Helaman
38 verses
In the seventy-second year of the reign of the judges, the conflicts increased so much that there were wars throughout the entire land among all the people of Nephi.
And now it came to pass in the seventy and second year of the reign of the judges that the contentions did increase, insomuch that there were wars throughout all the land among all the people of Nephi.
This secret group of robbers was responsible for the destruction and wickedness. The war lasted throughout that year and continued into the seventy-third year.
And it was this secret band of robbers who did carry on this work of destruction and wickedness. And this war did last all that year; and in the seventy and third year it did also last.
That year, Nephi prayed to the Lord, saying:
And it came to pass that in this year Nephi did cry unto the Lord, saying:
Lord, please don't let these people be destroyed by war; but instead, let there be a famine in the land to remind them of you, their God, so that maybe they will repent and turn to you.
O Lord, do not suffer that this people shall be destroyed by the sword; but O Lord, rather let there be a famine in the land, to stir them up in remembrance of the Lord their God, and perhaps they will repent and turn unto thee.
It happened just as Nephi said. There was a great famine throughout the land, affecting all the people of Nephi. In the seventy-fourth year, the famine continued, and the destruction stopped by the sword but became severe because of the famine.
And so it was done, according to the words of Nephi. And there was a great famine upon the land, among all the people of Nephi. And thus in the seventy and fourth year the famine did continue, and the work of destruction did cease by the sword but became sore by famine.
This destruction continued in the seventy-fifth year. The earth was struck with drought and didn’t produce grain during the harvest season. The whole land was affected, among both the Lamanites and the Nephites, and in the more wicked areas, thousands died.
And this work of destruction did also continue in the seventy and fifth year. For the earth was smitten that it was dry, and did not yield forth grain in the season of grain; and the whole earth was smitten, even among the Lamanites as well as among the Nephites, so that they were smitten that they did perish by thousands in the more wicked parts of the land.
The people saw that they were about to die from the famine, and they started to remember the Lord their God. They also began to remember the words of Nephi.
And it came to pass that the people saw that they were about to perish by famine, and they began to remember the Lord their God; and they began to remember the words of Nephi.
The people began to plead with their chief judges and leaders to ask Nephi, “We know you are a man of God, so please pray to the Lord our God to end this famine, so that everything you have said about our destruction won’t come true. ”
And the people began to plead with their chief judges and their leaders, that they would say unto Nephi: Behold, we know that thou art a man of God, and therefore cry unto the Lord our God that he turn away from us this famine, lest all the words which thou hast spoken concerning our destruction be fulfilled.
The judges told Nephi what had been requested. When Nephi saw that the people had repented and humbled themselves in sackcloth, he prayed to the Lord again, saying:
And it came to pass that the judges did say unto Nephi, according to the words which had been desired. And it came to pass that when Nephi saw that the people had repented and did humble themselves in sackcloth, he cried again unto the Lord, saying:
O Lord, this people is repenting; they have removed the band of Gadianton from among them so completely that they have become extinct, and they have buried their secret plans in the earth.
O Lord, behold this people repenteth; and they have swept away the band of Gadianton from amongst them insomuch that they have become extinct, and they have concealed their secret plans in the earth.
Now, Lord, because of their humility, will you turn away your anger and let your anger be satisfied with the destruction of those wicked men whom you have already destroyed.
Now, O Lord, because of this their humility wilt thou turn away thine anger, and let thine anger be appeased in the destruction of those wicked men whom thou hast already destroyed.
O Lord, will you turn away your anger, your fierce anger, and cause this famine to end in this land.
O Lord, wilt thou turn away thine anger, yea, thy fierce anger, and cause that this famine may cease in this land.
O Lord, will you listen to me and let it be done according to my words, and send rain upon the earth so that it can produce its fruit and its grain in the season of grain.
O Lord, wilt thou hearken unto me, and cause that it may be done according to my words, and send forth rain upon the face of the earth, that she may bring forth her fruit, and her grain in the season of grain.
Lord, you listened to me when I asked for a famine so the destruction from war would stop; and I know you will listen to me now, because you said that if these people repent, you will spare them.
O Lord, thou didst hearken unto my words when I said, Let there be a famine, that the pestilence of the sword might cease; and I know that thou wilt, even at this time, hearken unto my words, for thou saidst that: If this people repent I will spare them.
Lord, you see that they have repented because of the famine, the pestilence, and the destruction that has come upon them.
Yea, O Lord, and thou seest that they have repented, because of the famine and the pestilence and destruction which has come unto them.
Now, Lord, will you turn away your anger and try again to see if they will serve you? And if so, Lord, you can bless them according to your words that you have spoken.
And now, O Lord, wilt thou turn away thine anger, and try again if they will serve thee? And if so, O Lord, thou canst bless them according to thy words which thou hast said.
In the seventy-sixth year, the Lord turned away his anger from the people and caused rain to fall on the earth, so that it brought forth fruit in its season and grain in its season.
And it came to pass that in the seventy and sixth year the Lord did turn away his anger from the people, and caused that rain should fall upon the earth, insomuch that it did bring forth her fruit in the season of her fruit. And it came to pass that it did bring forth her grain in the season of her grain.
The people rejoiced and glorified God, and the whole land was filled with joy. They no longer tried to destroy Nephi, but regarded him as a great prophet and a man of God, with great power and authority given to him from God.
And behold, the people did rejoice and glorify God, and the whole face of the land was filled with rejoicing; and they did no more seek to destroy Nephi, but they did esteem him as a great prophet, and a man of God, having great power and authority given unto him from God.
Lehi, his brother, was just as righteous as he was.
And behold, Lehi, his brother, was not a whit behind him as to things pertaining to righteousness.
