The Book Of Alma (Chap. 60)

Alma 60:1
And it came to pass that he wrote again to the governor of the
land, who was Pahoran, and these are the words which he wrote,
saying: Behold, I direct mine epistle to Pahoran, in the city of
Zarahemla, who is the chief judge and the governor over the land,
and also to all those who have been chosen by this people to
govern and manage the affairs of this war.

Alma 60:2
For behold, I have somewhat to say unto them by the way of
condemnation; for behold, ye yourselves know that ye have been
appointed to gather together men, and arm them with swords, and
with cimeters, and all manner of weapons of war of every kind,
and send forth against the Lamanites, in whatsoever parts they
should come into our land.

Alma 60:3
And now behold, I say unto you that myself, and also my men,
and also Helaman and his men, have suffered exceedingly great
sufferings; yea, even hunger, thirst, and fatigue, and all manner
of afflictions of every kind.

Alma 60:4
But behold, were this all we had suffered we would not murmur
nor complain.

Alma 60:5
But behold, great has been the slaughter among our people;
yea, thousands have fallen by the sword, while it might have
otherwise been if ye had rendered unto our armies sufficient
strength and succor for them. Yea, great has been your neglect
towards us.

Alma 60:6
And now behold, we desire to know the cause of this
exceedingly great neglect; yea, we desire to know the cause of
your thoughtless state.

Alma 60:7
Can you think to sit upon your thrones in a state of
thoughtless stupor, while your enemies are spreading the work of
death around you? Yea, while they are murdering thousands of
your brethren—

Alma 60:8
Yea, even they who have looked up to you for protection, yea,
have placed you in a situation that ye might have succored them,
yea, ye might have sent armies unto them, to have strengthened
them, and have saved thousands of them from falling by the sword.

Alma 60:9
But behold, this is not all—ye have withheld your provisions
from them, insomuch that many have fought and bled out their
lives because of their great desires which they had for the
welfare of this people; yea, and this they have done when they
were about to perish with hunger, because of your exceedingly
great neglect towards them.

Alma 60:10
And now, my beloved brethren—for ye ought to be beloved;
yea, and ye ought to have stirred yourselves more diligently for
the welfare and the freedom of this people; but behold, ye have
neglected them insomuch that the blood of thousands shall come
upon your heads for vengeance; yea, for known unto God were all
their cries, and all their sufferings—

Alma 60:11
Behold, could ye suppose that ye could sit upon your thrones,
and because of the exceeding goodness of God ye could do nothing
and he would deliver you? Behold, if ye have supposed this ye
have supposed in vain.

Alma 60:12
Do ye suppose that, because so many of your brethren have
been killed it is because of their wickedness? I say unto you,
if ye have supposed this ye have supposed in vain; for I say unto
you, there are many who have fallen by the sword; and behold it
is to your condemnation;

Alma 60:13
For the Lord suffereth the righteous to be slain that his
justice and judgment may come upon the wicked; therefore ye need
not suppose that the righteous are lost because they are slain;
but behold, they do enter into the rest of the Lord their God.

Alma 60:14
And now behold, I say unto you, I fear exceedingly that the
judgments of God will come upon this people, because of their
exceeding slothfulness, yea, even the slothfulness of our
government, and their exceedingly great neglect towards their
brethren, yea, towards those who have been slain.

Alma 60:15
For were it not for the wickedness which first commenced at
our head, we could have withstood our enemies that they could
have gained no power over us.

Alma 60:16
Yea, had it not been for the war which broke out among
ourselves; yea, were it not for these king-men, who caused so
much bloodshed among ourselves; yea, at the time we were
contending among ourselves, if we had united our strength as we
hitherto have done; yea, had it not been for the desire of power
and authority which those king-men had over us; had they been
true to the cause of our freedom, and united with us, and gone
forth against our enemies, instead of taking up their swords
against us, which was the cause of so much bloodshed among
ourselves; yea, if we had gone forth against them in the strength
of the Lord, we should have dispersed our enemies, for it would
have been done, according to the fulfilling of his word.

Alma 60:17
But behold, now the Lamanites are coming upon us, taking
possession of our lands, and they are murdering our people with
the sword, yea, our women and our children, and also carrying
them away captive, causing them that they should suffer all
manner of afflictions, and this because of the great wickedness
of those who are seeking for power and authority, yea, even those
king-men.

