CHAPTER 54
Ammoron and Moroni write a series of letters--Ammoron offers a prsoner exchange--Moroni insults Ammoron and
threatens genocide against his people--Ammoron repeats his prisoner exchange offer and expresses his skepticism about Moroni's
God (63 BCE)
Previous chapter |
Next chapter
Moroni's letter to Ammoron
1And now it came to pass in the commencement of the twenty and ninth year of the judges, that
Ammoron sent unto Moroni desiring that he would exchange prisoners.
2And it came to pass that Moroni felt to
rejoice exceedingly at this request, for he desired the provisions which were imparted
for the support of the Lamanite prisoners for the support of his own people; and he also desired his own people
for the strengthening of his army.
3 Now the Lamanites had taken many women and children, and there was not a woman nor a child
among all the prisoners of Moroni, or the prisoners whom Moroni had taken; therefore Moroni resolved upon a
stratagem to obtain as many prisoners of the Nephites from the Lamanites as it were possible.
Ammoron, the king of the Lamanites, offered to exchange prisoners with Moroni.
4 Therefore he wrote an epistle, and sent it by the servant of Ammoron, the same who had
brought an epistle to Moroni. Now these are the words which he wrote unto Ammoron, saying:
5 Behold, Ammoron, I have written unto you somewhat concerning this war which ye have waged
against my people, or rather which thy brother hath waged against them, and which ye are still determined
to carry on after his death.
6 Behold, I would tell you somewhat concerning the justice of God, and the sword of his almighty
wrath, which doth hang over you except ye repent and withdraw your armies into your own lands, or the land of
your possessions, which is the land of Nephi.
In response, Moroni sent a letter to Ammorn, saying:
7 Yea, I would tell you these things if ye were capable of hearkening unto them; yea,
I would tell you concerning that awful hell that awaits to receive such murderers as thou and thy brother have been,
except ye repent and withdraw your murderous purposes, and return with your armies to your own lands.
8 But as ye have once rejected these things, and have fought against the people of the Lord,
even so I may expect you will do it again.
9 And now behold, we are prepared to receive you; yea, and except you withdraw your purposes,
behold, ye will pull down the wrath of that God whom you have rejected upon you, even to your utter
destruction.
10 But, as the Lord liveth, our armies shall come upon you except ye withdraw, and ye shall
soon be visited with death, for we will retain our cities and our lands; yea, and we will maintain our
religion and the cause of our God.
An awful hell awaits you unless you repent.
11 But behold, it supposeth me that I talk to you concerning these things in vain; or it
supposeth me that thou art a child of hell; therefore I will close my epistle by telling you that I will
not exchange prisoners, save it be on conditions that ye will deliver up a man and his wife and his
children, for one prisoner; if this be the case that ye will do it, I will exchange.
You are a child of hell.
I won't exchange prisoners with you unless you release one Nephite family (man, wife, and children) for each Lamanite
prisoner that I release.
12 And behold, if you do not this, I will come against you with my armies; yea, even I will
arm my women and my children, and I will come against you, and I will follow you even into your own land,
which is the land of our first inheritance; yea, and it shall be blood for blood, yea, life for life; and I
will give you battle even until you are destroyed from off the face of the earth.
If you don't agree to this, I will come with my armies, along with my women and children, and we'll kill
every last one of you.
13Behold, I am in my anger, and also my people;
ye have sought to murder us, and we have
only sought to defend ourselves. But behold, if ye seek to destroy us more we will seek to destroy you;
yea, and we will seek our land, the land of our first inheritance.
I and my people are angry with you. You've tried to murder us, and we've only tried to defend ourselves.
But if you try to kill us again, we'll kill you, and take back the land that belongs to us.
14 Now I close my epistle. I am Moroni; I am a leader of the people of the Nephites.
Ammoron's letter to Moroni
54:15-24
15Now it came to pass that Ammoron, when he had received this epistle, was angry; and he
wrote another epistle unto Moroni, and these are the words which he wrote, saying:
After King Ammoron read Moroni's letter, he wrote back, saying:
16I am Ammoron, the king of the Lamanites; I am the brother of Amalickiah whom ye have murdered.
Behold, I will avenge his blood upon you, yea, and I will come upon you with my armies for I fear not your threatenings.
I'm Ammoron, the king of the Lamanites, the brother of Amalickiah whom you murdered. [1]
I will avenge his death by sending my armies. We're not afraid of you.
17 For behold, your fathers did wrong their brethren, insomuch that they did rob them of
their right to the government when it rightly belonged unto them.
Your forefathers robbed the people of their right to govern themselves.
18 And now behold, if ye will lay down your arms, and subject yourselves to be governed by
those to whom the government doth rightly belong, then will I cause that my people shall lay down their
weapons and shall be at war no more.
If you lay down your weapons and allow the people
to be governed by those who have a right to govern them, we won't fight you anymore.
19Behold, ye have breathed out many threatenings against me and my people; but behold, we
fear not your threatenings.
20 Nevertheless, I will grant to exchange prisoners according to your request, gladly, that
I may preserve my food for my men of war; and we will wage a war which shall be eternal, either to the
subjecting the Nephites to our authority or to their eternal extinction.
Although you've threatened us many times, I'm still willing to exchange prisoners with you.
21 And as concerning that God whom ye say we have rejected,
behold, we know not such a being; neither do ye; but if it so be that there is such a thing, we know not but that he hath made
us as well as you.
As for the god you say we've rejected, we don't know that such a being exists, and neither do you.
22 And if it so be that there is a devil and a hell, behold will he not send you there to
dwell with my brother whom ye have murdered, whom ye have hinted that he hath gone to such a place?
But behold these things matter not.
And if there is a hell, you'll be going there for murdering my brother.
23I am Ammoron, and a descendant of Zoram, whom your fathers pressed and brought out
of Jerusalem.
24 And behold now, I am a bold Lamanite; behold, this war hath been waged to avenge their
wrongs, and to maintain and to obtain their rights to the government; and I close my epistle to Moroni.
I'm Ammoron, a bold Lamanite and a descnedant of Zoram, whom you forefathers drove out of Jerusalem. [2]
Notes
-
Amalickiah whom ye have murdered (v.16)
Four years ago (in 67 BCE), Teancum and his servant snuck into Amalickiah's tent and thrust a javelin through his heart.
Alma 51:34
-
A descendant of Zoram (v.23)
Zoram was Laban's servant, who in 600 BCE agreed to leave Jerusalem and travel to the New World with Lehi's family.
1 Nephi 4:35
And it came to pass: 54:1, 2, 15
Exceedingly: 54:2
Behold: 54:5, 6, 9(2), 11, 12,
13(2), 16, 17, 18, 19(2),
21, 22(2), 24(2)
Yea: 54:7(2), 9, 10, 12(3), 13,
16