The Collected Works. Joseph Smith Jr.
50:39
39 Behold, it came to pass that the son of Nephihah was
appointed to fill the judgment-seat, in the stead of his father;
yea, he was appointed chief judge and governor over the people,
with an oath and sacred ordinance to judge righteously, and to
keep the peace and the freedom of the people, and to grant unto
them their sacred privileges to worship the Lord their God, yea,
to support and maintain the cause of God all his days, and to
bring the wicked to justice according to their crime.
Alma 50:40
40 Now behold, his name was Pahoran. And Pahoran did fill the
seat of his father, and did commence his reign in the end of the
twenty and fourth year, over the people of Nephi.
Alma 51 Chapter 51
Alma 51:1
1 And now it came to pass in the commencement of the twenty and
fifth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi,
they having established peace between the people of Lehi and the
people of Morianton concerning their lands, and having commenced
the twenty and fifth year in peace;
Alma 51:2
2 Nevertheless, they did not long maintain an entire peace in
the land, for there began to be a contention among the people
concerning the chief judge Pahoran; for behold, there were a part
of the people who desired that a few particular points of the law
should be altered.
Alma 51:3
3 But behold, Pahoran would not alter nor suffer the law to be
altered; therefore, he did not hearken to those who had sent in
their voices with their petitions concerning the altering of the
law.
Alma 51:4
4 Therefore, those who were desirous that the law should be
altered were angry with him, and desired that he should no longer
be chief judge over the land; therefore there arose a warm
dispute concerning the matter, but not unto bloodshed.
Alma 51:5
5 And it came to pass that those who were desirous that Pahoran
should be dethroned from the judgment-seat were called king-men,
for they were desirous that the law should be altered in a manner
to overthrow the free government and to establish a king over the
land.
Alma 51:6
6 And those who were desirous that Pahoran should remain chief
judge over the land took upon them the name of freemen; and thus
was the division among them, for the freemen had sworn or
covenanted to maintain their rights and the privileges of their
religion by a free government.
Alma 51:7
7 And it came to pass that this matter of their contention was
settled by the voice of the people. And it came to pass that the
voice of the people came in favor of the freemen, and Pahoran
retained the judgment-seat, which caused much rejoicing among the
brethren of Pahoran and also many of the people of liberty, who
also put the king-men to silence, that they durst not oppose but
were obliged to maintain the cause of freedom.
Alma 51:8
8 Now those who were in favor of kings were those of high birth,
and they sought to be kings; and they were supported by those who
sought power and authority over the people.
Alma 51:9
9 But behold, this was a critical time for such contentions to
be among the people of Nephi; for behold, Amalickiah had again
stirred up the hearts of the people of the Lamanites against the
people of the Nephites, and he was gathering together soldiers
from all parts of his land, and arming them, and preparing for
war with all diligence; for he had sworn to drink the blood of
Moroni.
Alma 51:10
10 But behold, we shall see that his promise which he made was
rash; nevertheless, he did prepare himself and his armies to come
to battle against the Nephites.
Alma 51:11
11 Now his armies were not so great as they had hitherto been,
because of the many thousands who had been slain by the hand of
the Nephites; but notwithstanding their great loss, Amalickiah
had gathered together a wonderfully great army, insomuch that he
feared not to come down to the land of Zarahemla.
Alma 51:12
12 Yea, even Amalickiah did himself come down, at the head of
the Lamanites. And it was in the twenty and fifth year of the
reign of the judges; and it was at the same time that they had
begun to settle the affairs of their contentions concerning the
chief judge, Pahoran.
Alma 51:13
13 And it came to pass that when the men who were called
king-men had heard that the Lamanites were coming down to battle
against them, they were glad in their hearts; and they refused to
take up arms, for they were so wroth with the chief judge, and
also with the people of liberty, that they would not take up arms
to defend their country.
Alma 51:14
14 And it came to pass that when Moroni saw this, and also saw
that the Lamanites were coming into the borders of the land, he
was exceedingly wroth because of the stubbornness of those people
whom he had labored with so much diligence to preserve; yea, he
was exceedingly wroth; his soul was filled with anger against
them.
Alma 51:15
15 And it came to pass that he sent a petition, with the voice
of the people, unto the governor of the land, desiring that he
should read it, and give him (Moroni) power to compel those
dissenters to defend their country or to put them to death.
Alma 51:16
16 For it was his first care to put an end to such contentions
and dissensions among the people; for behold, this had been
hitherto a cause of all their destruction. And it came to pass
that it was granted according to the voice of the people.