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CHAPTER 54Ammoron and Moroni negotiate for the exchange of prisoners—Moroni demands that the Lamanites withdraw and cease their murderous attacks—Ammoron demands that the Nephites lay down their arms and become subject to the Lamanites. [About 63 B.C.] |
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1 And now it came to pass in the *commencement of
the twenty and ninth year of the judges, that aAmmoron sent
unto Moroni desiring that he would exchange prisoners.
2 And it came to pass that Moroni felt to arejoice 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. 3 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.
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1*
[63 B.C.] a Alma 52:3 2a Alma 52:8
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4 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:
5 Behold, Ammoron, I have written unto you somewhat concerning this war which ye have waged against my people, or rather which thy abrother hath waged against them, and which ye are still determined to carry on after his death. 6 Behold, I would tell you somewhat concerning the ajustice 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.
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5a
Alma 48:1-6;
Alma 52:3 (1-3) 5a TG God, Indignation of; TG God, Justice of
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7 Yea, I would tell you these things if ye were capable of hearkening
unto them; yea, I would tell you concerning that awful
ahell that awaits to receive such
bmurderers as thou and thy brother have been, except ye
repent and withdraw your murderous purposes, and return with your armies to
your own lands.
8 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. 9 And now behold, we are prepared to receive you; yea, and except you withdraw your purposes, behold, ye will pull down the awrath of that God whom you have rejected upon you, even to your utter destruction.
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7a
TG
Hell b Alma 47:18, 22-34; TG Murder 9a TG Punishment
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10 But, as the Lord liveth, our armies shall come upon you except ye
withdraw, and ye shall soon be visited with adeath, for we
will retain our cities and our lands; yea, and we will maintain our religion
and the cause of our God.
11 But behold, it supposeth me that I talk to you concerning these things in vain; or it supposeth me that thou art a achild 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. 12 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 aour 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.
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10a
Alma 43:47 11a John 8:44 (43-44) 12a 2 Ne. 5:8 (5-8)
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13 Behold, I am in my anger, and also my people; ye have sought to
amurder 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.
14 Now I close my epistle. I am Moroni; I am a leader of the people of the Nephites.
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13a
Alma 55:2
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15 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:
16 I am Ammoron, the king of the Lamanites; I am the brother of Amalickiah whom ye have amurdered. Behold, I will avenge his blood upon you, yea, and I will come upon you with my armies for I fear not your threatenings. 17 For behold, your fathers did wrong their brethren, insomuch that they did rob them of their aright to the bgovernment when it rightly belonged unto thema.
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17a their right to the government when it rightly belonged unto them This is in reference to the fact that Laman was the oldest son of Lehi. But what it does not consider is the truth of the matter that Laman was not a righteous son unto Lehi and unto God, and therefore did forfeit the right to rigtheously care for and govern the family of Lehi. It also ignores the fact that both the sons of Ishmael were certainly the elders to Laman and Lemuel. Even Ammoran is but a liar, for his and his brother's intent was not to gain the rights of government unto the Lamanites but unto themselves as they had already done in the land of the Lamanites by murdering both the military leader Lahonti and the King of the Lamanites himself by treachery in order to obtain the kingdom unto themselves who were neither of the family of Lehi, Ishmael nor even Mulek, but were of the family of Zoram the servant of Laman. |
16a
Alma 51:34 17a 2 Ne. 5:3 (1-4); Mosiah 10:15 (12-17) b TG Governments
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18 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.
19 Behold, ye have breathed out many threatenings against me and my people; but behold, we fear not your threatenings.
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20 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.
21 And as concerning that God whom ye say we have rejected, behold, we aknow 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. 22 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.
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21a
TG
Unbelief, Unbelievers
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23 I am Ammoron, and a descendant of aZoram,
whom your fathers pressed and brought out of
Jerusalema.
24 And behold now, I am a bold Lamanite; behold, this war hath been waged to avenge their wrongs, and ato maintain and to obtain their rights to the government; and I close my epistle to Moroni.
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23a I am Ammoron, and a descendant of Zoram, whom your fathers pressed and brought out of Jerusalem Now when one studies carefully the Book of Mormon there are such details which become of some interest. We have noted a few errors of men, which we have not used to condemn the things of God but as a matter of interest that the book is of truth the product of the hand of men under the direction of God. And now, at first consideration one might first think that another such error has been found here. Ammoron states that he is a descendant of Zoram, the servant of Laban. But Ammoron is also a brother of Amalickiah who the Book of Mormon previously correctly identified as being a Nephite by birth (Alma 49:25). But it must be remembered that they who the Book of Mormon identifies as 'Nephites' did included the descendants of Nephi, Sam, Jacob, Joseph, Zoram and even Mulek. Thus Ammoron and his brother could well have been 'Nephites' by birth being previously defined by the Book of Mormon. But consider another possiblity. Let us presume that when it was stated that Amalickiah was a 'Nephite by birth', it did mean that Amalickiah was an actual descendant of Nephi rather than of Sam, Jacob, Joseph, Mulek or Zoram whom all are previously defined as being Nephites. So why would Ammoron now claim and lie as to being a descendant of Zoram? Now, did Ammoron tell any truths in his letter of response to Moroni? Was the war which Amalickiah and Ammoron waged in order to avenge the wrongs which the Nephites did unto the Lamanites? No, that is a lie. Was it the Lamanite right to govern? No, it was Nephi's according to the word of Lord. Was Amalickiah murdered? No. it was an act of war, which war Amalickiah had first waged against the Nephites. Was it the intent of Ammoron to have yeilded up the government unto a descendant of Laman? No, Ammoron would have retained the government unto himself which was the true intent of Amalickiah and Ammoron from the beginning. Were the Lamanites indeed the people of Ammoron? No, Ammoron and his brother Amalickiah were merely using the Lamanites to gain their purpose and they cared not for the Lamanites at all. And in this vain can we trust that Ammoron was of a truth a Zoramite? Or did he just so claim in order to make up a 'good story' before the Lamanites that he was not a Nephite? And in fine, if Ammoron, a child of the devil could tell no truth, would he truly exchange prisoners or was that a lie also? Now if Amalickiah and Ammoron were indeed Zoramites or even merely pretended unto such, this would have been an additional reason of appeal unto the Lamanites and why the Lamanites would put more trust in them than they might have done in a true descendant of Nephi. Thus such things which some men might quickly consider to be an 'error' in the Book of Mormon ought to be read and considered more in the context of the book and what is truly and possibly being said and done. |
23a
1 Ne. 4:35;
Jacob 1:13;
4 Ne. 1:36-37 24a Alma 48:2 (1-4)
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| * Verse 1 [63 B.C.] |
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