Episode 40: Ammoron becomes king of the Lamanites

Alma 50-53

The people of Morianton

50 ^1-5 Moroni continued preparing for war, fortifying his cities, digging trenches, building barricades, and towers. ⁶ He did the same in every city in the land. ⁷ Moroni's armies drove out the Lamanites, who were in the wilderness, back to their homeland south of the land of Zarahemla. ⁸ The land of Nephi then extended from sea to sea. ^13-15 The Nephites built many new cities, including one by the east sea which they called Moroni. ^18-20 The Nephites prospered exceedingly because they kept the commandments. ^25-27 There was peace for two more years, and there would have been peace for another year, but the people in the land of Morianton started fighting with the people in the land of Lehi over a border dispute.

²⁸ In the year 68 BCE, the people in the land of Lehi came to Moroni for assistance. Morianton's leader (Morianton) feared that Moroni might help them. ²⁹ So the Morianton’s people fled to the north country, which was covered by large lakes.

^30-31 And that would have been the end of it, if Morianton hadn’t beaten one of his female servants, who went to Moroni and told him about the beating and Morianton’s intentions of moving to the land of lakes. ³² So Moroni sent an army to stop their flight northward.

^34-35 A man named Teancum killed Morianton and defeated his army. ^37-40 Then Nephihah, the second chief judge, died. The records went to Alma's son, Helaman, and Nephihah's son, Pahoran, became the new chief judge.

Freemen and king-men

51 ^1-6 There was peace for a while in the land of Nephi. But it didn’t last long, because some of the people wanted to have kings rule over them instead of judges. The people who wanted kings were called "king-men," and the people who wanted judges called themselves "freemen." ⁷ The people voted, and the freemen won. So Pahoran remained the chief judge.

^9-12 But they still had Amalickiah to deal with. He had sworn to drink the blood of Moroni, and he had an army to help him do it.

^13-15 When the king-men heard that Amalickiah was coming with an army against Pahoran, they refused to fight. When Moroni heard this, he issued a petition to give him the right to draft the king-men into the army or to kill them if they refused to fight. ^16-19 The people voted on and approved Moroni’s petition. So Moroni's army killed 4,000 king-men and threw the survivors in prison. ²⁰The rest were forced to hoist the title of liberty and fight for their country.

^23-25 But still the Nephites were not strong enough to resist Amalickiah's forces. They attacked the city of Moroni, and took it, and all of its fortifications. The Nephites fled to the city of Nephihah. Meanwhile Amalickiah didn't want to risk open battle, so he kept his men in the cities that he had conquered to defend them.

^29-31 But then Amalickiah’s men were met by Teancum, as they were about to attack Bountiful. ³² Teancum’s men slaughtered the Lamanites until it was dark. ^33-34 Then Teancum and his servant snuck into Amalickiah’s tent and thrust a javelin through his heart.

Ammoron becomes king of the Lamanites

52 ^1-4 When the Lamanites found their leader, Amalickiah, dead in his tent, they retreated to the city of Mulek. They selected Amalickiah’s brother, Ammoron, to be their king.

^22-31 Moroni, Teancum, Lehi, and the Nephite army attacked and defeated the Lamanites in the city of Mulek. ³² Those in Mulek who refused to give up their weapons were killed. ^33-35 Moroni was wounded in the battle, while the Lamanite leader, Jacob, along with many on both sides were killed.

³⁶ Lehi continued fighting the Lamanites, who had become confused. ³⁷ Moroni said to them, “Give us your weapons and we won’t kill you.” ³⁸ Many of their captains and soldiers threw down their weapons. ³⁹ Some refused and were taken captive and were forced to march to the land Bountiful. ⁴⁰ There were more prisoners taken than those who had died on both sides in the battles.

The captured Lamanites are put to work

53 ¹ The captured Lamanites were forced to bury the dead from the previous battles. ² Moroni took over the city of Mulek and gave it to Lehi. ³ After the Lamanites finished burying the dead, Moroni forced them to dig a ditch and construct a wall around Bountiful.

^10-11 The people of Ammon (the Anti-Nephi-Lehies) had taken an oath not to kill anyone, and the Nephites had been protecting them ever since. ¹³ So now they wanted to help the Nephites defend their country. ¹⁴ But Helaman talked them out of it. ¹⁵ He told them they would lose their souls if they broke their vow. ¹⁶ But some of their sons hadn’t taken the vow, so it would be okay for them to fight in wars. ^17-18 So 2000 of the sons who had never taken the pacifist vow agreed to fight with the Nephites with Helaman as their leader. ²² These were Helaman's famous stripling soldiers.