The Book Of Alma (Chap. 46)

Alma 46:1
1 And it came to pass that as many as would not hearken to the
words of Helaman and his brethren were gathered together against
their brethren.

Alma 46:2
2 And now behold, they were exceedingly wroth, insomuch that
they were determined to slay them.

Alma 46:3
3 Now the leader of those who were wroth against their brethren
was a large and a strong man; and his name was Amalickiah.

Alma 46:4
4 And Amalickiah was desirous to be a king; and those people who
were wroth were also desirous that he should be their king; and
they were the greater part of them the lower judges of the land,
and they were seeking for power.

Alma 46:5
5 And they had been led by the flatteries of Amalickiah, that if
they would support him and establish him to be their king that he
would make them rulers over the people.

Alma 46:6
6 Thus they were led away by Amalickiah to dissensions,
notwithstanding the preaching of Helaman and his brethren, yea,
notwithstanding their exceedingly great care over the church, for
they were high priests over the church.

Alma 46:7
7 And there were many in the church who believed in the
flattering words of Amalickiah, therefore they dissented even
from the church; and thus were the affairs of the people of Nephi
exceedingly precarious and dangerous, notwithstanding their great
victory which they had had over the Lamanites, and their great
rejoicings which they had had because of their deliverance by the
hand of the Lord.

Alma 46:8
8 Thus we see how quick the children of men do forget the Lord
their God, yea, how quick to do iniquity, and to be led away by
the evil one.

Alma 46:9
9 Yea, and we also see the great wickedness one very wicked man
can cause to take place among the children of men.

Alma 46:10
10 Yea, we see that Amalickiah, because he was a man of cunning
device and a man of many flattering words, that he led away the
hearts of many people to do wickedly; yea, and to seek to destroy
the church of God, and to destroy the foundation of liberty which
God had granted unto them, or which blessing God had sent upon
the face of the land for the righteous' sake.

Alma 46:11
And now it came to pass that when Moroni, who was the chief
commander of the armies of the Nephites, had heard of these
dissensions, he was angry with Amalickiah.

Alma 46:12
And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a
piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our
religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our
children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.

Alma 46:13
And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and
his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took
the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he
called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the
earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of
liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band
of Christians remain to possess the land—

Alma 46:14
For thus were all the true believers of Christ, who belonged
to the church of God, called by those who did not belong to the
church.

Alma 46:15
And those who did belong to the church were faithful; yea,
all those who were true believers in Christ took upon them,
gladly, the name of Christ, or Christians as they were called,
because of their belief in Christ who should come.

Alma 46:16
And therefore, at this time, Moroni prayed that the cause of
the Christians, and the freedom of the land might be favored.

Alma 46:17
And it came to pass that when he had poured out his soul to
God, he named all the land which was south of the land
Desolation, yea, and in fine, all the land, both on the north and
on the south—A chosen land, and the land of liberty.

Alma 46:18
And he said: Surely God shall not suffer that we, who are
despised because we take upon us the name of Christ, shall be
trodden down and destroyed, until we bring it upon us by our own
transgressions.

Alma 46:19
And when Moroni had said these words, he went forth among the
people, waving the rent part of his garment in the air, that all
might see the writing which he had written upon the rent part,
and crying with a loud voice, saying:

Alma 46:20
Behold, whosoever will maintain this title upon the land, let
them come forth in the strength of the Lord, and enter into a
covenant that they will maintain their rights, and their
religion, that the Lord God may bless them.

Alma 46:21
And it came to pass that when Moroni had proclaimed these
words, behold, the people came running together with their armor
girded about their loins, rending their garments in token, or as
a covenant, that they would not forsake the Lord their God; or,
in other words, if they should transgress the commandments of
God, or fall into transgression, and be ashamed to take upon them
the name of Christ, the Lord should rend them even as they had
rent their garments.

Alma 46:22
Now this was the covenant which they made, and they cast
their garments at the feet of Moroni, saying: We covenant with
our God, that we shall be destroyed, even as our brethren in the
land northward, if we shall fall into transgression; yea, he may
cast us at the feet of our enemies, even as we have cast our
garments at thy feet to be trodden under foot, if we shall fall
into transgression.

