make another effort to save them4 ,he again took charge of their armies and went forth to meet the ,lamanites4 ,that was the last battle between the ,nephites and ,lamanites4 ,it was fought in the vicinity of the hill ,cumorah1 and ended in the entire destruction of the ,nephites1 save one4 ,that man was named ,moroni4 ,he was the son of ,mormon1 and1 like his father1 was a lover of righteousness4 ,moroni hid himself from the ,lamanites4 ,he finished the history of his people1 and then he1 at the command of the ,lord1 deposited it in the hill ,cumorah4 ,there it lay for hundreds and hundreds of years4 ,at last the time came for it to be brought forth4 ,then the ,lord sent ,his servant ,moroni to a young man named ,joseph ,smith1 to tell him of the precious history which had been kept from the world so long4 ,four years later1 ,joseph was given the sacred record4 ,by the power of ,god he translated it into the ,english language4 ,that record is the ,book of ,mormon1 from which ,i have taken these stories4 ,may our ,heavenly ,father sanctify them to your good1 my children1 is my prayer1 in the name of ,jesus ,christ4 ,amen4