Ether 15

Coriantumr recovered from his wounds and was reminded of Ether’s prophecy. He thought of the evil that he had caused during his lifetime. Nearly two million of his soldiers had been killed in battle, and even greater numbers of women and children had died. When he realized that each, and all, of the prophecies were coming true, he repented — but to no avail. Coriantumr ultimately offered to surrender his kingdom to Shiz if his people would be spared. Shiz responded that if Coriantumr would surrender himself to Shiz, he would personally kill him with his own sword, and the lives of his people would be spared.

But the unrepentant people of Coriantumr would have none of that. They were too angry against the people of Shiz, who were in turn angry against Coriantumr’s people. It was too late now for repentance to take root. The divisions and hatred between the two opposing peoples could not be recalled and brought to peace. Again, the army of Shiz brought war to the people of Coriantumr. In the ensuing battle, Coriantumr was again wounded and fell unconscious while his army turned the tide against the army of Shiz. The fleeing army of Shiz retreated to a hill named Ramah.

This is the same hill, wrote Moroni, on which my father Mormon hid the sacred records.

Over the next four years, all of the remaining Jaredite people gathered and joined one or the other of the opposing armies. Ether watched as the two armies prepared for the final battle of the war. Women and children armed themselves to fight alongside the men.

When all of those still alive had joined one army or the other, they prepared to fight. They fought a whole day long and many people were killed on both sides. Neither side was winning. They battled again the next day with similar results and mounting dead. The third and fourth days went the same, with ever growing anger, grief, and loss of life. At the conclusion of the fifth day’s battle, only 52 of Coriantumr’s army and 69 of Shiz’s army remained alive. On the sixth day, these remaining few continued to fight with all their effort, until at the end of the day Coriantumr’s people were reduced to 27, with Shiz still commanding 32 soldiers. On the seventh day, the Jaredites’ once huge population was reduced to the two warrior commanders; Coriantumr and Shiz. Exhaustion and loss of blood finally brought Shiz to unconsciousness, whereupon Coriantumr raised himself up and cut off Shiz’s head.

Then God told Ether to go and witness how his words of prophecy had been fulfilled [550 BC].

Ether finished his records and hid them away, where they would eventually be found by the people that God sent next to receive this promised land.

Ether’s closing words were, “It doesn’t matter to me whether I am taken directly up to God before death, or whether I physically die in the flesh, as long as I am saved in the kingdom of God.”