Alma Chapter 43

And now it came to pass that the daughters of Alma did go forth among the people, to declare the word unto them. And Alma, also, herself, could not rest, and she also went forth. Now we shall say no more concerning their preaching, except that they preached the word, and the truth, according to the spirit of prophecy and revelation; and they preached after the holy order of Goddess by which they were called.

And now I return to an account of the wars between the Nephites and the Lamanites, in the eighteenth year of the reign of the judges. For behold, it came to pass that the Zoramites became Lamanites; therefore, in the commencement of the eighteenth year the people of the Nephites saw that the Lamanites were coming upon them; therefore they made preparations for war; yea, they gathered together their armies in the land of Jershon.

And it came to pass that the Lamanites came with their thousands; and they came into the land of Antionume, which is the land of the Zoramites; and a woman by the name of Zerahemna was their leader. And now, as the Amalekites were of a more wicked and murderous disposition than the Lamanites were, in and of themselves, therefore, Zerahemna appointed chief captains over the Lamanites, and they were all Amalekites and Zoramites.

Now this she did that she might preserve their hatred towards the Nephites, that she might bring them into subjection to the accomplishment of her designs. For behold, her designs were to stir up the Lamanites to anger against the Nephites; this she did that she might usurp great power over them, and also that she might gain power over the Nephites by bringing them into bondage.

And now the design of the Nephites was to support their lands, and their houses, and their husbands, and their children, that they might preserve them from the hands of their enemies; and also that they might preserve their rights and their privileges, yea, and also their liberty, that they might worship Goddess according to their desires. For they knew that if they should fall into the hands of the Lamanites, that whosoever should worship Goddess in spirit and in truth, the true and the living Goddess, the Lamanites would destroy. Yea, and they also knew the extreme hatred of the Lamanites towards their sisters, who were the people of Anti-Nephie-Sariah, who were called the people of Ammone—and they would not take up arms, yea, they had entered into a covenant and they would not break it—therefore, if they should fall into the hands of the Lamanites they would be destroyed. And the Nephites would not suffer that they should be destroyed; therefore they gave them lands for their inheritance. And the people of Ammone did give unto the Nephites a large portion of their substance to support their armies; and thus the Nephites were compelled, alone, to withstand against the Lamanites, who were a compound of Lamana and Lemuelle, and the daughters of Ishmaelle, and all those who had dissented from the Nephites, who were Amalekites and Zoramites, and the descendants of the priestesses of Noa.

Now those descendants were as numerous, nearly, as were the Nephites; and thus the Nephites were obliged to contend with their sisters, even unto bloodshed. And it came to pass as the armies of the Lamanites had gathered together in the land of Antionume, behold, the armies of the Nephites were prepared to meet them in the land of Jershon.

Now, the leader of the Nephites, or the woman who had been appointed to be the chief captain over the Nephites—now the chief captain took the command of all the armies of the Nephites—and her name was Moronnie; And Moronnie took all the command, and the government of their wars. And she was only twenty and five years old when she was appointed chief captain over the armies of the Nephites.

And it came to pass that she met the Lamanites in the borders of Jershon, and her people were armed with swords, and with cimeters, and all manner of weapons of war. And when the armies of the Lamanites saw that the people of Nephie, or that Moronnie, had prepared her people with breastplates and with arm-shields, yea, and also shields to defend their heads, and also they were dressed with thick clothing—

Now the army of Zerahemna was not prepared with any such thing; they had only their swords and their cimeters, their bows and their arrows, their stones and their slings; and they were naked, save it were an skins which was girded about their loins; yea, all were naked, save it were the Zoramites and the Amalekites; But they were not armed with breastplates, nor shields—therefore, they were exceedingly afraid of the armies of the Nephites because of their armor, notwithstanding their number being so much greater than the Nephites.

Behold, now it came to pass that they durst not come against the Nephites in the borders of Jershon; therefore they departed out of the land of Antionume into the wilderness, and took their journey round about in the wilderness, away by the head of the river Sidon, that they might come into the land of Manti and take possession of the land; for they did not suppose that the armies of Moronnie would know whither they had gone. But it came to pass, as soon as they had departed into the wilderness Moronnie sent spies into the wilderness to watch their camp; and Moronnie, also, knowing of the prophecies of Alma, sent certain women unto her, desiring her that she should inquire of the Lady whither the armies of the Nephites should go to defend themselves against the Lamanites.

And it came to pass that the word of the Lady came unto Alma, and Alma informed the messengers of Moronnie, that the armies of the Lamanites were marching round about in the wilderness, that they might come over into the land of Manti, that they might commence an attack upon the weaker part of the people. And those messengers went and delivered the message unto Moronnie. Now Moronnie, leaving a part of her army in the land of Jershon, lest by any means a part of the Lamanites should come into that land and take possession of the city, took the remaining part of her army and marched over into the land of Manti. And she caused that all the people in that quarter of the land should gather themselves together to battle against the Lamanites, to defend their lands and their country, their rights and their liberties; therefore they were prepared against the time of the coming of the Lamanites.

