Episode 21: A place called Mormon

Mosiah 18-19

18 ¹ Alma began to teach the words of Abinadi. ³ He did his teaching in private, and many believed his words.

⁴ Those who believed went to a place called Mormon. The king named the land Mormon because it was infested with wild beasts. ⁵ In Mormon there was a fountain of pure water. It was there that Alma spoke to the people. ^6-7 Many came to the place of Mormon to listen to Alma at the waters of Mormon (because that’s what they were called).

⁸ This is what Alma said to them, “Here are the waters of Mormon. ¹⁰ Why not get baptized?”

¹¹ The people clapped their hands with joy and said, “This is the desire of our hearts.”

¹² So Alma took Helam, who was first in line to be baptized, and said, ¹³ “Helam, I baptize you. You must now serve God until your dead.”

¹⁴ Then both Alma and Helam were buried in the water. When they came out they rejoiced, being filled with the Spirit.

¹⁶ In the same way, Alma baptized about 204 souls in the place of Mormon and the waters of Mormon. ¹⁷ They were all called the church of God, or the church of Christ, from then on.

¹⁸ Alma also ordained priests, one for every fifty baptized members of the church. ^24-26 He commanded them to work for a living and not depend on the people for support. ²⁷ He told the people to give according to their means. Those who have more should give more; those who had less should give less; and those who had nothing should give nothing.

³⁰ All this was done in Mormon, in the waters of Mormon, in the forest that was near the waters of Mormon, in the place of Mormon, the waters of Mormon, and the forest of Mormon. And how beautiful were the eyes of those who came there.

³¹ These things were done in secret so the king wouldn’t know about them. ^32-35 But the king found out anyway, and he sent an army to destroy Alma and his new church, which included about 450 souls. ³⁵ So Alma and his church fled into the wilderness

Gideon tries to kill King Noah

19 ¹ Noah’s army searched for the people of the Lord, but they couldn’t find them.

^2-3 The people were divided, with much contention among them. ⁴ One strong man named Gideon swore that he’d kill the king.

⁵ When the king saw that Gideon was after him, he went up into the tower next to the temple. ⁶ Gideon pursued the king and was about to slay him, when Noah saw that the Lamanites were preparing to attack the city. ⁷ He told Gideon that he shouldn't kill him now, or else his people will be killed by the Lamanites. ⁸ So Gideon spared his life.

The people flee into the wilderness

^9-10 The king and his people fled into the wilderness, but the Lamanites caught up to them and began to kill them. ¹¹ Noah commanded the men to abandon their wives and children, and to run for their lives. ^12-13 Some of them did, but the others stayed with their families and tried to protect them by other means: by having their fair daughters beg the Lamanites not to kill them.

¹⁴ And it worked. The Lamanites were so taken by the beautiful daughters that the decided not to kill them. ¹⁵ So the Lamanites said they’d allow them to return the land of Nephi if they agreed to give the Lamanites half of everything they owned and deliver King Noah to them.

The death of King Noah

¹⁸ Meanwhile, Gideon sent men to search for King Noah. ¹⁹ Gideon’s men met with the people in the wilderness, who were now angry with the king for not letting them return to the land of Nephi. ²⁰ So they burned Noah to death and made his righteous son, Limhi, king. ²¹ The people found the priests and were about to kill them too, but they escaped.

^22-23 As the people were returning to the land of Nephi, they met Gideon and told him they had killed King Noah.

²⁵ The Lamanite king swore he wouldn’t kill the people. King Limhi promised to give the Lamanite king one-half of everything the people owned. ²⁸ The king of the Lamanites posted guards around the city to keep Limhi’s people in the land. ²⁹ And there was peace for two years.