THE BOOK OF ALMA Chapter 12

    An account of the sons of Moshiyah, who rejected their rights to the kingdom for the word of Elohim and went up to the land of Nefi to preach to the Lamanites. Their sufferings and deliverance according to the record of Alma.101

  1. And now it came to pass that as Alma was journeying from the land of Gideon, southward, away to the land of Manti, behold, to his astonishment he met the sons of Moshiyah journeying towards the land of Zerach’mla. Now these sons of Moshiyah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him. Therefore, Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brothers; and what added more to his joy — they were still his brothers in yhwh. Yes, and they had grown strong in the knowledge of the truth, for they were men of a sound understanding, and they had searched the scriptures diligently that they might know the word of Elohim. But this is not all. They had given themselves to much prayer and fasting, therefore they had the spirit of prophecy and the spirit of revelation; and when they taught, they taught with power and authority, even as with the power and authority of Elohim.102 And they had been teaching the word of Elohim for the space of fourteen years among the Lamanites, having had much success in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth. Yes, by the power of their words, many were brought before the altar of Elohim to call on his name and confess their sins before him. Now these are the circumstances which attended them in their journeyings, for they had many afflictions: they did suffer much, both in the body and in mind, such as hunger, thirst, and fatigue, and also much labor in the spirit. Now these were their journeyings: having taken leave of their father Moshiyah in the first year of the reign of the judges, having refused the kingdom which their father was desirous to confer upon them (and also this was the mind of the people); nevertheless, they departed out of the land of Zerach’mla, and took their swords, and their spears, and their bows, and their arrows, and their slings — and this they did that they might provide food for themselves while in the wilderness. And thus they departed into the wilderness with their numbers which they had selected, to go up to the land of Nefi to preach the word of Elohim unto the Lamanites.
  2. And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed much that yhwh would grant unto them a portion of his spirit to go with them and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of Elohim to bring, if it were possible, their brothers the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth, to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers which were not correct.103
  3. And it came to pass that yhwh did visit them with his spirit, and said unto them, Be comforted; and they were comforted. And yhwh said unto them also, Go forth among the Lamanites, your brothers, and establish my word; yet you shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that you may show forth good examples unto me. And I will make an instrument of you in my hands unto the salvation of many souls. And it came to pass that the hearts of the sons of Moshiyah, and also those who were with them, took courage to go forth unto the Lamanites to declare unto them the word of Elohim.
  4. And it came to pass when they had arrived in the borders of the land of the Lamanites, that they separated themselves and departed one from another, trusting in yhwh that they should meet again at the close of their harvest; for they supposed that great was the work which they had undertaken. And assuredly it was great, for they had undertaken to preach the word of Elohim to a wild, and a hardened, and a ferocious people, a people who delighted in murdering the Nefites, and robbing and plundering them. And their hearts were set upon riches,104 or upon gold and silver and precious stones; yet they sought to obtain these things by murdering and plundering, that they might not labor for them with their own hands. Thus, they were a very indolent people, many of whom did worship idols. And the curse of Elohim had fallen upon them because of the traditions of their fathers, even though the promises of yhwh were extended unto them on the conditions of repentance.105 Therefore, this was the cause for which the sons of Moshiyah had undertaken the work — that perhaps they might bring them unto repentance, that perhaps they might bring them to know of the plan of redemption. Therefore, they separated themselves one from another and went forth among them, every man alone, according to the word and power of Elohim which was given unto him.
  5. Now Ammon being the chief among them, or rather, he did administer unto them, he departed from them after having blessed them according to their several stations, having made known the word of Elohim unto them, or administered unto them, before his departure. And thus they took their several journeys throughout the land. And Ammon went to the land of Yishma’el, the land being called after the sons of Yishma’el who also became Lamanites. And as Ammon entered the land of Yishma’el, the Lamanites took him and bound him, as was their custom to bind all the Nefites who fell into their hands and carry them before the king. And thus it was left to the pleasure of the king to slay them, or to retain them in captivity, or to cast them into prison, or to cast them out of his land, according to his will and pleasure. And thus Ammon was carried before the king who was over the land of Yishma’el; and his name was Lamoni, and he was a descendant of Yishma’el. And the king inquired of Ammon if it were his desire to dwell in the land among the Lamanites, or among his people. And Ammon said unto him, Yes, I desire to dwell among this people for a time, yes, and perhaps until the day I die.
