The Book Of Alma (Chap. 22)

Alma 22:1
Now, as Ammon was thus teaching the people of Lamoni
continually, we will return to the account of Aaron and his
brethren; for after he departed from the land of Middoni he was
led by the Spirit to the land of Nephi, even to the house of the
king which was over all the land save it were the land of
Ishmael; and he was the father of Lamoni.

Alma 22:2
And it came to pass that he went in unto him into the king's
palace, with his brethren, and bowed himself before the king, and
said unto him: Behold, O king, we are the brethren of Ammon, whom
thou hast delivered out of prison.

Alma 22:3
And now, O king, if thou wilt spare our lives, we will be thy
servants. And the king said unto them: Arise, for I will grant
unto you your lives, and I will not suffer that ye shall be my
servants; but I will insist that ye shall administer unto me; for
I have been somewhat troubled in mind because of the generosity
and the greatness of the words of thy brother Ammon; and I desire
to know the cause why he has not come up out of Middoni with
thee.

Alma 22:4
And Aaron said unto the king: Behold, the Spirit of the Lord
has called him another way; he has gone to the land of Ishmael,
to teach the people of Lamoni.

Alma 22:5
Now the king said unto them: What is this that ye have said
concerning the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, this is the thing
which doth trouble me.

Alma 22:6
And also, what is this that Ammon said—If ye will repent ye
shall be saved, and if ye will not repent, ye shall be cast off
at the last day?

Alma 22:7
And Aaron answered him and said unto him: Believest thou that
there is a God? And the king said: I know that the Amalekites
say that there is a God, and I have granted unto them that they
should build sanctuaries, that they may assemble themselves
together to worship him. And if now thou sayest there is a God,
behold I will believe.

Alma 22:8
And now when Aaron heard this, his heart began to rejoice, and
he said: Behold, assuredly as thou livest, O king, there is a
God.

Alma 22:9
And the king said: Is God that Great Spirit that brought our
fathers out of the land of Jerusalem?

Alma 22:10
And Aaron said unto him: Yea, he is that Great Spirit, and he
created all things both in heaven and in earth. Believest thou
this?

Alma 22:11
And he said: Yea, I believe that the Great Spirit created all
things, and I desire that ye should tell me concerning all these
things, and I will believe thy words.

Alma 22:12
And it came to pass that when Aaron saw that the king would
believe his words, he began from the creation of Adam, reading
the scriptures unto the king—how God created man after his own
image, and that God gave him commandments, and that because of
transgression, man had fallen.

Alma 22:13
And Aaron did expound unto him the scriptures from the
creation of Adam, laying the fall of man before him, and their
carnal state and also the plan of redemption, which was prepared
from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all
whosoever would believe on his name.

Alma 22:14
And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of
himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their
sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth; and that he
breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no
victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in
the hopes of glory; and Aaron did expound all these things unto
the king.

Alma 22:15
And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these
things unto him, the king said: What shall I do that I may have
this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I
do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted
out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled
with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold,
said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake
my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.

Alma 22:16
But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou
wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy
sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in
faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive
the hope which thou desirest.

Alma 22:17
And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the
king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he
did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying:

Alma 22:18
O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there
is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto
me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may
be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now
when the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were
dead.

Alma 22:19
And it came to pass that his servants ran and told the queen
all that had happened unto the king. And she came in unto the
king; and when she saw him lay as if he were dead, and also Aaron
and his brethren standing as though they had been the cause of
his fall, she was angry with them, and commanded that her
servants, or the servants of the king, should take them and slay
them.

Alma 22:20
Now the servants had seen the cause of the king's fall,
therefore they durst not lay their hands on Aaron and his
brethren; and they pled with the queen saying: Why commandest
thou that we should slay these men, when behold one of them is
mightier than us all? Therefore we shall fall before them.

