ye do administer unto our relief, behold I come unto you, even in the land of Zarahemla, and smite you with the sword, insomuch that ye can have no more power to impede the progress of this people in the cause of our freedom; 31. For behold, the Lord will not suffer that ye shall live and wax strong in your iniquities to destroy his righteous people. 32. Behold, can you suppose that the Lord will spare you and come out in judgment against the Lamanites, when it is the tradition of their fathers that has caused their hatred; yea, and it has been redoubled by those who have dissented from us; while your iniquity is for the cause of your love of glory, and the vain things of the world? 33. Ye know that ye do transgress the laws of God, and ye do know that ye do trample them under your feet. Behold, the Lord saith unto me, if those whom ye have appointed your governors do not repent of their sins and iniquities, ye shall go up to battle against them. 34. And now behold, I, Moroni, am constrained, according to the covenant which I have made to keep the commandments of my God; therefore I would that ye should adhere to the word of God, and send speedily unto me of your provisions and of your men, and also to Helaman. 35. And behold, if ye will not do this I come unto you speedily; for behold, God will not suffer that we should perish with hunger; therefore he will give unto us of your food, even if it must be by the sword. Now see that ye "fulfil the word of God. 36. Behold, I am Moroni, your chief captain. I seek not for power, but to pull it down. I seek not for honour of the world, but for the glory of my God, and the freedom and welfare of my country. And thus I close mine epistle. CHAPTER 61. 1. BEHOLD, now it came to pass that soon after Moroni had sent his epistle unto the chief governor, he received an epistle from "Pahoran, the chief governor. And these are the words which he received : 2. I, Pahoran, who am the chief governor of this land, do send these words unto Moroni, the chief captain over the army, behold, I say unto you, Moroni, that I do not joy in your great afflictions; yea, it grieves my soul. 3. But behold, there are those who do joy in your afflictions; yea, insomuch that they have risen up in rebellion o, see h, Omni 1. P, see 2ƒ, Alma 43. 9, see n. Jacob 7. r, ver. 33. 8, see 2f, Alma 43. a, Alma 50: 40 against me, and also those of my people who are 'freemen, yea, and those who have risen up are exceeding numerous; 4. And it is those who have sought to take away the judgment seat from me, that have been the cause of this great iniquity, for they have used great flattery, and they have led away the hearts of many people, which will be the cause of sore affliction among us; they have withheld our provisions, and have daunted our freemen that they have not come unto you. 5. And behold, they have driven me out before them, and I have fled to the land of Gideon, with as many men as it were possible that I could get. 6. And behold I have sent a proclamation throughout this part of the land; and behold they are flocking to us daily, to their arms, in the defence of their country and their "freedom, and to avenge our wrongs. 7. And they have come unto us, insomuch that those who have risen up in rebellion against us are set at defiance, yea, insomuch that they do fear us, and durst not come out against us to battle. 8. They have got possession of the land, or the city of Zarahemla; they have appointed a king over them, and he hath written unto the king of the Lamanites, in the which he hath joined an alliance with him; in the which alliance he hath agreed to maintain the city of Zarahemla, which maintenance he supposeth will enable the Lamanites to conquer the remainder of the land, and he shall be placed king over this people, when they shall be conquered under the Lamanites. 9. And now in your epistle you have censured me, but it mattereth not, I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart. I, Pahoran, do not seek for power, save only to retain my judgment seat, that I may preserve the rights and the liberty of my people. My soul standeth fast in that liberty, in the which God hath made us free. 10. And now, behold, we will resist wickedness even unto bloodshed. We would not shed the blood of the Lamanites if they would stay in their own land. 11. We would not shed the blood of our brethren, if they would not rise up in rebellion and take the sword against us. 12. We would subject ourselves to the yoke of bondage, if it were requisite with the justice of God, or if he should command us so to do. 13. But behold he doth not command us that we shall subject ourselves to our enemies, but that we should put our trust in him, and he will deliver us ; 14. Therefore, my beloved brother, Moroni, let us resist evil, and whatsoever evil we cannot resist with our words, yea, such as rebellions and dissensions, let us resist them b, see mn, Mos. 29. c, see m, Alma 2. d, see m, Mos. 29. e, see h, Omni 1. f, see m, Mos. 29. with our swords, that we may retain our freedom, that we may rejoice in the great privilege of our church, and in the cause of our Redeemer and our God. 15. Therefore, come unto me speedily with a few of your men, and leave the remainder in the charge of Lehi and Teancum; give unto them power to conduct the war in that part of the land, according to the Spirit of God, which is also the spirit of freedom which is in them. 16. Behold I have sent a few provisions unto them, that they may not perish until ye can come unto me. 17. Gather together whatsoever force ye can upon your march hither, and we will go speedily against those dissenters in the strength of our God, according to the faith which is in us. 18. And we will take possession of the city of Zarahemla, that we may obtain more food to send forth unto Lehi and Teancum; yea, we will go forth against them in the strength of the Lord, and we will put an end to this great iniquity. 19. And now, Moroni, I do joy in receiving your epistle, for I was somewhat worried concerning what we should do, whether it should be just in us to go against our brethren. 