  6. And it came to pass that king Lamoni was much pleased with Ammon, and caused that his bands should be loosed; and he would that Ammon should take one of his daughters to wife. But Ammon said unto him, No, but I will be your servant. Therefore, Ammon became a servant to king Lamoni. And it came to pass that he was set among other servants to watch the flocks of Lamoni, according to the custom of the Lamanites. And after he had been in the service of the king three days, as he was with the Lamanitish servants going forth with their flocks to the place of water, which was called the water of Sebus —and all the Lamanites drove their flocks here that they may have water — therefore, as Ammon and the servants of the king were driving forth their flocks to this place of water, behold, a certain number of the Lamanites, who had been with their flocks to water, stood and scattered the flocks of Ammon and the servants of the king; and they scattered them insomuch that they fled many ways.
  7. Now the servants of the king began to murmur, saying, Now the king will slay us, as he has our brothers, because their flocks were scattered by the wickedness of these men. And they began to weep exceedingly, saying, Behold, our flocks are scattered already. Now they wept because of the fear of being slain. Now when Ammon saw this, his heart was swollen within him with joy; for, said he, I will show forth my power unto these my fellow servants, or the power which is in me, in restoring these flocks unto the king, that I may win the hearts of these my fellow servants, that I may lead them to believe in my words. Now these were the thoughts of Ammon when he saw the affliction of those whom he termed to be his brothers.
  8. And it came to pass that he soothed them by his words, saying, My brothers, be of good cheer, and let us go in search of the flocks, and we will gather them together and bring them back unto the place of water. And thus we will reserve the flocks unto the king and he will not slay us.
  9. And it came to pass that they went in search of the flocks, and they did follow Ammon. And they rushed forth with much swiftness, and did go in front of the flocks of the king, and did gather them together again to the place of water. And those men again stood to scatter their flocks, but Ammon said unto his brothers, Encircle the flocks round about that they flee not, and I will go and contend with these men who do scatter our flocks. Therefore, they did as Ammon had commanded them; and he went forth and stood to contend with those who stood by the waters of Sebus. And they were in number not a few, therefore they did not fear Ammon, for they supposed that one of their men could slay him according to their pleasure. For they knew not that yhwh had promised Moshiyah that he would deliver his sons out of their hands, neither did they know anything concerning yhwh. Therefore, they delighted in the destruction of their brothers, and for this cause they stood to scatter the flocks of the king.
  10. But Ammon stood forth and began to cast stones at them with his sling; yes, with mighty power he did sling stones among them. And thus he slew a certain number of them, insomuch that they began to be astonished at his power. Nevertheless, they were angry because of the slain of their brothers, and they were determined that he should fall. Therefore, seeing that they could not hit him with their stones, they came forth with clubs to slay him. But behold, every man that lifted his club to strike Ammon, he cut off their arms with his sword, for he did withstand their blows by striking their arms with the edge of his sword, insomuch that they began to be astonished and began to flee before him. Yes, and they were not few in number; and he caused them to flee by the strength of his arm. Now six of them had fallen by the sling, but he slew none except it were their leader with his sword; and he struck off as many of their arms as were lifted against him, and they were not a few. And when he had driven them afar off, he returned, and they watered their flocks and returned them to the pasture of the king, and then went in unto the king, bearing the arms which had been cut off by the sword of Ammon, of those who sought to slay him. And they were carried in unto the king for a testimony of the things which they had done.
  11. And it came to pass that king Lamoni caused that his servants should stand forth and testify to all the things which they had seen concerning the matter. And when they had all testified to the things which they had seen, and he had learned of the faithfulness of Ammon in preserving his flocks, and also of his great power in contending against those who sought to slay him, he was astonished exceedingly, and said, Surely this is more than a man. Behold, is not this the Great Spirit who does send such great punishments upon this people because of their murders? And they answered the king and said, Whether he be the Great Spirit or a man, we know not; but this much we do know, that he cannot be slain by the enemies of the king, neither can they scatter the king’s flocks when he is with us because of his expertness and great strength. Therefore, we know that he is a friend to the king. And now, O king, we do not believe that a man has such great power, for we know that he cannot be slain. And now when the king heard these words, he said unto them, Now I know that it is the Great Spirit, and he has come down at this time to preserve your lives, that I might not slay you as I did your brothers. Now this is the Great Spirit of whom our fathers have spoken. Now this was the tradition of Lamoni which he had received from his father — that there was a Great Spirit. Even though they believed in a Great Spirit, they supposed that whatsoever they did was right. Nevertheless, Lamoni began to fear exceedingly, with fear106 that he had done wrong in slaying his servants; for he had slain many of them because their brothers had scattered their flocks at the place of water. And thus, because they had had their flocks scattered, they were slain. Now it was the practice of these Lamanites to stand by the waters of Sebus to scatter the flocks of the people, that thereby they might drive away many that were scattered unto their own land, it being a practice of plunder among them.
