Alma
24 verses
At the beginning of the twenty-ninth year of the judges, Ammoron sent a message to Moroni, asking to exchange prisoners.
And now it came to pass in the commencement of the twenty and ninth year of the judges, that Ammoron sent unto Moroni desiring that he would exchange prisoners.
Moroni was extremely glad about this request, because he wanted to use the provisions given for the Lamanite prisoners to support his own people; and he also wanted his people back to strengthen his army.
And it came to pass that Moroni felt to rejoice exceedingly at this request, for he desired the provisions which were imparted for the support of the Lamanite prisoners for the support of his own people; and he also desired his own people for the strengthening of his army.
The Lamanites had captured many women and children, and there were no women or children among all the prisoners Moroni had, or among those he had taken. So Moroni decided to use a strategy to get back as many Nephite prisoners from the Lamanites as possible.
Now the Lamanites had taken many women and children, and there was not a woman nor a child among all the prisoners of Moroni, or the prisoners whom Moroni had taken; therefore Moroni resolved upon a stratagem to obtain as many prisoners of the Nephites from the Lamanites as it were possible.
So he wrote a letter and sent it with Ammoron's servant, the same one who had delivered a letter to Moroni. These are the words he wrote to Ammoron:
Therefore he wrote an epistle, and sent it by the servant of Ammoron, the same who had brought an epistle to Moroni. Now these are the words which he wrote unto Ammoron, saying:
Ammoron, I have written to you about this war that you have started against my people, or rather, that your brother began against them, and which you are still determined to continue after his death.
Behold, Ammoron, I have written unto you somewhat concerning this war which ye have waged against my people, or rather which thy brother hath waged against them, and which ye are still determined to carry on after his death.
I want to tell you about the justice of God and the sword of his almighty wrath, which hangs over you unless you repent and withdraw your armies into your own lands, or the land of your possessions, which is the land of Nephi.
Behold, I would tell you somewhat concerning the justice of God, and the sword of his almighty wrath, which doth hang over you except ye repent and withdraw your armies into your own lands, or the land of your possessions, which is the land of Nephi.
I would tell you these things if you were able to listen; I would tell you about the terrible hell that is waiting to receive murderers like you and your brother, unless you repent, abandon your murderous intentions, and return with your armies to your own lands.
Yea, I would tell you these things if ye were capable of hearkening unto them; yea, I would tell you concerning that awful hell that awaits to receive such murderers as thou and thy brother have been, except ye repent and withdraw your murderous purposes, and return with your armies to your own lands.
But since you have already rejected these things and fought against the people of the Lord, I can expect you will do it again.
But as ye have once rejected these things, and have fought against the people of the Lord, even so I may expect you will do it again.
We are prepared to face you, and unless you abandon your intentions, you will bring down the wrath of the God you have rejected upon yourselves, even to your complete destruction.
And now behold, we are prepared to receive you; yea, and except you withdraw your purposes, behold, ye will pull down the wrath of that God whom you have rejected upon you, even to your utter destruction.
As surely as the Lord lives, our armies will come against you unless you withdraw, and you will soon face death, for we will keep our cities and our lands, and we will defend our religion and the cause of our God.
But, as the Lord liveth, our armies shall come upon you except ye withdraw, and ye shall soon be visited with death, for we will retain our cities and our lands; yea, and we will maintain our religion and the cause of our God.
It seems to me that talking to you about these things is pointless, or that you are a child of hell. So I will end my letter by telling you that I will not exchange prisoners unless you agree to give up a man, his wife, and his children for one prisoner. If you are willing to do this, I will make the exchange.
But behold, it supposeth me that I talk to you concerning these things in vain; or it supposeth me that thou art a child of hell; therefore I will close my epistle by telling you that I will not exchange prisoners, save it be on conditions that ye will deliver up a man and his wife and his children, for one prisoner; if this be the case that ye will do it, I will exchange.
