Alma 50

Moroni kept stockpiling and pep-talking for impending war. He ordered his armies to dig trenches and mounds around all the cities and towns of Nephiland. He also had them install wooden man-size towers on the tops of the mounds, scouting posts. Oh, and fences too, and then taller towers, fortified against rocks and arrows— but great for throwing rocks and shooting arrows from. Defense shakes hands with offense. Seemed pretty safe.

Meanwhile, he sent troops to chase Lamanites from pockets of Nephite territory they’d occupied, as well as their old haunt, the east wilderness. He then ordered his troops to do some occupying of their own. He wanted everything right up to the beach. He cut off Lamanites from east to west, between Zarahemla and Nephiland, from the west sea beside the Sidon River, everything above Bountiful, whatever they pleased. More fort-building, more land-envy.

No doubt about it: Moroni was a fad, a cult, a hero, a celebrity. A protector. He’d routed the Lamanites like a farmer swooshing mice from the barn.

So, no surprise, the people voted to build a new city named after him. By the eastern sea on the northern border of Lamanite territory. Like sticking a finger in their eye.

They also started settling a town—soon to achieve cityhood—between the new city, Moroni, and the older one called Aaron. They called this new settlement Nephihah. Also, more cities to the north—including one called Lehi-By-The-Sea. And that pretty much wrapped up the twentieth year.

The new year came, Nephites got richer and richer, had more babies than ever and seemed undefeatable by any challenge. I credit God on all that. God is fair and morally generous. He keeps his word—as he said to Lehi: “I favor your family for keeping my word, when they do, and will dump blessings on them (in a good, non-brain-damaging way). Oh, and by the way, if they diss me, the deal’s off. Extermination time.”

So, think of it this way: Nephites who brutalized each other like gangsters, ripped each other off like gypsies, sipped blood like vampire bats to please weird gods, and bought and sold sex at the drop of … well, you get it. They brought on everything bad, all the wars and, shall we say, population declines. Meanwhile, the ones who strictly followed God’s rules for decent behavior got off scot free. The bad guys got sold into slavery or had their heads lopped off. Broad brush, I know. Just cut me some slack. (I’m not judging. Oh wait …)

Anyway, the Nephites were never happier than in this twenty-first year of the judges’ reign. Except maybe in the twenty-second or twenty-third years.

The twenty-fourth, not so much. Morianton (the nation-state) invaded Lehi-by-the-Sea. People fled to Moroni for protection and redress. Morianton (the dictator of the nation-state—I know, it gets confusing) started chewing his lips about possible reprisal from Moroni. He soon gave a speech and issued orders telling his people to flee not only Lehi-by-the-Sea but also their homeland of Morianton (the nation-state) northward and start building. They would have done so, but for one nasty indiscretion their dictator did: he beat one of his housemaids. A scandal ensued. She fled to Moroni and gave away the emigration plot.

Moroni worried about this plot, of course. He mustered the troops again, this time sending them to head off the Moriantonites at the pass. Moroni’s commander, Teancum, led troops into the face of the Moriantonites. Our guys won, killing Morianton and taking lots of prisoners.

Another year ended (the twenty-fourth) and soon Moroni let them return to their homeland on the promise they wouldn’t reinvade and would drop some of their attitude.

Shortly after that, Nephihah died. A popular judge, he had only one black mark: he had refused Alma title to his ancient record and impelled him to turn them over to his son Helaman.

Nepotism had escaped being listed in the catalogue of sins. So Nephihah’s son, Pahoran, got appointed to replace his father. His oath of office included promises to judge fairly, keep the peace, and maintain freedom of worship, especially if it was freedom to worship the only God anyone in the land accepted as legitimate. He took over at the end of the twenty-fourth year of the judges’ reign,