  12. And it came to pass that king Lamoni inquired of his servants, saying, Where is this man that has such great power? And they said unto him, Behold, he is feeding your horses. Now the king had commanded his servants, previous to the time of the watering of their flocks, that they should prepare his horses and his chariots and conduct him forth to the land of Nefi, for there had been a great feast appointed at the land of Nefi by the father of Lamoni, who was king over all the land. Now when king Lamoni heard that Ammon was preparing his horses and his chariots, he was more astonished because of the faithfulness of Ammon, saying, Surely there has not been any servant among all my servants that has been so faithful as this man, for even he does remember all my commandments to execute them. Now I surely know that this is the Great Spirit, and I would desire him that he come in unto me, but I dare not.
  13. And it came to pass that when Ammon had made ready the horses and the chariots for the king and his servants, he went in unto the king. And he saw that the countenance of the king was changed. Therefore, he was about to return out of his presence, and one of the king’s servants said unto him, Rabbanah107 — which is (being interpreted) powerful or great108 king, considering their kings to be powerful; and thus he said unto him, Rabbanah — the king desires you to stay. Therefore, Ammon turned himself unto the king and said unto him, What will you that I should do for you, O king? And the king answered him not for the space of an hour according to their time, for he knew not what he should say unto him. And it came to pass that Ammon said unto him again, What do you desire of me? But the king answered him not.
  14. And it came to pass that Ammon, being filled with the Ruach Elohim, therefore he perceived the thoughts of the king. And he said unto him, Is it because you have heard that I defended your servants and your flocks? And slew seven of their brothers with the sling and with the sword, and cut off the arms of others in order to defend your flocks and your servants? Behold, is it this that causes your marvelings? I say unto you, why is it that your marvelings are so great? Behold, I am a man, and am your servant. Therefore, whatsoever you desire which is right, that will I do. Now when the king had heard these words, he marveled again, for he beheld that Ammon could discern his thoughts. But despite this, king Lamoni did open his mouth and said unto him, Who are you? Are you that Great Spirit who knows all things? Ammon answered and said unto him, I am not. And the king said, How do you know the thoughts of my heart? You may speak boldly and tell me concerning these things, and also tell me by what power you slew and cut off the arms of my brothers that scattered my flocks. And now, if you will tell me concerning these things, whatsoever you desire I will give unto you. And if it were needed, I would guard you with my armies, but I know that you are more powerful than all they. Nevertheless, whatsoever you desire of me, I will grant it unto you. Now Ammon being wise yet harmless, he said unto Lamoni, Will you hearken unto my words if I tell you by what power I do these things? And this is the thing that I desire of you. And the king answered him and said, Yes, I will believe all your words. And thus he was caught by the craftiness of Ammon.
  15. And Ammon began to speak unto him with boldness, and said unto him, Do you believe that there is an Elohim? And he answered unto him, I do not know what that means. And then Ammon said, Do you believe that there is a Great Spirit? And he said, Yes. And Ammon said, This is Elohim. And Ammon said unto him again, Do you believe that this Great Spirit, who is Elohim, created all things which are in Heaven and in the earth? And he said, Yes, I believe that he created all things which are in the earth, but I do not know the Heavens. And Ammon said unto him, The Heavens are a place where Elohim dwells, and all his holy angels. And king Lamoni said, Is it above the earth? And Ammon said, Yes, and he looks down upon all the children of men; and he knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart, for by his hand were they all created from the beginning. And king Lamoni said, I believe all these things which you have spoken. Are you sent from Elohim? Ammon said unto him, I am a man, and man in the beginning was created after the image of Elohim. And I am called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true; and a portion of that spirit dwells in me, which gives me knowledge and also power, according to my faith and desires which are in Elohim.