If you don’t do this, I will come against you with my armies. I will even arm my women and children and come against you, following you into your own land, which is the land of our first inheritance. It will be blood for blood, life for life, and I will fight you until you are destroyed from the face of the earth.
And behold, if you do not this, I will come against you with my armies; yea, even I will arm my women and my children, and I will come against you, and I will follow you even into your own land, which is the land of our first inheritance; yea, and it shall be blood for blood, yea, life for life; and I will give you battle even until you are destroyed from off the face of the earth.
I am angry, and so are my people. You have tried to kill us, and we have only tried to defend ourselves. But if you continue to try to destroy us, we will try to destroy you, and we will seek to reclaim our land, the land of our first inheritance.
Behold, I am in my anger, and also my people; ye have sought to murder us, and we have only sought to defend ourselves. But behold, if ye seek to destroy us more we will seek to destroy you; yea, and we will seek our land, the land of our first inheritance.
I am finishing my letter. I am Moroni, the leader of the Nephite people.
Now I close my epistle. I am Moroni; I am a leader of the people of the Nephites.
When Ammoron received this letter, he became angry. He wrote another letter to Moroni, and these are the words he wrote:
Now it came to pass that Ammoron, when he had received this epistle, was angry; and he wrote another epistle unto Moroni, and these are the words which he wrote, saying:
I am Ammoron, the king of the Lamanites; I am the brother of Amalickiah, whom you have murdered. I will avenge his blood upon you, and I will come against you with my armies, for I do not fear your threats.
I am Ammoron, the king of the Lamanites; I am the brother of Amalickiah whom ye have murdered. Behold, I will avenge his blood upon you, yea, and I will come upon you with my armies for I fear not your threatenings.
Your ancestors wronged their brothers by taking away their right to the government, even though it rightfully belonged to them.
For behold, your fathers did wrong their brethren, insomuch that they did rob them of their right to the government when it rightly belonged unto them.
If you lay down your arms and submit to be governed by those to whom the government rightfully belongs, I will have my people lay down their weapons and we will not be at war anymore.
And now behold, if ye will lay down your arms, and subject yourselves to be governed by those to whom the government doth rightly belong, then will I cause that my people shall lay down their weapons and shall be at war no more.
You have made many threats against me and my people, but we are not afraid of your threats.
Behold, ye have breathed out many threatenings against me and my people; but behold, we fear not your threatenings.
However, I will agree to exchange prisoners as you requested, gladly, so I can save food for my soldiers; and we will continue this war without end, until either the Nephites are brought under our control or they are completely destroyed.
Nevertheless, I will grant to exchange prisoners according to your request, gladly, that I may preserve my food for my men of war; and we will wage a war which shall be eternal, either to the subjecting the Nephites to our authority or to their eternal extinction.
As for the God you say we have rejected, we don’t know of such a being, and neither do you. But if there is such a being, we don’t know but that he has made us just as much as he has made you.
And as concerning that God whom ye say we have rejected, behold, we know not such a being; neither do ye; but if it so be that there is such a thing, we know not but that he hath made us as well as you.
And if there is a devil and a hell, won’t he send you there to live with my brother, whom you have murdered and suggested has gone to such a place? But these things don’t matter.
And if it so be that there is a devil and a hell, behold will he not send you there to dwell with my brother whom ye have murdered, whom ye have hinted that he hath gone to such a place? But behold these things matter not.
I am Ammoron, a descendant of Zoram, whom your ancestors forced and brought out of Jerusalem.
I am Ammoron, and a descendant of Zoram, whom your fathers pressed and brought out of Jerusalem.
I am a bold Lamanite; this war has been waged to avenge their wrongs and to maintain and obtain their rights to the government; and I close my letter to Moroni.
And behold now, I am a bold Lamanite; behold, this war hath been waged to avenge their wrongs, and to maintain and to obtain their rights to the government; and I close my epistle to Moroni.