Alma 54

In the 29th year of elected judges, King Ammoron sent a message to Moroni that he wanted to exchange prisoners. This pleased Moroni for several reasons. Feeding and sheltering the Lamanite prisoners depleted his ability to provide for his own people. He also wanted the Nephite prisoners to help strengthen his army. While the Lamanites held women and children as prisoners, there was not a single woman or child among the Lamanite prisoners that he held. So Moroni developed a strategy to obtain as many Nephite prisoners in exchange as possible.

Moroni wrote back to Ammoron, saying, “I have some things to say to you about this war your brother started, and that you seem determined to continue. You should know about the justice of God, and the sword of his almighty anger that hangs over you unless you repent, quit warring on us, and remove your armies to your own lands. If you are capable of listening, you should know of the awful hell that waits to receive murderers like you and your brother have been. But since you have already rejected such warnings, and fought against God’s people, I expect you will do so again.”

“But be warned,” Moroni continued, “that we are fully prepared to receive you and to defend our lands. Unless you withdraw, the full anger of the God whom you reject will fall upon you. This will result in your complete destruction. If you don’t leave peaceably, our armies will kill you all. We will regain and protect our cities and our lands. We will maintain our religion and the cause of God. But I suspect that I talk with you about these things in vain because you are a child of the devil’s who cannot hear me.”

“Therefore I propose the following regarding the possibility of prisoner exchange. I will exchange one Lamanite prisoner for the safe return of a Nephite man, woman, and child. If you refuse this offer, I will set my armies upon you. I will arm women and children too. I will hunt you down, even in your own lands, until every one of you is killed. My people and I are extremely angry with you. You try to murder us while we only try to defend ourselves. If you continue to try and destroy us, you will have us working to destroy you.”

Ammoron angrily wrote back, “I fully intend to avenge my murdered brother’s death. I have no fear of you or your threats. You ancestors cheated and wronged our ancestors by stealing the leadership from them that was rightfully theirs. I will offer you the opportunity to lay down your weapons and become our subjects. We are the rightful governors of this land. If you do this, my people will also lay down their weapons and we can live without war. We are not afraid of your empty threats.”

“Nevertheless, I will agree to your prisoner exchange proposal. We will wage an eternal war until either all Nephites are either exterminated or subjected to our authority. As to the God who you say we rejected, we know of no such being, and neither do you. If such a creator exists, he made us both. If there is a devil and hell, surely he will surely send you there for murdering my brother. But these things are of no importance to us. I wage this war to avenge the wrongs done to my ancestors by yours, and to obtain the rights of government that were stolen from them.” [63 BC]