CHAPTER 50
CHAPTER 50
Moroni prepares for war and fortifies his cities--He and his people build many cities and prosper exceedingly,
while their wicked brethren dwindle in unbelief--Morianton plans to flee to the north--Moroni
sends an army led by Teancum to stop them--Teancum kills Morianton and enslaves his army--Alma's son,
Helaman receives the records and Pahoran inherits the judgement-seat. (72-67 BCE)
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50:1-40
1 And now it came to pass that
Moroni did not stop making preparations for war, or to defend his
people against the Lamanites; for he caused that his armies should commence in the commencement of the twentieth
year of the reign of the judges, that they should commence in digging up heaps of earth round about all the
cities, throughout all the land which was possessed by the Nephites.
2 And upon the top of these ridges of earth he caused that there should be timbers,
yea, works of timbers built up to the height of a man, round about the cities.
3 And he caused that upon those works of timbers there should be a frame of pickets built upon the
timbers round about; and they were strong and high.
4 And he caused towers to be erected that overlooked those works of pickets, and he caused places of
security to be built upon those towers, that the stones and the arrows of the Lamanites could not hurt them.
5 And they were prepared that they could cast stones from the top thereof, according to their
pleasure and their strength, and slay him who should attempt to approach near the walls of the city.
Moroni continued preparing for war, fortifying his cities, digging trenches, putting barricades on top of the mounds of dirt,
putting towers on top of the barricades, and pickets on top of the barricades.
6Thus Moroni did prepare strongholds against the coming of their enemies,
round about every
city in all the land.
He did the same in every city in the land.
7 And it came to pass that
Moroni caused that his armies should go
forth into the east wilderness; yea, and they went forth and drove all the Lamanites who were in the east
wilderness into their own lands, which were south of the land of Zarahemla.
Moroni's armies drove out the Lamanites, who were in the wilderness, back to their homeland south of the land of Zarahemla.
8 And the land of Nephi did run in a straight course from the east sea to the west.
9 And it came to pass that when Moroni had driven all the Lamanites out
of the east wilderness, which was north of the lands of their own possessions, he caused that the inhabitants
who were in the land of Zarahemla and in the land round about should go forth into the east wilderness, even to
the borders by the seashore, and possess the land.
10 And he also placed armies on the south, in the borders of their possessions, and caused
them to erect fortifications that they might secure their armies and their people from the hands of their
enemies.
11 And thus he cut off all the strongholds of the Lamanites in the east wilderness, yea, and also
on the west, fortifying the line between the Nephites and the Lamanites, between the land of Zarahemla and the
land of Nephi, from the west sea, running by the head of the river Sidon -- the Nephites possessing all
the land northward, yea, even all the land which was northward of the land Bountiful, according to their
pleasure.
12 Thus Moroni, with his armies, which did increase daily because of the assurance of protection
which his works did bring forth unto them, did seek to cut off the strength and the power of the Lamanites from
off the lands of their possessions, that they should have no power upon the lands of their possession.
The land of Nephi then extended from sea to sea.
13 And it came to pass that the Nephites began the foundation of a city,
and they called the name of the city Moroni; and it was by the east sea; and it was on the south by the line of
the possessions of the Lamanites.
14 And they also began a foundation for a city between the city of Moroni and the city of Aaron,
joining the borders of Aaron and Moroni; and they called the name of the city, or the land, Nephihah.
15 And they also began in that same year to build many cities on the north, one in a particular
manner which they called Lehi, which was in the north by the borders of the
seashore.
16 And thus ended the twentieth year.
17 And in these prosperous circumstances
were the people of Nephi in the commencement of the twenty and first year of the reign of the judges over the
people of Nephi.
The Nephites built many new cities, including one by the east sea which they called Moroni.
18And they did prosper exceedingly, and they
became exceedingly rich; yea, and they did multiply and wax strong in the land.
19 And thus we see how merciful and just are all the dealings of the Lord, to the fulfilling of
all his words unto the children of men; yea, we can behold that his words are verified, even at this time,
which he spake unto Lehi, saying:
20 Blessed art thou and thy children; and they shall be blessed,
inasmuch as they shall keep my
commandments they shall prosper in the land. But remember, inasmuch as they will not keep my commandments
they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord.
21 And we see that these promises have been verified to the people of Nephi; for it has been
their quarrelings and their contentions, yea, their murderings, and their plunderings, their idolatry, their
whoredoms, and their abominations, which were among themselves, which brought upon them their wars and their
destructions.
