The Book of Mormon Part 96

Helaman 4:7 7 And there they did fortify against the Lamanites, from the west sea, even unto the east; it being a day's journey for a Nephite, on the line which they had fortified and stationed their armies to defend their north country.

Helaman 4:8 8 And thus those dissenters of the Nephites, with the help of a numerous army of the Lamanites, had obtained all the possession of the Nephites which was in the land southward. And all this was done in the fifty and eighth and ninth years of the reign of the judges.

Helaman 4:9 9 And it came to pa.s.s in the sixtieth year of the reign of the judges, Moronihah did succeed with his armies in obtaining many parts of the land; yea, they regained many cities which had fallen into the hands of the Lamanites.

Helaman 4:10 10 And it came to pa.s.s in the sixty and first year of the reign of the judges they succeeded in regaining even the half of all their possessions.

Helaman 4:11 11 Now this great loss of the Nephites, and the great slaughter which was among them, would not have happened had it not been for their wickedness and their abomination which was among them; yea, and it was among those also who professed to belong to the church of G.o.d.

Helaman 4:12 12 And it was because of the pride of their hearts, because of their exceeding riches, yea, it was because of their oppression to the poor, withholding their food from the hungry, withholding their clothing from the naked, and smiting their humble brethren upon the cheek, making a mock of that which was sacred, denying the spirit of prophecy and of revelation, murdering, plundering, lying, stealing, committing adultery, rising up in great contentions, and deserting away into the land of Nephi, among the Lamanites--

Helaman 4:13 13 And because of this their great wickedness, and their boastings in their own strength, they were left in their own strength; therefore they did not prosper, but were afflicted and smitten, and driven before the Lamanites, until they had lost possession of almost all their lands.

Helaman 4:14 14 But behold, Moronihah did preach many things unto the people because of their iniquity, and also Nephi and Lehi, who were the sons of Helaman, did preach many things unto the people, yea, and did prophesy many things unto them concerning their iniquities, and what should come unto them if they did not repent of their sins.

Helaman 4:15 15 And it came to pa.s.s that they did repent, and inasmuch as they did repent they did begin to prosper.

Helaman 4:16 16 For when Moronihah saw that they did repent he did venture to lead them forth from place to place, and from city to city, even until they had regained the one-half of their property and the one-half of all their lands.

Helaman 4:17 17 And thus ended the sixty and first year of the reign of the judges.

Helaman 4:18 18 And it came to pa.s.s in the sixty and second year of the reign of the judges, that Moronihah could obtain no more possessions over the Lamanites.

Helaman 4:19 19 Therefore they did abandon their design to obtain the remainder of their lands, for so numerous were the Lamanites that it became impossible for the Nephites to obtain more power over them; therefore Moronihah did employ all his armies in maintaining those parts which he had taken.

Helaman 4:20 20 And it came to pa.s.s, because of the greatness of the number of the Lamanites the Nephites were in great fear, lest they should be overpowered, and trodden down, and slain, and destroyed.

Helaman 4:21 21 Yea, they began to remember the prophecies of Alma, and also the words of Mosiah; and they saw that they had been a stiffnecked people, and that they had set at naught the commandments of G.o.d.

Helaman 4:22 22 And that they had altered and trampled under their feet the laws of Mosiah, or that which the Lord commanded him to give unto the people; and they saw that their laws had become corrupted, and that they had become a wicked people, insomuch that they were wicked even like unto the Lamanites.

Helaman 4:23 23 And because of their iniquity the church had begun to dwindle; and they began to disbelieve in the spirit of prophecy and in the spirit of revelation; and the judgments of G.o.d did stare them in the face.

Helaman 4:24 24 And they saw that they had become weak, like unto their brethren, the Lamanites, and that the Spirit of the Lord did no more preserve them; yea, it had withdrawn from them because the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples--

Helaman 4:25 25 Therefore the Lord did cease to preserve them by his miraculous and matchless power, for they had fallen into a state of unbelief and awful wickedness; and they saw that the Lamanites were exceedingly more numerous than they, and except they should cleave unto the Lord their G.o.d, they must unavoidably perish.

Helaman 4:26 26 For behold, they saw that the strength of the Lamanites was as great as their strength, even man for man. And thus had they fallen into this great transgression; yea, thus had they become weak, because of their transgression, in the s.p.a.ce of not many years.

Helaman 5 Chapter 5

Helaman 5:1 1 And it came to pa.s.s that in this same year, behold, Nephi delivered up the judgment-seat to a man whose name was Cezoram.

Helaman 5:2 2 For as their laws and their governments were established by the voice of the people, and they who chose evil were more numerous than they who chose good, therefore they were ripening for destruction, for the laws had become corrupted.