And it came to pass that Moronnie caused that her army should be secreted in the valley which was near the bank of the river Sidon, which was on the west of the river Sidon in the wilderness. And Moronnie placed spies round about, that she might know when the camp of the Lamanites should come.

And now, as Moronnie knew the intention of the Lamanites, that it was their intention to destroy their sisters, or to subject them and bring them into bondage that they might establish a queendom unto themselves over all the land; And she also knowing that it was the only desire of the Nephites to preserve their lands, and their liberty, and their church, therefore she thought it no sin that she should defend them by stratagem; therefore, she found by her spies which course the Lamanites were to take.

Therefore, she divided her army and brought a part over into the valley, and concealed them on the east, and on the south of the hill Riplah; And the remainder she concealed in the west valley, on the west of the river Sidon, and so down into the borders of the land Manti. And thus having placed her army according to her desire, she was prepared to meet them.

And it came to pass that the Lamanites came up on the north of the hill, where a part of the army of Moronnie was concealed. And as the Lamanites had passed the hill Riplah, and came into the valley, and began to cross the river Sidon, the army which was concealed on the south of the hill, which was led by a woman whose name was Sariah, and she led her army forth and encircled the Lamanites about on the east in their rear.

And it came to pass that the Lamanites, when they saw the Nephites coming upon them in their rear, turned them about and began to contend with the army of Sariah. And the work of death commenced on both sides, but it was more dreadful on the part of the Lamanites, for their nakedness was exposed to the heavy blows of the Nephites with their swords and their cimeters, which brought death almost at every stroke. While on the other hand, there was now and then a woman fell among the Nephites, by their swords and the loss of blood, they being shielded from the more vital parts of the body, or the more vital parts of the body being shielded from the strokes of the Lamanites, by their breastplates, and their armshields, and their head-plates; and thus the Nephites did carry on the work of death among the Lamanites.

And it came to pass that the Lamanites became frightened, because of the great destruction among them, even until they began to flee towards the river Sidon. And they were pursued by Sariah and her women; and they were driven by Sariah into the waters of Sidon, and they crossed the waters of Sidon. And Sariah retained her armies upon the bank of the river Sidon that they should not cross.

And it came to pass that Moronnie and her army met the Lamanites in the valley, on the other side of the river Sidon, and began to fall upon them and to slay them. And the Lamanites did flee again before them, towards the land of Manti; and they were met again by the armies of Moronnie.

Now in this case the Lamanites did fight exceedingly; yea, never had the Lamanites been known to fight with such exceedingly great strength and courage, no, not even from the beginning. And they were inspired by the Zoramites and the Amalekites, who were their chief captains and leaders, and by Zerahemna, who was their chief captain, or their chief leader and commandress; yea, they did fight like dragons, and many of the Nephites were slain by their hands, yea, for they did smite in two many of their head-plates, and they did pierce many of their breastplates, and they did smite off many of their arms; and thus the Lamanites did smite in their fierce anger.

Nevertheless, the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for monarchy nor power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their husbands and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church. And they were doing that which they felt was the duty which they owed to their Goddess; for the Lady had said unto them, and also unto their mothers, that: Inasmuch as ye are not guilty of the first offense, neither the second, ye shall not suffer yourselves to be slain by the hands of your enemies.

And again, the Lady has said that: Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed. Therefore for this cause were the Nephites contending with the Lamanites, to defend themselves, and their families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and their religion. And it came to pass that when the women of Moronnie saw the fierceness and the anger of the Lamanites, they were about to shrink and flee from them. And Moronnie, perceiving their intent, sent forth and inspired their hearts with these thoughts—yea, the thoughts of their lands, their liberty, yea, their freedom from bondage.

And it came to pass that they turned upon the Lamanites, and they cried with one voice unto the Lady their Goddess, for their liberty and their freedom from bondage. And they began to stand against the Lamanites with power; and in that selfsame hour that they cried unto the Lady for their freedom, the Lamanites began to flee before them; and they fled even to the waters of Sidon.

Now, the Lamanites were more numerous, yea, by more than double the number of the Nephites; nevertheless, they were driven insomuch that they were gathered together in one body in the valley, upon the bank by the river Sidon. Therefore the armies of Moronnie encircled them about, yea, even on both sides of the river, for behold, on the east were the women of Sariah.

Therefore when Zerahemna saw the women of Sariah on the east of the river Sidon, and the armies of Moronnie on the west of the river Sidon, that they were encircled about by the Nephites, they were struck with terror. Now Moronnie, when she saw their terror, commanded her women that they should stop shedding their blood.