The Nephites prospered exceedingly because they kept the commandments. [1]
22 And those who were faithful in keeping the commandments of
the Lord were delivered at all
times, whilst thousands of their wicked brethren have been consigned to bondage, or to perish by the sword,
or to dwindle in unbelief, and mingle with the Lamanites.
23 But behold there never was a happier time among the people of Nephi, since the days of Nephi,
than in the days of Moroni, yea, even at this time, in the twenty and first year of the reign of the judges.
24 And it came to pass that the twenty and second year of the reign of the
judges also ended in peace; yea, and also the twenty and third year.
(Those who didn't obey the commandments were enslaved ,
killed by the sword, dwindled in unbelief [2], or mingled with the Lamanites.)
25 And it came to pass that in the commencement of the twenty and
fourth year of the reign of the judges, there would also have been peace among the people of Nephi had it
not been for a contention which took place among them concerning the land of Lehi,
and the land of Morianton, which joined upon the borders of Lehi; both of which
were on the borders by the seashore.
26 For behold, the people who possessed the land of Morianton did claim a part of the land
of Lehi; therefore there began to be a warm contention between them,
insomuch that the people of Morianton took up arms against their brethren, and they were determined by the
sword to slay them.
27 But behold, the people who possessed the land of Lehi fled to
the camp of Moroni, and appealed unto him for assistance; for behold they were not in the wrong.
There was peace for two more years (the 22nd and 23rd year of the reign of the judges), and there
would have been peace in the 24th year, too, but the people in the
land of Morianton started fighting with the people in the land of Lehi over a border dispute.
28 And it came to pass that when the people of Morianton, who were led by a man
whose name was Morianton, found that the people of Lehi had fled to the camp of
Moroni, they were exceedingly fearful lest the army of Moroni should come upon them and
destroy them.
The people in the land of Lehi came to Moroni for assistance.
Their leader (Morianton) feared that Moroni might help them.
29 Therefore, Morianton put it into their hearts that they should flee to the land which
was northward, which was covered with large bodies of water, and take possession of the land which was
northward.
So the Morianton's people fled to the north country, which was covered by large lakes.
30 And behold, they would have carried this plan into effect, (which would have been a cause to
have been lamented) but behold, Morianton being a man of much passion, therefore he was angry with one of his
maid servants, and he fell upon her and beat her much.
31 And it came to pass that she fled, and came over to the camp of Moroni,
and told Moroni all things concerning the matter, and also concerning their intentions to flee into the land
northward.
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 Now behold, the people who were in the land Bountiful, or rather Moroni, feared that they
would hearken to the words of Morianton and unite with his people, and thus he would obtain possession of
those parts of the land, which would lay a foundation for serious consequences among the people of Nephi,
yea, which consequences would lead to the overthrow of their liberty.
33 Therefore Moroni sent an army, with their camp, to head the people of Morianton, to stop their
flight into the land northward.
So Moroni sent an army to stop their flight northward.
34 And it came to pass that they did not head them until
they had come to
the borders of the land Desolation; and there they did head them, by the narrow pass which led by the sea into
the land northward, yea, by the sea, on the west and on the east.
35 And it came to pass that the army which was sent by Moroni, which was led
by a man whose name was Teancum, did meet the people of Morianton; and so stubborn were the people of Morianton,
(being inspired by his wickedness and his flattering words) that a battle commenced between them, in the which
Teancum did slay Morianton and defeat his army, and took them prisoners, and returned to the camp of Moroni.
And thus ended the twenty and fourth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
36 And thus were the people of Morianton brought back. And upon their covenanting to keep the
peace they were restored to the land of Morianton, and a union took place between them and the people
of Lehi; and they were also restored to their lands.
A man named Teancum killed Morianton and defeated his army.
37 And it came to pass that in the same year that the people of
Nephi had peace restored unto them, that Nephihah, the second chief judge, died, having filled the
judgment-seat with perfect uprightness before God.
38 Nevertheless, he had refused Alma to take possession of those records and those things
which were esteemed by Alma and his fathers to be most sacred; therefore Alma had conferred them upon his
son, Helaman.
39 Behold, it came to pass that the son of Nephihah was appointed to fill the judgment-seat,
in the stead of his father; yea, he was appointed chief judge and governor over the people, with an oath and
sacred ordinance to judge righteously, and to keep the peace and the freedom of the people, and to grant unto
them their sacred privileges to worship the Lord their God, yea, to support and maintain the cause of God all
his days, and to bring the wicked to justice according to their crime.
40 Now behold, his name was Pahoran. And Pahoran did fill the seat of his father, and did commence
his reign in the end of the twenty and fourth year, over the people of Nephi.
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.