Helaman 5:3 3 Yea, and this was not all; they were a stiffnecked people, insomuch that they could not be governed by the law nor justice, save it were to their destruction.

Helaman 5:4 4 And it came to pa.s.s that Nephi had become weary because of their iniquity; and he yielded up the judgment-seat, and took it upon him to preach the word of G.o.d all the remainder of his days, and his brother Lehi also, all the remainder of his days;

Helaman 5:5 5 For they remembered the words which their father Helaman spake unto them. And these are the words which he spake:

Helaman 5:6 6 Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of G.o.d; and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words. Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good.

Helaman 5:7 7 Therefore, my sons, I would that ye should do that which is good, that it may be said of you, and also written, even as it has been said and written of them.

Helaman 5:8 8 And now my sons, behold I have somewhat more to desire of you, which desire is, that ye may not do these things that ye may boast, but that ye may do these things to lay up for yourselves a treasure in heaven, yea, which is eternal, and which fadeth not away; yea, that ye may have that precious gift of eternal life, which we have reason to suppose hath been given to our fathers.

Helaman 5:9 9 O remember, remember, my sons, the words which king Benjamin spake unto his people; yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come, yea, remember that he cometh to redeem the world.

Helaman 5:10 10 And remember also the words which Amulek spake unto Zeezrom, in the city of Ammonihah; for he said unto him that the Lord surely should come to redeem his people, but that he should not come to redeem them in their sins, but to redeem them from their sins.

Helaman 5:11 11 And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance; therefore he hath sent his angels to declare the tidings of the conditions of repentance, which bringeth unto the power of the Redeemer, unto the salvation of their souls.

Helaman 5:12 12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of G.o.d, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

Helaman 5:13 13 And it came to pa.s.s that these were the words which Helaman taught to his sons; yea, he did teach them many things which are not written, and also many things which are written.

Helaman 5:14 14 And they did remember his words; and therefore they went forth, keeping the commandments of G.o.d, to teach the word of G.o.d among all the people of Nephi, beginning at the city Bountiful;

Helaman 5:15 15 And from thenceforth to the city of Gid; and from the city of Gid to the city of Mulek;

Helaman 5:16 16 And even from one city to another, until they had gone forth among all the people of Nephi who were in the land southward; and from thence into the land of Zarahemla, among the Lamanites.

Helaman 5:17 17 And it came to pa.s.s that they did preach with great power, insomuch that they did confound many of those dissenters who had gone over from the Nephites, insomuch that they came forth and did confess their sins and were baptized unto repentance, and immediately returned to the Nephites to endeavor to repair unto them the wrongs which they had done.

Helaman 5:18 18 And it came to pa.s.s that Nephi and Lehi did preach unto the Lamanites with such great power and authority, for they had power and authority, given unto them that they might speak, and they also had what they should speak given unto them--

Helaman 5:19 19 Therefore they did speak unto the great astonishment of the Lamanites, to the convincing them, insomuch that there were eight thousand of the Lamanites who were in the land of Zarahemla and round about baptized unto repentance, and were convinced of the wickedness of the traditions of their fathers.

Helaman 5:20 20 And it came to pa.s.s that Nephi and Lehi did proceed from thence to go to the land of Nephi.

Helaman 5:21 21 And it came to pa.s.s that they were taken by an army of the Lamanites and cast into prison; yea, even in that same prison in which Ammon and his brethren were cast by the servants of Limhi.

Helaman 5:22 22 And after they had been cast into prison many days without food, behold, they went forth into the prison to take them that they might slay them.

Helaman 5:23 23 And it came to pa.s.s that Nephi and Lehi were encircled about as if by fire, even insomuch that they durst not lay their hands upon them for fear lest they should be burned. Nevertheless, Nephi and Lehi were not burned; and they were as standing in the midst of fire and were not burned.

Helaman 5:24 24 And when they saw that they were encircled about with a pillar of fire, and that it burned them not, their hearts did take courage.

Helaman 5:25 25 For they saw that the Lamanites durst not lay their hands upon them; neither durst they come near unto them, but stood as if they were struck dumb with amazement.

Helaman 5:26 26 And it came to pa.s.s that Nephi and Lehi did stand forth and began to speak unto them, saying: Fear not, for behold, it is G.o.d that has shown unto you this marvelous thing, in the which is shown unto you that ye cannot lay your hands on us to slay us.

Helaman 5:27 27 And behold, when they had said these words, the earth shook exceedingly, and the walls of the prison did shake as if they were about to tumble to the earth; but behold, they did not fall.

And behold, they that were in the prison were Lamanites and Nephites who were dissenters.

Helaman 5:28 28 And it came to pa.s.s that they were overshadowed with a cloud of darkness, and an awful solemn fear came upon them.