The Bondage of Limhi's People

After many days,

the Lamanites became angry with the Nephites again and surrounded their borders. The Lamanites did not dare kill the Nephites because of their king’s oath to Limhi, but they exercised all the authority they could against them as cruel taskmasters. They slapped their faces, made them do hard labor, and drove them like dumb mules. The Lord allowed this as a fulfillment of His word. The Nephites’ suffering became great, and there was no way they could escape, for they were surrounded.

Limhi’s people began to complain to him, and they asked to fight the Lamanites. Because Limhi was constantly bothered by their complaining, he allowed them to do as they wished. Then they put on their armor and went out against the Lamanites to drive them out of their land. But the Lamanites beat them, drove them back, and killed many.

After this, there was great mourning and lamentation among Limhi’s people. They mourned for their lost husbands, fathers, and brothers. There were a great number of widows in the land, who cried mightily every day because of their fear of the Lamanites.

All their crying made the rest of Limhi’s men very angry with the Lamanites. So they went out again to battle, but they were again driven back, suffering another great loss. Then the men went out a third time, suffering still more losses.

Those who survived returned to the city of Nephi. Finally, they humbled themselves, even to the dust, and they accepted their yoke of bondage, allowing themselves to be beaten, driven, and burdened by their enemies. They humbled themselves to the depths of humility, crying mightily to God all day long to deliver them from their afflictions. And the Lord was slow to hear their cries because of their sins. But He did hear them, and He began to soften the hearts of the Lamanites to make their burdens easier. However, the Lord did not see fit to deliver them from bondage immediately. Little by little, Limhi’s people began to prosper in the land by raising more grain, flocks, and herds, and they no longer suffered from hunger. Because there were many more women than men, King Limhi commanded the men to give food to the widows and their children to prevent them from starving.

Limhi’s people stayed in groups as much as possible in order to protect their grain and flocks. They feared the Lamanites, and King Limhi would not dare go outside the city walls without his guards. He told his people to constantly watch for those priests who were in the wilderness, who had stolen the Lamanites’ daughters and had caused the great destruction among his people. Limhi and his people wanted to see those priests punished. Furthermore, those priests had come into the city of Nephi by night and had stolen grain and precious things.

It was after this time, when Limhi’s people had quit fighting the Lamanites, that Ammon and his men came into the land. When King Limhi saw them outside the city walls, he thought they were Noah’s priests. That’s why Ammon and his men were tied and thrown into prison. And if they had been Noah’s priests, Limhi would have had them killed. When Limhi learned they were not Noah’s priests, but fellow Nephites who had come from Zarahemla, he was very joyful.

Before Ammon’s arrival, King Limhi had sent forty-three men to search for the land of Zarahemla, but they could not find it, and they became lost in the wilderness. Limhi’s men did find a land that had been very populated, covered with dry bones. They thought they had found Zarahemla and had returned a few days before Ammon’s expedition had arrived.

Limhi’s men had brought a record, engraved on twenty-four gold plates, that they had found in the land covered with bones. Limhi was filled with joy again when Ammon told him that Mosiah had a gift from God to interpret such engravings. Even though Ammon also rejoiced, he and his brethren were filled with sorrow because so many of their fellow Nephites had been killed. They were sorry to hear that King Noah and his priests had caused the people to commit so many sins against God. They mourned for the death of Abinadi and were sad that Alma and his people, who had formed a church of God, were no longer among them. Ammon and his brethren mourned because they did not know where Alma and his people had gone. They would have gladly joined them, for they had also made a covenant to serve God and keep His commandments.

Since Ammon had arrived, King Limhi and many of his people also made this covenant with God. They wanted to be baptized, but no one in the land had the authority from God to baptize. Ammon did not want to do the baptizing because he considered himself unworthy. So at that time no church was formed, but the people waited upon the Spirit of the Lord. They wanted to become a church, like Alma’s people, who had escaped into the wilderness. They wanted to be baptized as a witness and testimony that they were willing to serve God with all their hearts, but they had to wait. An account of their baptism will be given later.