Aaron Teaches Lamoni's Father

While Ammon was teaching in Ishmael, Aaron and his brethren were led by the Spirit to Lamoni’s father in the land of Nephi. They went into the king’s palace and bowed before him. Then Aaron said, “Oh King, we are Ammon’s brethren, whom you have let out of prison. Oh King, if you will spare our lives, we will be your servants.” The king answered, “Arise, I do not want to kill you, nor do I want you to be my servants. I insist that you teach me, for my mind is troubled and confused. Ammon’s words to me were very great and generous. Tell me, why didn’t he come with you as I asked him?”

Aaron replied, “The Spirit of the Lord called him to Ishmael to teach Lamoni’s people.” The king asked, “What do you mean, the Spirit of the Lord? This is what troubles me. And what did Ammon mean when he said, ‘If you repent, you will be saved, and if you do not repent, you will be cast off at the last day?’ ”Aaron answered, “Do you believe in God?” The king responded, “I know the Amalekites say there is a God, and I have allowed them to build churches wherein they worship Him. And if you say there is a God, I will believe you.” When Aaron heard this, his heart rejoiced, and he said, “As sure as you live, oh King, there is a God.” The king asked, “Is God that Great Spirit who brought our forefathers out of the land of Jerusalem?” “Yes,” answered Aaron. “He is that Great Spirit, and He created all things in heaven and earth. Do you believe this?” “Yes, I believe the Great Spirit created all things,” replied the king. “Tell me about these things, and I will believe you.”

When Aaron saw that the king would believe him, he began to read aloud from the scriptures. He read about the creation of Adam—how God created man in His own image and gave him commandments, and that because of transgression came the fall.

Then Aaron explained the scriptures he had read. He explained the fall of mankind, his carnal state, and the plan of redemption, prepared from the beginning of the world through Christ, for all who would believe in Him. Aaron said that since mankind had fallen, that we could not earn anything for ourselves, and that only the suffering and death of Christ could atone for our sins, through faith and repentance. Aaron taught that Christ would break the bands of death, that the grave would have no victory, that the sting of death would be consumed by the hope of glory!

After Aaron taught and explained this, the king asked, “What must I do to have this eternal life? What must I do to be born of God—to have this wicked spirit taken from me and receive His Spirit, that I may be filled with joy and not be cast off at the last day? I will give up all I have, even my entire kingdom, to receive this great joy.” Aaron replied, “You will have what you hope for, oh King, if you will bow down before God and repent of all your sins—if you will call upon His name in faith, believing that you will receive.”

The king immediately bowed down before the Lord upon his knees, and even laid himself down on the ground. He cried out loudly, “Oh God, Aaron has told me that there is a God. If there is a God, and if you are God, then will you make yourself known to me? I will give away all my sins to know Thee, to be raised from the dead and be saved at the last day.” And when the king said this, he was struck as if he were dead.

The king’s servants ran and told the queen what had happened. She came running and saw him lying as if he were dead. She also saw Aaron and his brethren standing nearby. She was angry with them and commanded the king’s servants to kill them. The servants had seen how the king had fallen and they were afraid to lay their hands on Aaron and his brethren. They pled with the queen, “Why do you command us to kill these men when one of them is mightier than us all and will kill us?” When the queen saw the servants’ great fear, she became very afraid, too. Then she commanded her servants to call the people to come and kill Aaron and his brethren.

Aaron saw that the queen was determined to have him killed. Knowing the unbelief and stubbornness of the people, and fearing there would be a great disturbance among them, he took the king’s hand and said, “Stand.” The king received his strength and stood on his feet. When the queen and the servants saw this they became fearful, wondering how it was done. But the king spoke to his household until they were all converted to the Lord.

Meanwhile, a large crowd had gathered because of the queen’s orders, and had begun to conspire against Aaron and his brethren. But the king spoke to the crowd, and they were pacified. The king also told Aaron and his brethren to stand before the people and preach the word to them. Then the king sent a proclamation to all his people throughout his land and all the surrounding areas.

The Lamanites’ land, which had a sea on the east and the west, was divided from the Nephites’ by a narrow strip of wilderness. This narrow strip of land, which ran from the east sea to the west sea, was located south of the land of Zarahemla. It went through the borders of Manti, near the head of the Sidon River. The more idle Lamanites lived in tents near the western seashore, west of the land of Zarahemla, and west of the land of Nephi, in the wilderness—in the place of their forefathers’ first inheritance.

Many Lamanites also lived on the eastern shore, where the Nephites had driven them. Being nearly surrounded by Lamanites, the Nephites had taken possession of all the northern lands, starting from the wilderness at the head of the Sidon River, from the east sea to the west sea. The Nephites’ land continued north to the land they called Bountiful.

On the north of Bountiful was Desolation, a land once populated and then destroyed. Upon landing there in their ships, the people of Zarahemla (the Mulekites) were the first to discover the bones of this lost civilization (the Jaredites). Then the people of Zarahemla had gone into the southern wilderness. They called the southern land Bountiful because it was filled with all types of wild animals. It took a day and a half for a Nephite to travel in an east or west direction across the neck of land that divided Bountiful from Desolation. And to the south, the lands of Nephi and Zarahemla were nearly surrounded by seas.

The Nephites also lived in the land of Bountiful, from the eastern to the western shores. They were wise to guard the narrow neck with their armies, which kept the Lamanites from overrunning the northern land. The Lamanites could only possess the land of Nephi and its surrounding wilderness area. They could not surround the Nephites, and the Nephites also had the northern country to retreat into, if they so desired.

Now I, Mormon, will continue my account of Ammon, Aaron, Omner, Himni, and their brethren.