Alma 22:21
Now when the queen saw the fear of the servants she also
began to fear exceedingly, lest there should some evil come upon
her. And she commanded her servants that they should go and call
the people, that they might slay Aaron and his brethren.

Alma 22:22
Now when Aaron saw the determination of the queen, he, also
knowing the hardness of the hearts of the people, feared lest
that a multitude should assemble themselves together, and there
should be a great contention and a disturbance among them;
therefore he put forth his hand and raised the king from the
earth, and said unto him: Stand. And he stood upon his feet,
receiving his strength.
Alma 22:23
23 Now this was done in the presence of the queen and many of
the servants. And when they saw it they greatly marveled, and
began to fear. And the king stood forth, and began to minister
unto them. And he did minister unto them, insomuch that his
whole household were converted unto the Lord.

Alma 22:24
Now there was a multitude gathered together because of the
commandment of the queen, and there began to be great murmurings
among them because of Aaron and his brethren.

Alma 22:25
But the king stood forth among them and administered unto
them. And they were pacified towards Aaron and those who were
with him.

Alma 22:26
And it came to pass that when the king saw that the people
were pacified, he caused that Aaron and his brethren should stand
forth in the midst of the multitude, and that they should preach
the word unto them.

Alma 22:27
And it came to pass that the king sent a proclamation
throughout all the land, amongst all his people who were in all
his land, who were in all the regions round about, which was
bordering even to the sea, on the east and on the west, and which
was divided from the land of Zarahemla by a narrow strip of
wilderness, which ran from the sea east even to the sea west, and
round about on the borders of the seashore, and the borders of
the wilderness which was on the north by the land of Zarahemla,
through the borders of Manti, by the head of the river Sidon,
running from the east towards the west—and thus were the
Lamanites and the Nephites divided.

Alma 22:28
Now, the more idle part of the Lamanites lived in the
wilderness, and dwelt in tents; and they were spread through the
wilderness on the west, in the land of Nephi; yea, and also on
the west of the land of Zarahemla, in the borders by the
seashore, and on the west in the land of Nephi, in the place of
their fathers' first inheritance, and thus bordering along by the
seashore.

Alma 22:29
And also there were many Lamanites on the east by the
seashore, whither the Nephites had driven them. And thus the
Nephites were nearly surrounded by the Lamanites; nevertheless
the Nephites had taken possession of all the northern parts of
the land bordering on the wilderness, at the head of the river
Sidon, from the east to the west, round about on the wilderness
side; on the north, even until they came to the land which they
called Bountiful.

Alma 22:30
And it bordered upon the land which they called Desolation,
it being so far northward that it came into the land which had
been peopled and been destroyed, of whose bones we have spoken,
which was discovered by the people of Zarahemla, it being the
place of their first landing.

Alma 22:31
And they came from there up into the south wilderness. Thus
the land on the northward was called Desolation, and the land on
the southward was called Bountiful, it being the wilderness which
is filled with all manner of wild animals of every kind, a part
of which had come from the land northward for food.

Alma 22:32
And now, it was only the distance of a day and a half's
journey for a Nephite, on the line Bountiful and the land
Desolation, from the east to the west sea; and thus the land of
Nephi and the land of Zarahemla were nearly surrounded by water,
there being a small neck of land between the land northward and
the land southward.

Alma 22:33
And it came to pass that the Nephites had inhabited the land
Bountiful, even from the east unto the west sea, and thus the
Nephites in their wisdom, with their guards and their armies, had
hemmed in the Lamanites on the south, that thereby they should
have no more possession on the north, that they might not overrun
the land northward.

Alma 22:34
Therefore the Lamanites could have no more possessions only
in the land of Nephi, and the wilderness round about. Now this
was wisdom in the Nephites—as the Lamanites were an enemy to
them, they would not suffer their afflictions on every hand, and
also that they might have a country whither they might flee,
according to their desires.

Alma 22:35
And now I, after having said this, return again to the
account of Ammon and Aaron, Omner and Himni, and their brethren.