  16. Now when Ammon had said these words, he began at the creation of the world, and also at the creation of Adam, and told him all the things concerning the fall of man, and rehearsed and laid before him the records and the holy scriptures of the people which had been spoken by the prophets, even down to the time that their father Lechi left Yerushalayim. And he also rehearsed unto them (for he spoke unto the king and to his servants) all the journeyings of their fathers in the wilderness, and all their sufferings with hunger and thirst, and their travel, and so forth. And he also rehearsed unto them concerning the rebellions of Laman, and L’mu’el, and the sons of Yishma’el — yes, all their rebellions did he relate unto them. And he expounded unto them all the records and scriptures from the time that Lechi left Yerushalayim down to the present time. But this is not all, for he explained unto them the plan of redemption which was prepared from the foundation of the world;109 and he also made known unto them concerning the coming of Mashiach, and all the works of yhwh did he make known unto them.110
  17. And it came to pass that after he had said all these things and expounded them to the king, that the king believed all his words. And he began to cry unto yhwh, saying, O yhwh, have mercy, according to your abundant mercy which you have had upon the people of Nefi, have also upon me and my people. And now when he had said this, he fell unto the earth as if he were dead. And it came to pass that his servants took him, and carried him in unto his wife, and laid him upon a bed. And he lay as if he were dead for the space of two days and two nights; and his wife, and his sons, and his daughters mourned over him after the manner of the Lamanites, greatly lamenting his loss.
  18. And it came to pass that after two days and two nights, they were about to take his body and lay it into a sepulcher which they had made for the purpose of burying their dead. Now the queen having heard of the fame of Ammon, therefore she sent and desired that he should come in unto her. And it came to pass that Ammon did as he was commanded and went in unto the queen, and desired to know what she would that he should do. And she said unto him, The servants of my husband have made it known unto me that you are a prophet of a holy Elohim, and that you have power to do many mighty works in his name; therefore, if this is the case, I would that you should go in and see my husband, for he has been laid upon his bed for the space of two days and two nights. And some say that he is not dead, but others say that he is dead, and that he stinks, and that he ought to be placed in the sepulcher; but as for myself, to me he does not stink.
  19. Now this was what Ammon desired, for he knew that king Lamoni was under the power of Elohim; he knew that the dark veil of unbelief was being cast away from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind — which was the light of the glory of Elohim, which was a marvelous light of his goodness — yes, this light had infused much joy into his soul, the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and that the light of everlasting life was lit111 up in his soul. Yes, he knew that this had overcome his natural frame, and he was carried away in Elohim.112 Therefore, what the queen desired of him was his only desire. Therefore, he went in to see the king according as the queen had desired him; and he saw the king and he knew that he was not dead. And he said unto the queen, He is not dead, but he sleeps in Elohim, and tomorrow he shall rise again; therefore, bury him not. And Ammon said unto her, Do you believe this? And she said unto him, I have had no witness except your word and the word of our servants; nevertheless, I believe that it shall be according as you have said. And Ammon said unto her, Blessed are you because of your exceeding faith. I say unto you, woman, there has not been such great faith among all the people of the Nefites.
  20. And it came to pass that she watched over the bed of her husband from that time, even until that time the next day which Ammon had appointed that he should rise. And it came to pass that he arose according to the words of Ammon; and as he arose, he stretched forth his hand unto the woman, and said, Blessed be the name of Elohim, and blessed are you; for as sure as you live, behold, I have seen my Redeemer;113 and he shall come forth and be born of a woman, and he shall redeem all mankind who believe on his name. Now when he had said these words, his heart was swollen within him and he sunk again with joy; and the queen also sunk down, being overpowered by the spirit. Now Ammon, seeing the spirit of yhwh poured out according to his prayers upon the Lamanites — his brothers — who had been the cause of so much mourning among the Nefites, or among all the people of Elohim, because of their iniquities and their traditions — he fell upon his knees and began to pour out his soul in prayer and thanksgiving to Elohim for what he had done for his brothers; and he was also overpowered with joy, and thus they all three had sunk to the earth. Now when the servants of the king had seen that they had fallen, they also began to cry unto Elohim, for the fear of yhwh had come upon them also, for it was they who had stood before the king and testified unto him concerning the great power of Ammon.
  21. And it came to pass that they did call on the name of yhwh in their might, even until they had all fallen to the earth, except it were one of the Lamanitish women whose name was Abish. She, having been converted unto yhwh for many years on account of a remarkable vision of her father (thus having been converted to yhwh), yet she never had made it known. Therefore, when she saw that all the servants of Lamoni had fallen to the earth, and also her mistress the queen, and the king, and Ammon lay prostrate upon the earth, she knew that it was the power of Elohim; and supposing that this was an opportunity, by making known unto the people what had happened among them, that by beholding this scene it would cause them to believe in the power of Elohim, therefore she ran forth from house to house making it known unto the people. And they began to assemble themselves together unto the house of the king.
