Nephites Rely on God for Strength

After this war, we established our kingdom again in peace. I told my people to make every kind of weapon to be used if the Lamanites attacked us again. I set guards around the land to watch for Lamanites and to protect my people and my flocks, and we continued to live in the land of our forefathers for an additional twenty-two years. Our men continued to farm the land, raising all types of grain and fruit, and our women spun all types of cloth and fine linen. We peacefully prospered in the land during those twenty-two years. Then King Laman died, and his son began to reign in his stead. He encouraged his people to rebel against my people and to prepare for war.

I had sent my spies around the land of Shemlon to find out what the Lamanites were doing. My spies saw a very large Lamanite army coming into northern Shilom, armed with bows and arrows, swords, scimitars, stones, and slings. They had shaved their heads and wore nothing more than a leather loincloth. Knowing their plans, we hid our women and children in the wilderness.

All of our young and old men who were able-bodied were armed and placed in ranks according to their age. Then we fought the Lamanites. Even I, Zeniff, in my old age fought. We went to battle strengthened by the Lord.

The Lamanites were ignorant of the Lord and of His strength. They depended on their own strength, being strong as to the strength of men, and they were wild, ferocious and blood-thirsty. They believed in the false traditions of their forefathers, Laman and Lemuel, who had taught their children that Lehi’s sins had caused him and his family to be thrown out of Jerusalem, that they had been treated badly by Nephi in the wilderness and while crossing the ocean. Laman and Lemuel had also taught their children that they were wronged after arriving in the land of their first inheritance.

The truth was that Nephi was favored by the Lord, who heard and answered his prayers because he had been more faithful in keeping the Lord’s commandments. This is also why Nephi had been Laman and Lemuel’s leader during their wilderness journey.

Laman and Lemuel had hated Nephi because they had not understood how the Lord deals with His people. They were angry with Nephi because they hardened their hearts against the Lord while crossing the ocean. They still hated Nephi upon arriving in the promised land, saying he had taken the leadership of the people away from them, and they planned to kill him. They hated Nephi because the Lord had told him to take the brass plates and to go into the wilderness. Because he did this, they said Nephi had robbed them.

Laman and Lemuel taught their children this eternal hatred toward Nephi and his followers. They taught their children to murder, rob, and plunder the Nephites, and to do everything in their power to destroy them. This is why King Laman deceived me with his cunning, lying craftiness and fair promises. All he wanted was to bring my people into this land so he could destroy them, and we have suffered for many years in this land.

I, Zeniff, told all these things to my people to motivate them to fight with their might while putting their trust in the Lord. Then we fought the Lamanites face to face. We drove them out of our land again, killing too many of them to count. Then we returned to our land, and my people tended their flocks and raised food again. Since I was growing old, I conferred the kingdom upon one of my sons, Noah. This is all that I will engrave. May the Lord bless my people. Amen.