Alma 24

When the king died, he gave his kingdom to his son named Anti-Nephi-Lehi. The Lamanites who would not believe in the Lord did not want him to rule them. They took up weapons to fight the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi. But the Anti-Nephi-Lehites would not fight, not even one of them.

King Anti-Nephi-Lehi told his people: I thank God for sending our brothers, the Nephites, to us. I thank God that he allows us to repent and be forgiven of our many sins and murders. Since God has washed away the stains from our swords, we cannot afford to stain them again.

God told me that if we stain our swords again he will not wash them clean. God has mercy on us, because he loves us. Let us hide our swords to show him we will not kill again. Bury them deep. If our brothers kill us, we will go to God and we will be saved.

When the king said these things, the people buried their swords and all their weapons deep in the ground. They did this to show God they would rather give up their own lives than kill again.

The unbelieving Lamanites sent their armies to kill the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi. The people went and laid down on the ground in front of the Lamanite armies.

The Lamanites began to kill them with the sword. They killed one thousand and five. Then the Lamanites became amazed that the Anti-Nephi-Lehites would not run or turn away. They would lie down, be killed and even praise God while they were being killed.

The Lamanites stopped killing and threw down their weapons. Their hearts became filled with mercy. They remembered their own sins.

Many Lamanites joined the people of the Lord, even more than the number of Anti-Nephi-Lehites who had been killed. We believe those who died went to God. The Lord works in many ways to save his children.