20. But ye have said, Except they repent, the Lord "hath also commanded you that ye should go against them. 21. See that ye strengthen Lehi and Teancum in the Lord tell them to fear not, for God will deliver them; yea, and also all those who stand fast in that liberty wherewith God hath made them free. And now I close mine epistle to my beloved brother Moroni. CHAPTER 62. 1. AND now it came to pass that when Moroni had received this epistle, his heart did take courage, and was filled with exceeding great joy, because of the faithfulness of Pahoran, that he was not also a traitor to the freedom and cause of his country. 2. But he did also mourn exceedingly, because of the iniquity of those who had driven Pahoran from the judg ment seat; yea, in fine because of those who had rebelled against their country and also their God. 3. And it came to pass that Moroni took a small number of men, according to the desire of Pahoran, and gave Lehi and Teancum command over the remainder of his army, and took his march towards the "land of Gideon. 4. And he did raise the 'standard of liberty in whatso ever place he did enter, and gained whatsoever force he could in all his march towards the land of Gideon. 5. And it came to pass that thousands did flock unto his standard, and did take up their swords in the defence of their "freedom, that they might not come into bondage; 6. And thus when Moroni had gathered together whatsoever men he could in all his march, he came to the land of Gideon; and uniting his forces with that of Pahoran, they became exceeding strong, even stronger than the men of Pachus, who was the king of those dissenters who had driven out the freemen out of the land of Zarahemla, and had taken possession of the land. 7. And it came to pass that Moroni and Pahoran went down with their armies into the land of Zarahemla, and went forth against the city, and did meet the men of Pachus, insomuch that they did come to battle. 8. And behold Pachus was slain, and his men were taken prisoners, and Pahoran was restored to his judgment seat. 9. And the men of Pachus received their trial, according to the law, and also those "king-men who had been taken and cast into prison; and they were executed according to the law; yea, those men of Pachus. and those king-men, whosoever would not take up arms in the defence of their country, but would fight against it, were put to death; 10. And thus it became expedient that this law should be strictly observed for the safety of their country; yea, and whosoever was found denying their freedom, was speedily executed according to the law. 11. And thus ended the thirtieth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi; Moroni and Pahoran having restored peace to the land of Zarahemla, among their own people, having inflicted death upon all those who were not true to the cause of freedom. 12. And it came to pass in the commencement of the thirty and first year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi, Moroni immediately caused that provisions should be sent, and also an army of six thousand men should be sent unto Helaman to assist him in preserving that part of the land; 13. And he also caused that an army of six thousand men, with a sufficient quantity of food, should be sent to the armies of Lehi and Teancum. And it came to pass that this was done to fortify the land against the Lamanites. 14. And it came to pass that Moroni and Pahoran, leaving a large body of men in the 'land of Zarahemla, took their march with a large body of men towards the mland of d, see m, Mos. 29. c, see m, Alma 2. 51: 6, 7. 61: 4. 17, 21. 60: 16. 46: 12, 13, 36. e, see m, Alma 2. h, vers. 6, 10, 11. j, see h, Omni 1. m, see 1, Alma 50. f, Alma Alma 51: 5, 7, k, Alma Nephihah, being determined to overthrow the Lamanites in that city. 15. And it came to pass that as they were marching towards the land, they took a large body of men of the Lamanites, and slew many of them, and took their provisions and their weapons of war. 16. And it came to pass after they had taken them, they caused them to enter into a covenant that they would no more take up their weapons of war against the Nephites. 17. And when they had entered into this covenant, they sent them to dwell with the "people of Ammon, and they were in number about four thousand, who had not been slain. 18. And it came to pass that when they had sent them away they pursued their march towards the land of Nephihah. And it came to pass that when they had come to the city of Nephihah, they did pitch their tents in the plains of Nephihah, which is near the city of Nephihah. 19. Now Moroni was desirous that the Lamanites should come out to battle against them, upon the plains; but the Lamanites knowing of their exceeding great courage, and beholding the greatness of their numbers, therefore they durst not come out against them; therefore they did not come to battle in that day. 20. And when the night came, Moroni went forth in the darkness of the night, and came upon the top of the wall to spy out in what part of the city the Lamanites did camp with their army. 21. And it came to pass that they were on the east, by the entrance; and they were all asleep. And now Moroni returned to his army, and caused that they should prepare in haste strong Pcords and ladders, to be let down from the top of the wall into the inner part of the wall. 22. And it came to pass that Moroni caused that his men should march forth and come upon the top of the wall, and let themselves down into that part of the city, yea, even on the west, where the Lamanites did not camp with their armies. 23. And it came to pass that they were all let down into the city by night, by the means of their strong cords and their ladders; thus when the morning came, they were all within the walls of the city. 24. And now when the Lamanites awoke, and saw that the armies of Moroni were within the walls, they were affrighted exceedingly, insomuch that they did flee out by the pass. 25. And now when Moroni saw that they were fleeing before him, he did cause that his men should march forth against them, and slew many, and surrounded many others, and took them prisoners; and the remainder of them fled into |