  22. And there came a multitude, and to their astonishment they beheld the king, and the queen, and their servants, prostrate upon the earth; and they all lay there as though they were dead. And they also saw Ammon, and behold, he was a Nefite. And now the people began to murmur among themselves, some saying that it was a great evil that had come upon them, or upon the king and his house, because he had allowed that the Nefite should remain in the land. But others rebuked them, saying, The king has brought this evil upon his house because he slew his servants who had had their flocks scattered at the waters of Sebus. And they were also rebuked by those men who had stood at the waters of Sebus and scattered the flocks which belonged to the king, for they were angry with Ammon because of the number which he had slain of their brothers at the waters of Sebus while defending the flocks of the king. Now one of them, whose brother had been slain with the sword of Ammon, being exceedingly angry with Ammon, drew his sword and went forth, that he might let it fall upon Ammon to slay him. And as he lifted the sword to strike him, behold, he fell dead. Now we see that Ammon could not be slain, for yhwh had said unto Moshiyah, his father, I will spare him, and it shall be unto him according to your faith. Therefore, Moshiyah entrusted him unto yhwh.
  23. And it came to pass that when the multitude beheld that the man had fallen dead who lifted the sword to slay Ammon, fear came upon them all, and they dared not put forth their hands to touch him, or any of those who had fallen; and they began to marvel again among themselves about what could be the cause of this great power, or what all these things could mean.
  24. And it came to pass that there were many among them who said that Ammon was the Great Spirit, and others said he was sent by the Great Spirit; but others rebuked them all, saying that he was a monster who had been sent from the Nefites to torment us. And there were some who said that Ammon was sent by the Great Spirit to afflict them because of their iniquities, and that it was the Great Spirit who had always attended the Nefites, who had continually delivered them out of their hands. And they said that it was this Great Spirit who had destroyed so many of their brothers, the Lamanites. And thus the contention began to be exceedingly sharp among them. And while they were thus contending, the woman servant who had caused the multitude to be gathered together came; and when she saw the contention which was among the multitude, she was exceedingly sorrowful, even unto tears.
  25. And it came to pass that she went and took the queen by the hand, that perhaps she might raise her from the ground. And as soon as she touched her hand, she arose and stood upon her feet, and cried with a loud voice, saying, O blessed Yeshua who has saved me from an awful She’ol! O blessed Elohim, have mercy on this people! And when she had said this, she clapped her hands, being filled with joy, speaking many words which were not understood. And when she had done this, she took the king, Lamoni, by the hand; and behold, he arose and stood upon his feet. And he, immediately seeing the contention among his people, went forth and began to rebuke them and to teach them the words which he had heard from the mouth of Ammon. And as many as heard his words believed, and were converted unto yhwh. But there were many among them who would not hear his words; therefore, they went their way.
  26. And it came to pass that when Ammon arose, he also administered unto them, as also did all the servants of Lamoni. And they did all declare unto the people the very same thing: that their hearts had been changed, that they had no more desire to do evil. And behold, many did declare unto the people that they had seen angels and had conversed with them,114 and thus they had told them things of Elohim and of his righteousness. And it came to pass that there were many that did believe in their words; and as many as did believe were washed by immersion, and they became a righteous people, and they did establish an assembly among them. And thus the work of yhwh did commence among the Lamanites; thus, yhwh did begin to pour out his spirit upon them; and we see that his arm is extended to all people who will repent and believe on his name.
  27. And it came to pass that when they had established an assembly in that land, that king Lamoni desired that Ammon should go with him to the land of Nefi, that he might show him unto his father. And the voice of yhwh came to Ammon, saying, You shall not go up to the land of Nefi; for behold, the king will seek your life. But you shall go to the land of Middoni, for behold, your brother Aharon, and also Muloki and Ammah, are in prison.
  28. Now it came to pass that when Ammon had heard this, he said unto Lamoni, Behold, my brother and brothers are in prison at Middoni, and I go that I may deliver them. Now Lamoni said unto Ammon, I know in the strength of yhwh you can do all things. But behold, I will go with you to the land of Middoni, for the king of the land of Middoni, whose name is Antiomno, is a friend unto me; therefore, I go to the land of Middoni that I may appease the king of the land, and he will cast your brothers out of prison. Now Lamoni said unto him, Who told you that your brothers were in prison? And Ammon said unto him, No one has told me, except it be Elohim; and he said unto me, Go and deliver your brothers, for they are in prison in the land of Middoni. Now when Lamoni had heard this, he caused that his servants should make ready his horses and his chariots. And he said unto Ammon, Come, I will go with you down to the land of Middoni, and there I will plead with the king that he will cast your brothers out of prison.
