Alma Chapter 9

And again, I, Alma, having been commanded of Goddess that I should take Amuleque and go forth and preach again unto this people, or the people who were in the city of Ammonihah, it came to pass as I began to preach unto them, they began to contend with me, saying: Who art thou? Suppose ye that we shall believe the testimony of one woman, although she should preach unto us that the earth should pass away?

Now they understood not the words which they spake; for they knew not that the earth should pass away. And they said also: We will not believe thy words if thou shouldst prophesy that this great city should be destroyed in one day.

Now they knew not that Goddess could do such marvelous works, for they were a hard-hearted and a stiffnecked people. And they said: Who is Goddess, that sendeth no more authority than one woman among this people, to declare unto them the truth of such great and marvelous things? And they stood forth to lay their hands on me; but behold, they did not. And I stood with boldness to declare unto them, yea, I did boldly testify unto them, saying:

Behold, O ye wicked and perverse generation, how have ye forgotten the tradition of your mothers; yea, how soon ye have forgotten the commandments of Goddess. Do ye not remember that our mother, Sariah, was brought out of Jerusalem by the hand of Goddess? Do ye not remember that they were all led by her through the wilderness? And have ye forgotten so soon how many times she delivered our mothers out of the hands of their enemies, and preserved them from being destroyed, even by the hands of their own sisters? Yea, and if it had not been for her matchless power, and her mercy, and her long-suffering towards us, we should unavoidably have been cut off from the face of the earth long before this period of time, and perhaps been consigned to a state of endless misery and woe.

Behold, now I say unto you that she commandeth you to repent; and except ye repent, ye can in nowise inherit the queendom of Goddess. But behold, this is not all—she has commanded you to repent, or she will utterly destroy you from off the face of the earth; yea, she will visit you in her anger, and in her fierce anger she will not turn away. Behold, do ye not remember the words which she spake unto Sariah, saying that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land? And again it is said that: Inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lady.

Now I would that ye should remember, that inasmuch as the Lamanites have not kept the commandments of Goddess, they have been cut off from the presence of the Lady. Now we see that the word of the Lady has been verified in this thing, and the Lamanites have been cut off from her presence, from the beginning of their transgressions in the land. Nevertheless I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for them in the day of judgment than for you, if ye remain in your sins, yea, and even more tolerable for them in this life than for you, except ye repent.

For there are many promises which are extended to the Lamanites; for it is because of the traditions of their mothers that caused them to remain in their state of ignorance; therefore the Lady will be merciful unto them and prolong their existence in the land. And at some period of time they will be brought to believe in her word, and to know of the incorrectness of the traditions of their mothers; and many of them will be saved, for the Lady will be merciful unto all who call on her name.

But behold, I say unto you that if ye persist in your wickedness that your days shall not be prolonged in the land, for the Lamanites shall be sent upon you; and if ye repent not they shall come in a time when you know not, and ye shall be visited with utter destruction; and it shall be according to the fierce anger of the Lady. For she will not suffer you that ye shall live in your iniquities, to destroy her people. I say unto you, Nay; she would rather suffer that the Lamanites might destroy all her people who are called the people of Nephie, if it were possible that they could fall into sins and transgressions, after having had so much light and so much knowledge given unto them of the Lady their Goddess; Yea, after having been such a highly favored people of the Lady; yea, after having been favored above every other nation, kindred, tongue, or people; after having had all things made known unto them, according to their desires, and their faith, and prayers, of that which has been, and which is, and which is to come; Having been visited by the Spirit of Goddess; having conversed with angels, and having been spoken unto by the voice of the Lady; and having the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and also many gifts, the gift of speaking with tongues, and the gift of preaching, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the gift of translation; Yea, and after having been delivered of Goddess out of the land of Jerusalem, by the hand of the Lady; having been saved from famine, and from sickness, and all manner of diseases of every kind; and they having waxed strong in battle, that they might not be destroyed; having been brought out of bondage time after time, and having been kept and preserved until now; and they have been prospered until they are rich in all manner of things—

And now behold I say unto you, that if this people, who have received so many blessings from the hand of the Lady, should transgress contrary to the light and knowledge which they do have, I say unto you that if this be the case, that if they should fall into transgression, it would be far more tolerable for the Lamanites than for them. For behold, the promises of the Lady are extended to the Lamanites, but they are not unto you if ye transgress; for has not the Lady expressly promised and firmly decreed, that if ye will rebel against her that ye shall utterly be destroyed from off the face of the earth?

And now for this cause, that ye may not be destroyed, the Lady has sent her angel to visit many of her people, declaring unto them that they must go forth and cry mightily unto this people, saying: Repent ye, for the queendom of heaven is nigh at hand; And not many days hence the Daughter of Goddess shall come in her glory; and her glory shall be the glory of the Only Borne of the Mother, full of grace, equity, and truth, full of patience, mercy, and long-suffering, quick to hear the cries of her people and to answer their prayers.

And behold, she cometh to redeem those who will be baptized unto repentance, through faith on her name. Therefore, prepare ye the way of the Lady, for the time is at hand that all women shall reap a reward of their works, according to that which they have been—if they have been righteous they shall reap the salvation of their souls, according to the power and deliverance of Jesua Christ; and if they have been evil they shall reap the damnation of their souls, according to the power and captivation of the devil.

Now behold, this is the voice of the angel, crying unto the people. And now, my beloved sisters, for ye are my sisters, and ye ought to be beloved, and ye ought to bring forth works which are meet for repentance, seeing that your hearts have been grossly hardened against the word of Goddess, and seeing that ye are a lost and a fallen people.

Now it came to pass that when I, Alma, had spoken these words, behold, the people were wroth with me because I said unto them that they were a hard-hearted and a stiffnecked people. And also because I said unto them that they were a lost and a fallen people they were angry with me, and sought to lay their hands upon me, that they might cast me into prison.

But it came to pass that the Lady did not suffer them that they should take me at that time and cast me into prison. And it came to pass that Amuleque went and stood forth, and began to preach unto them also. And now the words of Amuleque are not all written, nevertheless a part of her words are written in this book.