All Die in Ammonihah

There had been peace in Zarahemla for several years, but in 81 BC, on the fifth day of the second month, a cry of war was heard throughout the land. The Lamanite armies had come through the wilderness, into the city of Ammonihah, and had begun to kill the people and destroy the city. Before the Nephites could raise a sufficient army to drive them out of the land, the Lamanites had killed all the people in the city of Ammonihah. They had also killed some Nephites near the city of Noah, and had taken others captive into the wilderness.

The Nephites wanted to free their people who had been taken into the wilderness. Zoram, the appointed chief captain over the Nephite armies, and his two sons, Lehi and Aha, knew that Alma was the high priest over the church. They had heard that he had the spirit of prophecy, so they went to him and asked him where the Lord wanted them to go in the wilderness to search for their brethren. Alma asked the Lord, and after receiving an answer, he told Zoram and his sons, “The Lamanites will cross the Sidon River in the south wilderness, up beyond Manti. Meet them on the east side of the river, where the Lord will deliver your brethren who have been taken captive.”

Upon hearing this, Zoram and his two sons led their armies as Alma had instructed. They attacked the Lamanite armies on the east side of the Sidon River and scattered them into the wilderness. By doing this they reclaimed their brethren, and not one of them was lost.

This is how 81 BC ended. The Lamanites had been driven out of the land, and the people of Ammonihah had all been destroyed, along with their great city, which they said God could not destroy because of its greatness. But in a single day it was left desolate, and their bodies were mangled by dogs and wild animals from the wilderness. After many days, their bodies were piled up and covered with dirt. The smell of the dead bodies was so bad that nobody went to Ammonihah for many years. It was called Desolation of Nehors, for they were of the profession of Nehor, and their lands remained desolate.

The Lamanites did not come again to war against the Nephites until 78 BC. Meanwhile, the Nephites enjoyed three years of peace throughout the land. During these three years, Alma and Amulek preached repentance to the people in their temples, sanctuaries, and synagogues, which were built like the Jewish synagogues in Jerusalem. Alma and Amulek continually preached the word of God to all who would listen. They did not favor any person above another. Many others were also chosen to preach the word throughout the land.

Soon the establishment of the church became common throughout all the surrounding regions, among all the Nephites. There was no inequality among them, for the Lord poured out His Spirit upon all the people in the land to prepare their hearts to receive the words that He Himself would soon teach them. This was done so that they would not reject the word and go on to destruction, but receive it with joy, as a branch being grafted into the true vine, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord their God. The priests who taught the people preached against lying, deceiving, envying, fighting, stealing, murdering, committing adultery, and against every type of evil. They did this hoping to rid the people of these things completely. They also taught the people about the coming of the Son of God, about His suffering and death, and about the resurrection of the dead.

Many people wanted to know where the Son of God would come. To their great joy, they were told that He would come and appear to them after His resurrection. When 78 BC ended, the church was established throughout all the land, having won the victory over the devil. The word of God had been preached in its purity, and the Lord had poured out His blessings upon the people.