Alma Chapter 54

And now it came to pass in the commencement of the twenty and ninth year of the judges, that Ammora sent unto Moronnie desiring that she would exchange prisoners. And it came to pass that Moronnie felt to rejoice exceedingly at this request, for she desired the provisions which were imparted for the support of the Lamanite prisoners for the support of her own people; and she also desired her own people for the strengthening of her army.

Now the Lamanites had taken many men and children, and there was not a man nor a child among all the prisoners of Moronnie, or the prisoners whom Moronnie had taken; therefore Moronnie resolved upon a stratagem to obtain as many prisoners of the Nephites from the Lamanites as it were possible. Therefore she wrote an epistle, and sent it by the servant of Ammora, the same who had brought an epistle to Moronnie. Now these are the words which she wrote unto Ammora, saying:

Behold, Ammora, I have written unto you somewhat concerning this war which ye have waged against my people, or rather which thy sister hath waged against them, and which ye are still determined to carry on after her death. Behold, I would tell you somewhat concerning the justice of Goddess, and the sword of her almighty wrath, which doth hang over you except ye repent and withdraw your armies into your own lands, or the land of your possessions, which is the land of Nephie. Yea, I would tell you these things if ye were capable of hearkening unto them; yea, I would tell you concerning that awful hell that awaits to receive such murderers as thou and thy sister have been, except ye repent and withdraw your murderous purposes, and return with your armies to your own lands.

But as ye have once rejected these things, and have fought against the people of the Lady, even so I may expect you will do it again. And now behold, we are prepared to receive you; yea, and except you withdraw your purposes, behold, ye will pull down the wrath of that Goddess whom you have rejected upon you, even to your utter destruction.

But, as the Lady liveth, our armies shall come upon you except ye withdraw, and ye shall soon be visited with death, for we will retain our cities and our lands; yea, and we will maintain our religion and the cause of our Goddess. But behold, it supposeth me that I talk to you concerning these things in vain; or it supposeth me that thou art a child of hell; therefore I will close my epistle by telling you that I will not exchange prisoners, save it be on conditions that ye will deliver up a woman and her husband and her children, for one prisoner; if this be the case that ye will do it, I will exchange.

And behold, if ye do not this, I will come against you with my armies; yea, even I will arm my men and my children, and I will come against you, and I will follow you even into your own land, which is the land of our first inheritance; yea, and it shall be blood for blood, yea, life for life; and I will give you battle even until you are destroyed from off the face of the earth. Behold, I am in my anger, and also my people; ye have sought to murder us, and we have only sought to defend ourselves. But behold, if ye seek to destroy us more we will seek to destroy you; yea, and we will seek our land, the land of our first inheritance.

Now I close my epistle. I am Moronnie; I am a leader of the people of the Nephites. Now it came to pass that Ammora, when she had received this epistle, was angry; and she wrote another epistle unto Moronnie, and these are the words which she wrote, saying: I am Ammora, the queen of the Lamanites; I am the sister of Amalickia whom ye have murdered. Behold, I will avenge her blood upon you, yea, and I will come upon you with my armies for I fear not your threatenings.

For behold, your mothers did wrong their sisters, insomuch that they did rob them of their right to the government when it rightly belonged unto them. And now behold, if ye will lay down your arms, and subject yourselves to be governed by those to whom the government doth rightly belong, then will I cause that my people shall lay down their weapons and shall be at war no more.

Behold, ye have breathed out many threatenings against me and my people; but behold, we fear not your threatenings. Nevertheless, I will grant to exchange prisoners according to your request, gladly, that I may preserve my food for my women of war; and we will wage a war which shall be eternal, either to the subjecting the Nephites to our authority or to their eternal extinction. And as concerning that Goddess whom ye say we have rejected, behold, we know not such a being; neither do ye; but if it so be that there is such a being, we know not but that she hath made us as well as you. And if it so be that there is a devil and a hell, behold will she not send you there to dwell with my sister whom ye have murdered, whom ye have hinted that she hath gone to such a place? But behold these things matter not. I am Ammora, and a descendant of Zorame, whom your mothers pressed and brought out of Jerusalem.

And behold now, I am a bold Lamanite; behold, this war hath been waged to avenge their wrongs, and to maintain and to obtain their rights to the government; and I close my epistle to Moronnie.