Alma 46:23
Moroni said unto them: Behold, we are a remnant of the seed
of Jacob; yea, we are a remnant of the seed of Joseph, whose coat
was rent by his brethren into many pieces; yea, and now behold,
let us remember to keep the commandments of God, or our garments
shall be rent by our brethren, and we be cast into prison, or be
sold, or be slain.

Alma 46:24
Yea, let us preserve our liberty as a remnant of Joseph; yea,
let us remember the words of Jacob, before his death, for behold,
he saw that a part of the remnant of the coat of Joseph was
preserved and had not decayed. And he said—Even as this remnant
of garment of my son hath been preserved, so shall a remnant of
the seed of my son be preserved by the hand of God, and be taken
unto himself, while the remainder of the seed of Joseph shall
perish, even as the remnant of his garment.

Alma 46:25
Now behold, this giveth my soul sorrow; nevertheless, my soul
hath joy in my son, because of that part of his seed which shall
be taken unto God.

Alma 46:26
Now behold, this was the language of Jacob.

Alma 46:27
And now who knoweth but what the remnant of the seed of
Joseph, which shall perish as his garment, are those who have
dissented from us? Yea, and even it shall be ourselves if we do
not stand fast in the faith of Christ.

Alma 46:28
And now it came to pass that when Moroni had said these words
he went forth, and also sent forth in all the parts of the land
where there were dissensions, and gathered together all the
people who were desirous to maintain their liberty, to stand
against Amalickiah and those who had dissented, who were called
Amalickiahites.

Alma 46:29
And it came to pass that when Amalickiah saw that the people
of Moroni were more numerous than the Amalickiahites—and he also
saw that his people were doubtful concerning the justice of the
cause in which they had undertaken—therefore, fearing that he
should not gain the point, he took those of his people who would
and departed into the land of Nephi.

Alma 46:30
Now Moroni thought it was not expedient that the Lamanites
should have any more strength; therefore he thought to cut off
the people of Amalickiah, or to take them and bring them back,
and put Amalickiah to death; yea, for he knew that he would stir
up the Lamanites to anger against them, and cause them to come to
battle against them; and this he knew that Amalickiah would do
that he might obtain his purposes.

Alma 46:31
Therefore Moroni thought it was expedient that he should take
his armies, who had gathered themselves together, and armed
themselves, and entered into a covenant to keep the peace—and it
came to pass that he took his army and marched out with his tents
into the wilderness, to cut off the course of Amalickiah in the
wilderness.

Alma 46:32
And it came to pass that he did according to his desires, and
marched forth into the wilderness, and headed the armies of
Amalickiah.

Alma 46:33
And it came to pass that Amalickiah fled with a small number
of his men, and the remainder were delivered up into the hands of
Moroni and were taken back into the land of Zarahemla.

Alma 46:34
Now, Moroni being a man who was appointed by the chief judges
and the voice of the people, therefore he had power according to
his will with the armies of the Nephites, to establish and to
exercise authority over them.

Alma 46:35
And it came to pass that whomsoever of the Amalickiahites
that would not enter into a covenant to support the cause of
freedom, that they might maintain a free government, he caused to
be put to death; and there were but few who denied the covenant
of freedom.

Alma 46:36
And it came to pass also, that he caused the title of liberty
to be hoisted upon every tower which was in all the land, which
was possessed by the Nephites; and thus Moroni planted the
standard of liberty among the Nephites.

Alma 46:37
And they began to have peace again in the land; and thus they
did maintain peace in the land until nearly the end of the
nineteenth year of the reign of the judges.

Alma 46:38
And Helaman and the high priests did also maintain order in
the church; yea, even for the space of four years did they have
much peace and rejoicing in the church.

Alma 46:39
And it came to pass that there were many who died, firmly
believing that their souls were redeemed by the Lord Jesus
Christ; thus they went out of the world rejoicing.

Alma 46:40
And there were some who died with fevers, which at some
seasons of the year were very frequent in the land—but not so
much so with fevers, because of the excellent qualities of the
many plants and roots which God had prepared to remove the cause
of diseases, to which men were subject by the nature of the
climate—

Alma 46:41
But there were many who died with old age; and those who died
in the faith of Christ are happy in him, as we must needs
suppose.