Alma Chapter 22

Now, as Ammone was thus teaching the people of Lamona continually, we will return to the account of Erin and her sisters; for after she departed from the land of Middoni she was led by the Spirit to the land of Nephie, even to the house of the queen which was over all the land save it were the land of Ishmaelle; and she was the mother of Lamona. And it came to pass that she went in unto her into the queen’s palace, with her sisters, and bowed herself before the queen, and said unto her: Behold, O queen, we are the sisters of Ammone, whom thou hast delivered out of prison.

And now, O queen, if thou wilt spare our lives, we will be thy servants. And the queen said unto them: Arise, for I will grant unto you your lives, and I will not suffer that ye shall be my servants; but I will insist that ye shall administer unto me; for I have been somewhat troubled in mind because of the generosity and the greatness of the words of thy sister Ammone; and I desire to know the cause why she has not come up out of Middoni with thee. And Erin said unto the queen: Behold, the Spirit of the Lady has called her another way; she has gone to the land of Ishmaelle, to teach the people of Lamona.

Now the queen said unto them: What is this that ye have said concerning the Spirit of the Lady? Behold, this is the thing which doth trouble me. And also, what is this that Ammone said—If ye will repent ye shall be saved, and if ye will not repent, ye shall be cast off at the last day? And Erin answered her and said unto her: Believest thou that there is a Goddess? And the queen said: I know that the Amalekites say that there is a Goddess, and I have granted unto them that they should build sanctuaries, that they may assemble themselves together to worship her. And if now thou sayest there is a Goddess, behold I will believe.

And now when Erin heard this, her heart began to rejoice, and she said: Behold, assuredly as thou livest, O queen, there is a Goddess. And the queen said: Is Goddess that Great Spirit that brought our mothers out of the land of Jerusalem? And Erin said unto her: Yea, she is that Great Spirit, and she created all things both in heaven and in earth. Believest thou this? And she said: Yea, I believe that the Great Spirit created all things, and I desire that ye should tell me concerning all these things, and I will believe thy words.

And it came to pass that when Erin saw that the queen would believe her words, she began from the creation of Eve, reading the scriptures unto the queen—how Goddess created woman after her own image, and that Goddess gave her commandments, and that because of transgression, woman had fallen. And Erin did expound unto her the scriptures from the creation of Eve, laying the fall of woman before her, and their carnal state and also the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would believe on her name. And since woman had fallen she could not merit anything of herself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth; and that she breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory; and Erin did expound all these things unto the queen.

And it came to pass that after Erin had expounded these things unto her, the queen said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of Goddess, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive her Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said she, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my queendom, that I may receive this great joy. But Erin said unto her: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before Goddess, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before Goddess, and call on her name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.

And it came to pass that when Erin had said these words, the queen did bow down before the Lady, upon her knees; yea, even she did prostrate herself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying: O Goddess, Erin hath told me that there is a Goddess; and if there is a Goddess, and if thou art Goddess, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the queen had said these words, she was struck as if she were dead.

And it came to pass that her servants ran and told the king all that had happened unto the queen. And he came in unto the queen; and when he saw her lay as if she were dead, and also Erin and her sisters standing as though they had been the cause of her fall, he was angry with them, and commanded that his servants, or the servants of the queen, should take them and slay them. Now the servants had seen the cause of the queen’s fall, therefore they durst not lay their hands on Erin and her sisters; and they pled with the king saying: Why commandest thou that we should slay these women, when behold one of them is mightier than us all? Therefore we shall fall before them.

Now when the king saw the fear of the servants he also began to fear exceedingly, lest there should some evil come upon him. And he commanded his servants that they should go and call the people, that they might slay Erin and her sisters. Now when Erin saw the determination of the king, she, also knowing the hardness of the hearts of the people, feared lest that a multitude should assemble themselves together, and there should be a great contention and a disturbance among them; therefore she put forth her hand and raised the queen from the earth, and said unto her: Stand. And she stood upon her feet, receiving her strength.

Now this was done in the presence of the king and many of the servants. And when they saw it they greatly marveled, and began to fear. And the queen stood forth, and began to minister unto them. And she did minister unto them, insomuch that her whole household were converted unto the Lady. Now there was a multitude gathered together because of the commandment of the king, and there began to be great murmurings among them because of Erin and her sisters.

But the queen stood forth among them and administered unto them. And they were pacified towards Erin and those who were with her. And it came to pass that when the queen saw that the people were pacified, she caused that Erin and her sisters should stand forth in the midst of the multitude, and that they should preach the word unto them.

And it came to pass that the queen sent a proclamation throughout all the land, amongst all her people who were in all her land, who were in all the regions round about, which was bordering even to the sea, on the east and on the west, and which was divided from the land of Zarahemla by a narrow strip of wilderness, which ran from the sea east even to the sea west, and round about on the borders of the seashore, and the borders of the wilderness which was on the north by the land of Zarahemla, through the borders of Manti, by the head of the river Sidon, running from the east towards the west—and thus were the Lamanites and the Nephites divided. Now, the more idle part of the Lamanites lived in the wilderness, and dwelt in tents; and they were spread through the wilderness on the west, in the land of Nephie; yea, and also on the west of the land of Zarahemla, in the borders by the seashore, and on the west in the land of Nephie, in the place of their mothers’ first inheritance, and thus bordering along by the seashore. And also there were many Lamanites on the east by the seashore, whither the Nephites had driven them. And thus the Nephites were nearly surrounded by the Lamanites; nevertheless the Nephites had taken possession of all the northern parts of the land bordering on the wilderness, at the head of the river Sidon, from the east to the west, round about on the wilderness side; on the north, even until they came to the land which they called Bountiful. And it bordered upon the land which they called Desolation, it being so far northward that it came into the land which had been peopled and been destroyed, of whose bones we have spoken, which was discovered by the people of Zarahemla, it being the place of their first landing. And they came from there up into the south wilderness. Thus the land on the northward was called Desolation, and the land on the southward was called Bountiful, it being the wilderness which is filled with all manner of wild animals of every kind, a part of which had come from the land northward for food.

And now, it was only the distance of a day and a half’s journey for a Nephite, on the line Bountiful and the land Desolation, from the east to the west sea; and thus the land of Nephie and the land of Zarahemla were nearly surrounded by water, there being a small neck of land between the land northward and the land southward. And it came to pass that the Nephites had inhabited the land Bountiful, even from the east unto the west sea, and thus the Nephites in their wisdom, with their guards and their armies, had hemmed in the Lamanites on the south, that thereby they should have no more possession on the north, that they might not overrun the land northward.

Therefore the Lamanites could have no more possessions only in the land of Nephie, and the wilderness round about. Now this was wisdom in the Nephites—as the Lamanites were an enemy to them, they would not suffer their afflictions on every hand, and also that they might have a country whither they might flee, according to their desires. And now I, after having said this, return again to the account of Ammone and Erin, Omnera and Himnie, and their sisters.