- And again I, Alma, having been commanded of Elohim that I should take Amulek and go forth and preach again unto this people, or the people who were in the city of Ammonihah, it came to pass, as I began to preach unto them, that they began to contend with me, saying, Who are you? Do you suppose that we shall believe the testimony of one man although he should preach unto us that the earth should pass away? Now they understood not the words which they spoke, for they knew not that the earth should pass away.55 And they said also, We will not believe your words if you should prophesy that this great city should be destroyed in one day. Now they knew not that Elohim could do such marvelous works, for they were a hard-hearted and a stiffnecked people. And they said, Who is Elohim that sends no more authority than one man among this people to declare unto them the truth of such great and marvelous things? And they stood forth to lay their hands on me, but behold, they did not.56
- And I stood with boldness to declare unto them, yes, I did boldly testify unto them, saying, Behold, O you wicked and perverse generation, how have you forgotten the tradition of your fathers? Yes, how soon you have forgotten the mitzvot of Elohim! Do you not remember that our father Lechi was brought out of Yerushalayim by the hand of Elohim? Do you not remember that they were all led by him through the wilderness? And have you forgotten so soon how many times he delivered our fathers out of the hands of their enemies and preserved them from being destroyed, even by the hands of their own brothers? Yes, and if it had not been for his matchless power, and his mercy, and his long-suffering towards us, we should unavoidably have been cut off from the face of the earth long before this period of time, and perhaps been consigned to a state of Endless misery and woe. Behold, now I say unto you that he commands you to repent. And except you repent, you can in no way inherit the kingdom of Elohim. But behold, this is not all. He has commanded you to repent, or he will utterly destroy you from off the face of the earth. Yes, he will visit you in his anger, and in his fierce anger57 he will not turn away.
- Behold, do you not remember the words which he spoke unto Lechi, saying that inasmuch as you shall keep my mitzvot, you shall prosper in the land?58 And again it is said that inasmuch as you will not keep my mitzvot, you shall be cut off from the presence of yhwh.59 Now I would that you should remember that inasmuch as the Lamanites have not kept the mitzvot of Elohim, they have been cut off from the presence of yhwh. Now we see that the word of yhwh has been verified in this thing, and the Lamanites have been cut off from his presence from the beginning of their transgressions in the land. Nevertheless, I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for them in the day of judgment than for you if you remain in your sins, yes, and even more tolerable for them in this life than for you, except you repent. For there are many promises which are extended to the Lamanites, for it is because of the traditions of their fathers that cause them to remain in their state of ignorance. Therefore, yhwh will be merciful unto them and prolong their existence in the land. And at some period of time, they will be brought to believe in his word and to know of the incorrectness of the traditions of their fathers; and many of them will be saved, for yhwh will be merciful unto all who call on his name.
- But behold, I say unto you that if you persist in your wickedness, that your days shall not be prolonged in the land,60 for the Lamanites shall be sent upon you. And if you repent not, they shall come in a time when you know not, and you shall be visited with utter destruction. And it shall be according to the fierce anger of yhwh, for he will not allow you that you shall live in your iniquities to destroy his people. I say unto you, no, he would rather allow that the Lamanites might destroy all this people who are called the people of Nefi, if it were possible that they could fall into sins and transgressions after having had so much light and so much knowledge given unto them of yhwh their Elohim — yes, after having been such a highly favored people of yhwh; yes, after having been favored above every other nation, kindred, tongue, or people; after having had all things made known unto them according to their desires, and their faith, and prayers, of that which has been, and which is, and which is to come; having been visited by the Ruach Elohim, having conversed with angels, and having been spoken unto by the voice of yhwh; and having the spirit of prophecy and the spirit of revelation; and also many gifts: the gift of speaking with tongues, and the gift of preaching, and the gift of the Ruach HaKodesh, and the gift of translation; yes, and after having been delivered by Elohim out of the land of Yerushalayim by the hand of yhwh; having been saved from famine, and from sickness, and all manner of diseases of every kind; and they having been made strong in battle, that they might not be destroyed; having been brought out of bondage time after time, and having been kept and preserved until now; and they have been prospered until they are rich in all manner of things.
- And now behold, I say unto you that if this people, who have received so many blessings from the hand of yhwh, should transgress contrary to the light and knowledge which they do have, I say unto you that if this be the case, that if they should fall into transgression, that it would be far more tolerable for the Lamanites than for them. For behold, the promises of yhwh are extended to the Lamanites, but they are not unto you if you transgress; for has not yhwh expressly promised and firmly decreed that if you will rebel against him, that you shall utterly be destroyed from off the face of the earth?61
- And now for this cause — that you may not be destroyed — yhwh has sent his angel to visit many of his people, declaring unto them that they must go forth and cry mightily unto this people, saying, Repent, repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is nearly at hand. And not many days hence, the Son of Elohim shall come in his glory, and his glory shall be the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, equity, and truth; full of patience, mercy, and long-suffering, quick to hear the cries of his people and to answer their prayers. And behold, he comes to redeem those who will be immersed unto repentance through faith on his name. Therefore, prepare you the way of yhwh, for the time is at hand that all men shall reap a reward for their works, according to that which they have been: if they have been righteous, they shall reap the salvation of their souls according to the power and deliverance of Yeshua HaMashiach; and if they have been evil, they shall reap the damnation of their souls according to the power and captivity of HaSatan; now behold, this is the voice of the angel crying unto the people. And now, my beloved brothers, for you are my brothers and you ought to be beloved, and you ought to bring forth works showing repentance, seeing that your hearts have been enormously hardened against the word of Elohim, and seeing that you are a lost and a fallen people.62
- Now it came to pass that when I, Alma, had spoken these words, behold, the people were angry with me because I said unto them that they were a hard-hearted and a stiffnecked people. And also because I said unto them that they were a lost and fallen people, they were angry with me and sought to lay their hands upon me, that they might cast me into prison. But it came to pass that yhwh did not allow them that they should take me at that time and cast me into prison.
- And it came to pass that Amulek went and stood forth, and began to preach unto them also. And now the words of Amulek are not all written; nevertheless, a part of his words are written in this book.
THE BOOK OF ALMA Chapter 7
The words of Alma, and also the words of Amulek, which were declared unto the people who were in the land of Ammonihah. And also, they are cast into prison, and delivered by the miraculous power of Elohim which was in them, according to the record of Alma.