Alma 60:18
But why should I say much concerning this matter? For we
know not but what ye yourselves are seeking for authority. We
know not but what ye are also traitors to your country.

Alma 60:19
Or is it that ye have neglected us because ye are in the
heart of our country and ye are surrounded by security, that ye
do not cause food to be sent unto us, and also men to strengthen
our armies?

Alma 60:20
Have ye forgotten the commandments of the Lord your God?
Yea, have ye forgotten the captivity of our fathers? Have ye
forgotten the many times we have been delivered out of the hands
of our enemies?

Alma 60:21
Or do ye suppose that the Lord will still deliver us, while
we sit upon our thrones and do not make use of the means which
the Lord has provided for us?

Alma 60:22
Yea, will ye sit in idleness while ye are surrounded with
thousands of those, yea, and tens of thousands, who do also sit
in idleness, while there are thousands round about in the borders
of the land who are falling by the sword, yea, wounded and
bleeding?

Alma 60:23
Do ye suppose that God will look upon you as guiltless while
ye sit still and behold these things? Behold I say unto you,
Nay. Now I would that ye should remember that God has said that
the inward vessel shall be cleansed first, and then shall the
outer vessel be cleansed also.

Alma 60:24
And now, except ye do repent of that which ye have done, and
begin to be up and doing, and send forth food and men unto us,
and also unto Helaman, that he may support those parts of our
country which he has regained, and that we may also recover the
remainder of our possessions in these parts, behold it will be
expedient that we contend no more with the Lamanites until we
have first cleansed our inward vessel, yea, even the great head
of our government.

Alma 60:25
And except ye grant mine epistle, and come out and show unto
me a true spirit of freedom, and strive to strengthen and fortify
our armies, and grant unto them food for their support, behold I
will leave a part of my freemen to maintain this part of our
land, and I will leave the strength and the blessings of God upon
them, that none other power can operate against them—

Alma 60:26
And this because of their exceeding faith, and their patience
in their tribulations—

Alma 60:27
And I will come unto you, and if there be any among you that
has a desire for freedom, yea, if there be even a spark of
freedom remaining, behold I will stir up insurrections among you,
even until those who have desires to usurp power and authority
shall become extinct.

Alma 60:28
Yea, behold I do not fear your power nor your authority, but
it is my God whom I fear; and it is according to his commandments
that I do take my sword to defend the cause of my country, and it
is because of your iniquity that we have suffered so much loss.

Alma 60:29
Behold it is time, yea, the time is now at hand, that except
ye do bestir yourselves in the defence of your country and your
little ones, the sword of justice doth hang over you; yea, and it
shall fall upon you and visit you even to your utter destruction.

Alma 60:30
Behold, I wait for assistance from you; and, except ye do
administer unto our relief, behold, I come unto you, even in the
land of Zarahemla, and smite you with the sword, insomuch that ye
can have no more power to impede the progress of this people in
the cause of our freedom.

Alma 60:31
For behold, the Lord will not suffer that ye shall live and
wax strong in your iniquities to destroy his righteous people.

Alma 60:32
Behold, can you suppose that the Lord will spare you and come
out in judgment against the Lamanites, when it is the tradition
of their fathers that has caused their hatred, yea, and it has
been redoubled by those who have dissented from us, while your
iniquity is for the cause of your love of glory and the vain
things of the world?

Alma 60:33
3 Ye know that ye do transgress the laws of God, and ye do know
that ye do trample them under your feet. Behold, the Lord saith
unto me: If those whom ye have appointed your governors do not
repent of their sins and iniquities, ye shall go up to battle
against them.

Alma 60:34
And now behold, I, Moroni, am constrained, according to the
covenant which I have made to keep the commandments of my God;
therefore I would that ye should adhere to the word of God, and
send speedily unto me of your provisions and of your men, and
also to Helaman.

Alma 60:35
And behold, if ye will not do this I come unto you speedily;
for behold, God will not suffer that we should perish with
hunger; therefore he will give unto us of your food, even if it
must be by the sword. Now see that ye fulfil the word of God.

Alma 60:36
Behold, I am Moroni, your chief captain. I seek not for
power, but to pull it down. I seek not for honor of the world,
but for the glory of my God, and the freedom and welfare of my
country. And thus I close mine epistle.