The Collected Works. Joseph Smith Jr.
10 And I also thank my God, yea, my great God, that he hath
granted unto us that we might repent of these things, and also
that he hath forgiven us of those our many sins and murders which
we have committed, and taken away the guilt from our hearts,
through the merits of his Son.
Alma 24:11
11 And now behold, my brethren, since it has been all that we
could do, (as we were the most lost of all mankind) to repent of
all our sins and the many murders which we have committed, and to
get God to take them away from our hearts, for it was all we
could do to repent sufficiently before God that he would take
away our stain—
Alma 24:12
12 Now, my best beloved brethren, since God hath taken away our
stains, and our swords have become bright, then let us stain our
swords no more with the blood of our brethren.
Alma 24:13
13 Behold, I say unto you, Nay, let us retain our swords that
they be not stained with the blood of our brethren; for perhaps,
if we should stain our swords again they can no more be washed
bright through the blood of the Son of our great God, which shall
be shed for the atonement of our sins.
Alma 24:14
14 And the great God has had mercy on us, and made these things
known unto us that we might not perish; yea, and he has made
these things known unto us beforehand, because he loveth our
souls as well as he loveth our children; therefore, in his mercy
he doth visit us by his angels, that the plan of salvation might
be made known unto us as well as unto future generations.
Alma 24:15
15 Oh, how merciful is our God! And now behold, since it has
been as much as we could do to get our stains taken away from us,
and our swords are made bright, let us hide them away that they
may be kept bright, as a testimony to our God at the last day, or
at the day that we shall be brought to stand before him to be
judged, that we have not stained our swords in the blood of our
brethren since he imparted his word unto us and has made us clean
thereby.
Alma 24:16
16 And now, my brethren, if our brethren seek to destroy us,
behold, we will hide away our swords, yea, even we will bury them
deep in the earth, that they may be kept bright, as a testimony
that we have never used them, at the last day; and if our
brethren destroy us, behold, we shall go to our God and shall be
saved.
Alma 24:17
17 And now it came to pass that when the king had made an end of
these sayings, and all the people were assembled together, they
took their swords, and all the weapons which were used for the
shedding of man's blood, and they did bury them up deep in the
earth.
Alma 24:18
18 And this they did, it being in their view a testimony to God,
and also to men, that they never would use weapons again for the
shedding of man's blood; and this they did, vouching and
covenanting with God, that rather than shed the blood of their
brethren they would give up their own lives; and rather than take
away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather than
spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with
their hands.
Alma 24:19
19 And thus we see that, when these Lamanites were brought to
believe and to know the truth, they were firm, and would suffer
even unto death rather than commit sin; and thus we see that they
buried their weapons of peace, or they buried the weapons of war,
for peace.
Alma 24:20
20 And it came to pass that their brethren, the Lamanites, made
preparations for war, and came up to the land of Nephi for the
purpose of destroying the king, and to place another in his
stead, and also of destroying the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi out
of the land.
Alma 24:21
21 Now when the people saw that they were coming against them
they went out to meet them, and prostrated themselves before them
to the earth, and began to call on the name of the Lord; and thus
they were in this attitude when the Lamanites began to fall upon
them, and began to slay them with the sword.
Alma 24:22
22 And thus without meeting any resistance, they did slay a
thousand and five of them; and we know that they are blessed, for
they have gone to dwell with their God.
Alma 24:23
23 Now when the Lamanites saw that their brethren would not flee
from the sword, neither would they turn aside to the right hand
or to the left, but that they would lie down and perish, and
praised God even in the very act of perishing under the sword—
Alma 24:24
24 Now when the Lamanites saw this they did forbear from slaying
them; and there were many whose hearts had swollen in them for
those of their brethren who had fallen under the sword, for they
repented of the things which they had done.
Alma 24:25
25 And it came to pass that they threw down their weapons of
war, and they would not take them again, for they were stung for
the murders which they had committed; and they came down even as
their brethren, relying upon the mercies of those whose arms were
lifted to slay them.
Alma 24:26
26 And it came to pass that the people of God were joined that
day by more than the number who had been slain; and those who had
been slain were righteous people, therefore we have no reason to
doubt but what they were saved.
Alma 24:27
27 And there was not a wicked man slain among them; but there
were more than a thousand brought to the knowledge of the truth;
thus we see that the Lord worketh in many ways to the salvation