1 And now I finish my record concerning the destruction of my people, the Nephites. And it came to pass that we did march forth before the Lamanites.
If there be faults [in Moroni's record] they be the faults of a man. Mormon 8:17 8:17
Trivia: Mormon was the author of the Book of Mormon. What was his father's name?
6:1-22
1 And now I finish my record concerning the destruction of my people, the Nephites. And it came to pass that we did march forth before the Lamanites.
Now I'll finish my record about the destruction of the Nephites.
2 And I, Mormon, wrote an epistle unto the king of the Lamanites, and desired of him that he would grant unto us that we might gather together our people unto the land of Cumorah, by a hill which was called Cumorah, and there we could give them battle.
3 And it came to pass that the king of the Lamanites did grant unto me the thing which I desired.
I sent a letter to the king of the Lamanites inviting him to a battle at hill Cumorah. [1]
4 And it came to pass that we did march forth to the land of Cumorah, and we did pitch our tents around about the hill Cumorah; and it was in a land of many waters, rivers, and fountains; and here we had hope to gain advantage over the Lamanites.
5 And when three hundred and eighty and four years had passed away, we had gathered in all the remainder of our people unto the land of Cumorah.
So in 384 CE, I along with all of the surviving Nephites marched to hill Cumorah (in a land of many waters, rivers, and fountains), where we pitched their tents and waited for the Lamanites to show up.
6 And it came to pass that when we had gathered in all our people in one to the land of Cumorah, behold I, Mormon, began to be old; and knowing it to be the last struggle of my people, and having been commanded of the Lord that I should not suffer the records which had been handed down by our fathers, which were sacred, to fall into the hands of the Lamanites, (for the Lamanites would destroy them) therefore I made this record out of the plates of Nephi, and hid up in the hill Cumorah all the records which had been entrusted to me by the hand of the Lord, save it were these few plates which I gave unto my son Moroni.
7 And it came to pass that my people, with their wives and their children, did now behold the armies of the Lamanites marching towards them; and with that awful fear of death which fills the breasts of all the wicked, did they await to receive them.
I began to be old and since I knew that this would be the last Nephite battle, I decided to write down a record on the plates of Nephi and bury them on hill Cumorah (except for a plates few that I gave to my son Moroni).
8 And it came to pass that they came to battle against us, and every soul was filled with terror because of the greatness of their numbers.
Our hearts were filled with terror as they watched the huge Lamanite army march toward them.
9 And it came to pass that they did fall upon my people with the sword, and with the bow, and with the arrow, and with the ax, and with all manner of weapons of war.
The Lamanites attacked us with swords, bows and arrows, axes, and all manner of weapons of war.
10 And it came to pass that my men were hewn down, yea, even my ten thousand who were with me, and I fell wounded in the midst; and they passed by me that they did not put an end to my life.
I was wounded, and all of my 10,000 soldiers were killed.
11 And when they had gone through and hewn down all my people save it were twenty and four of us, (among whom was my son Moroni) and we having survived the dead of our people, did behold on the morrow, when the Lamanites had returned unto their camps, from the top of the hill Cumorah, the ten thousand of my people who were hewn down, being led in the front by me.
They killed all of the Nephites, except for 24 of us.
My son Moroni and I were among the survivors.
The 10,000 soldiers who were led by my son Moroni were killed.
13 And behold, the ten thousand of Gidgiddonah had fallen, and he also in the midst.
14 And Lamah had fallen with his ten thousand; and Gilgal had fallen with his ten thousand; and Limhah had fallen with his ten thousand; and Jeneum had fallen with his ten thousand; and Cumenihah, and Moronihah, and Antionum, and Shiblom, and Shem, and Josh, had fallen with their ten thousand each.
15 And it came to pass that there were ten more who did fall by the sword, with their ten thousand each; yea, even all my people, save it were those twenty and four who were with me, and also a few who had escaped into the south countries, and a few who had deserted over unto the Lamanites, had fallen; and their flesh, and bones, and blood lay upon the face of the earth, being left by the hands of those who slew them to molder upon the land, and to crumble and to return to their mother earth.
210,000 (21 groups of 10,000) were also killed.
All of my people were killed, except for the 24 who were with me, and a few who escaped to the southern countries, and a some soldiers who deserted to join the Lamanites. [2]
So I cried out in anguish, saying:
17 O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you!
Oh you dead peope!
Why did you reject Jesus?
18 Behold, if ye had not done this, ye would not have fallen. But behold, ye are fallen, and I mourn your loss.
You're dead because you rejected him.
19 O ye fair sons and daughters, ye fathers and mothers, ye husbands and wives, ye fair ones, how is it that ye could have fallen!
All you fair sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, husbands, and wives.
20 But behold, ye are gone, and my sorrows cannot bring your return.
21 And the day soon cometh that your mortal must put on immortality, and these bodies which are now moldering in corruption must soon become incorruptible bodies; and then ye must stand before the judgment-seat of Christ to be judged according to your works and if it so be that ye are righteous, then are ye blessed with your fathers who have gone before you.
You're all dead now.
22 O that ye had repented before this great destruction had come upon you. But behold, ye are gone, and the Father, yea, the Eternal Father of heaven, knoweth your state; and he doeth with you according to his justice and mercy.
I wish you had repented before you were killed.
Only God knows what he'll do to you now.
Notes
Since nearly a quarter million Nephite soldiers were killed, at least a million Nephites must have died on hill Cumorah, not counting Lamanite deaths. All of these deaths apparently happened in a single day "with the sword" -- metal swords, which didn't exist in the pre-Columbian New World.
If such a massacre actually happened, there would be plenty of evidence for it. There is none.
Favorite Phrases:
And it came to pass: 6:1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15
Behold: 6:6, 7, 11, 13, 18(2), 20, 22
(6:21a) For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. -- 1 Corinthians 15:53
(6:21b) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. -- 2 Corinthians 5:10