The people of Nephi began to prosper again in the land. They rebuilt their ruined areas and started to multiply and spread until they covered the whole land, both to the north and to the south, from the west sea to the east sea.
And thus it did come to pass that the people of Nephi began to prosper again in the land, and began to build up their waste places, and began to multiply and spread, even until they did cover the whole face of the land, both on the northward and on the southward, from the sea west to the sea east.
The seventy-sixth year ended in peace, and the seventy-seventh year began in peace. The church spread throughout the entire land, and most of the people, both Nephites and Lamanites, belonged to the church. They enjoyed very great peace in the land, and that is how the seventy-seventh year ended.
And it came to pass that the seventy and sixth year did end in peace. And the seventy and seventh year began in peace; and the church did spread throughout the face of all the land; and the more part of the people, both the Nephites and the Lamanites, did belong to the church; and they did have exceedingly great peace in the land; and thus ended the seventy and seventh year.
They also had peace in the seventy-eighth year, except for a few disagreements about the points of doctrine that had been taught by the prophets.
And also they had peace in the seventy and eighth year, save it were a few contentions concerning the points of doctrine which had been laid down by the prophets.
In the seventy-ninth year, there was a lot of conflict. Nephi, Lehi, and many of their brethren who understood the true points of doctrine received many revelations daily, so they preached to the people and were able to end the conflict that same year.
And in the seventy and ninth year there began to be much strife. But it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi, and many of their brethren who knew concerning the true points of doctrine, having many revelations daily, therefore they did preach unto the people, insomuch that they did put an end to their strife in that same year.
In the eightieth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, a group of dissenters who had left the people of Nephi years earlier and joined the Lamanites, taking on the name of Lamanites, along with some who were actual descendants of the Lamanites, were stirred up to anger by these dissenters. Because of this, they started a war with their brethren.
And it came to pass that in the eightieth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, there were a certain number of the dissenters from the people of Nephi, who had some years before gone over unto the Lamanites, and taken upon themselves the name of Lamanites, and also a certain number who were real descendants of the Lamanites, being stirred up to anger by them, or by those dissenters, therefore they commenced a war with their brethren.
They committed murder and plunder, then retreated into the mountains, the wilderness, and secret places, hiding so they couldn't be found. Every day, more people joined them as dissenters went out to them.
And they did commit murder and plunder; and then they would retreat back into the mountains, and into the wilderness and secret places, hiding themselves that they could not be discovered, receiving daily an addition to their numbers, inasmuch as there were dissenters that went forth unto them.
In time, within just a few years, they became a very large group of robbers. They discovered all the secret plans of Gadianton, and so they became the robbers of Gadianton.
And thus in time, yea, even in the space of not many years, they became an exceedingly great band of robbers; and they did search out all the secret plans of Gadianton; and thus they became robbers of Gadianton.
These robbers caused great havoc and destruction among the people of Nephi, and also among the people of the Lamanites.
Now behold, these robbers did make great havoc, yea, even great destruction among the people of Nephi, and also among the people of the Lamanites.
It was necessary to put a stop to this destruction, so they sent an army of strong men into the wilderness and onto the mountains to search for this band of robbers and destroy them.
And it came to pass that it was expedient that there should be a stop put to this work of destruction; therefore they sent an army of strong men into the wilderness and upon the mountains to search out this band of robbers, and to destroy them.
In that same year, they were driven back into their own lands. That is how the eightieth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi ended.
But behold, it came to pass that in that same year they were driven back even into their own lands. And thus ended the eightieth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
At the beginning of the eighty-first year, they went out again against this band of robbers and destroyed many of them; but they also suffered much destruction.
And it came to pass in the commencement of the eighty and first year they did go forth again against this band of robbers, and did destroy many; and they were also visited with much destruction.
They were once again forced to leave the wilderness and the mountains and return to their own lands because there were so many robbers occupying the mountains and the wilderness.
And they were again obliged to return out of the wilderness and out of the mountains unto their own lands, because of the exceeding greatness of the numbers of those robbers who infested the mountains and the wilderness.
That is how the year ended. The robbers continued to grow and become stronger, to the point that they challenged the entire armies of both the Nephites and the Lamanites, and they caused great fear among all the people throughout the land.
And it came to pass that thus ended this year. And the robbers did still increase and wax strong, insomuch that they did defy the whole armies of the Nephites, and also of the Lamanites; and they did cause great fear to come unto the people upon all the face of the land.
They went to many parts of the land and caused great destruction; they killed many people and took others captive into the wilderness, especially women and children.
Yea, for they did visit many parts of the land, and did do great destruction unto them; yea, did kill many, and did carry away others captive into the wilderness, yea, and more especially their women and their children.
This great evil, which came upon the people because of their sin, reminded them once again of the Lord their God.
Now this great evil, which came unto the people because of their iniquity, did stir them up again in remembrance of the Lord their God.
That was the end of the eighty-first year of the reign of the judges.
And thus ended the eighty and first year of the reign of the judges.
In the eighty-second year, they started to forget the Lord their God again. In the eighty-third year, they became stronger in wickedness. In the eighty-fourth year, they did not change their ways.
And in the eighty and second year they began again to forget the Lord their God. And in the eighty and third year they began to wax strong in iniquity. And in the eighty and fourth year they did not mend their ways.
In the eighty-fifth year, they grew stronger and stronger in their pride and wickedness, and they were once again becoming ready for destruction.
And it came to pass in the eighty and fifth year they did wax stronger and stronger in their pride, and in their wickedness; and thus they were ripening again for destruction.
That was the end of the eighty-fifth year.
And thus ended the eighty and fifth year.