  29. And it came to pass that as Ammon and Lamoni were journeying there, that they met the father of Lamoni, who was king over all the land. And behold, the father of Lamoni said unto him, Why did you not come to the feast on that great day when I made a feast unto my sons and unto my people?115 And he also said, Where are you going with this Nefite who is one of the children of a liar? And it came to pass that Lamoni rehearsed unto him where he was going, for he feared to offend him. And he also told him all the cause of his remaining in his own kingdom, that he did not go unto his father to the feast which he had prepared. And now when Lamoni had rehearsed unto him all these things, behold, to his astonishment, his father was angry with him, and said, Lamoni, you are going to deliver these Nefites who are sons of a liar. Behold, he robbed our fathers, and now his children have also come among us, that they may, by their cunning and their lies, deceive us, that they again may rob us of our property. Now the father of Lamoni commanded him that he should slay Ammon with the sword. And he also commanded him that he should not go to the land of Middoni, but that he should return with him to the land of Yishma’el. But Lamoni said unto him, I will not slay Ammon, neither will I return to the land of Yishma’el, but I go to the land of Middoni that I may release the brothers of Ammon; for I know that they are just men, and holy prophets of the true Elohim.
  30. Now when his father heard these words, he was angry with him, and he drew his sword that he might strike him to the earth. But Ammon stood forth and said unto him, Behold, you shall not slay your son. Nevertheless, it were better that he should fall than you, for behold, he has repented of his sins. But if you should fall at this time in your anger, your soul could not be saved. And again, it is expedient that you should stop, for if you should slay your son, he being an innocent man, his blood would cry from the ground to yhwh his Elohim for vengeance to come upon you, and perhaps you would lose your soul. Now when Ammon had said these words unto him, he answered him, saying, I know that if I should slay my son, that I should shed innocent blood; for it is you that has sought to destroy him. And he stretched forth his hand to slay Ammon, but Ammon withstood his blows, and also struck his arm, that he could not use it. Now when the king saw that Ammon could slay him, he began to plead with Ammon that he would spare his life. But Ammon raised his sword and said unto him, Behold, I will slay you, except you will grant unto me that my brothers may be cast out of prison. Now the king, fearing that he should lose his life, said, If you will spare me, I will grant unto you whatsoever you will ask, even to the half of the kingdom.
  31. Now when Ammon saw that he had worked upon the old king according to his desire, he said unto him, If you will grant that my brothers may be cast out of prison, and also that Lamoni may retain his kingdom, and that you be not displeased with him, but grant that he may do according to his own desires in whatsoever thing he thinks, then will I spare you; otherwise, I will strike you to the earth. Now when Ammon had said these words, the king began to rejoice because of his life. And when he saw that Ammon had no desire to destroy him, and when he also saw the great love he had for his son Lamoni, he was astonished exceedingly, and said, Because this is all that you have desired, that I would release your brothers and allow that my son Lamoni should retain his kingdom, behold, I will grant unto you that my son may retain his kingdom from this time and for ever, and I will govern him no more. And I will also grant unto you that your brothers may be cast out of prison, and you and your brothers may come unto me in my kingdom, for I shall greatly desire to see you. For the king was greatly astonished at the words which he had spoken, and also at the words which had been spoken by his son Lamoni; therefore, he was desirous to learn them.
  32. And it came to pass that Ammon and Lamoni proceeded on their journey towards the land of Middoni. And Lamoni found favor in the eyes of the king of the land; therefore, the brothers of Ammon were brought forth out of prison. And when Ammon did meet them, he was exceedingly sorrowful; for behold, they were naked, and their skins were worn exceedingly because of being bound with strong cords. And they also had suffered hunger, thirst, and all kinds of afflictions; nevertheless, they were patient in all their sufferings. And as it happened, it was their lot to have fallen into the hands of a more hardened and a more stiffnecked people; therefore, they would not hearken unto their words, and they had cast them out, and had beaten them, and had driven them from house to house and from place to place, even until they had arrived at the land of Middoni. And there they were taken and cast into prison, and bound with strong cords, and kept in prison for many days, and were delivered by Lamoni and Ammon.