The Collected Works. Joseph Smith Jr.
war; and we will wage a war which shall be eternal, either to the
subjecting the Nephites to our authority or to their eternal
extinction.
Alma 54:21
21 And as concerning that God whom ye say we have rejected,
behold, we know not such a being; neither do ye; but if it so be
that there is such a thing, we know not but that he hath made us
as well as you.
Alma 54:22
22 And if it so be that there is a devil and a hell, behold will
he not send you there to dwell with my brother whom ye have
murdered, whom ye have hinted that he hath gone to such a place?
But behold these things matter not.
Alma 54:23
23 I am Ammoron, and a descendant of Zoram, whom your fathers
pressed and brought out of Jerusalem.
Alma 54:24
24 And behold now, I am a bold Lamanite; behold, this war hath
been waged to avenge their wrongs, and to maintain and to obtain
their rights to the government; and I close my epistle to Moroni.
Alma 55 Chapter 55
Alma 55:1
1 Now it came to pass that when Moroni had received this epistle
he was more angry, because he knew that Ammoron had a perfect
knowledge of his fraud; yea, he knew that Ammoron knew that it
was not a just cause that had caused him to wage a war against
the people of Nephi.
Alma 55:2
2 And he said: Behold, I will not exchange prisoners with
Ammoron save he will withdraw his purpose, as I have stated in my
epistle; for I will not grant unto him that he shall have any
more power than what he hath got.
Alma 55:3
3 Behold, I know the place where the Lamanites do guard my
people whom they have taken prisoners; and as Ammoron would not
grant unto me mine epistle, behold, I will give unto him
according to my words; yea, I will seek death among them until
they shall sue for peace.
Alma 55:4
4 And now it came to pass that when Moroni had said these words,
he caused that a search should be made among his men, that
perhaps he might find a man who was a descendant of Laman among
them.
Alma 55:5
5 And it came to pass that they found one, whose name was Laman;
and he was one of the servants of the king who was murdered by
Amalickiah.
Alma 55:6
6 Now Moroni caused that Laman and a small number of his men
should go forth unto the guards who were over the Nephites.
Alma 55:7
7 Now the Nephites were guarded in the city of Gid; therefore
Moroni appointed Laman and caused that a small number of men
should go with him.
Alma 55:8
8 And when it was evening Laman went to the guards who were over
the Nephites, and behold, they saw him coming and they hailed
him; but he saith unto them: Fear not; behold, I am a Lamanite.
Behold, we have escaped from the Nephites, and they sleep; and
behold we have taken of their wine and brought with us.
Alma 55:9
9 Now when the Lamanites heard these words they received him
with joy; and they said unto him: Give us of your wine, that we
may drink; we are glad that ye have thus taken wine with you for
we are weary.
Alma 55:10
10 But Laman said unto them: Let us keep of our wine till we go
against the Nephites to battle. But this saying only made them
more desirous to drink of the wine;
Alma 55:11
11 For, said they: We are weary, therefore let us take of the
wine, and by and by we shall receive wine for our rations, which
will strengthen us to go against the Nephites.
Alma 55:12
12 And Laman said unto them: You may do according to your
desires.
Alma 55:13
13 And it came to pass that they did take of the wine freely;
and it was pleasant to their taste, therefore they took of it
more freely; and it was strong, having been prepared in its
strength.
Alma 55:14
14 And it came to pass they did drink and were merry, and by and
by they were all drunken.
Alma 55:15
15 And now when Laman and his men saw that they were all
drunken, and were in a deep sleep, they returned to Moroni and
told him all the things that had happened.
Alma 55:16
16 And now this was according to the design of Moroni. And
Moroni had prepared his men with weapons of war; and he went to
the city Gid, while the Lamanites were in a deep sleep and
drunken, and cast in weapons of war unto the prisoners, insomuch
that they were all armed;
Alma 55:17
17 Yea, even to their women, and all those of their children, as
many as were able to use a weapon of war, when Moroni had armed
all those prisoners; and all those things were done in a profound
silence.
Alma 55:18
18 But had they awakened the Lamanites, behold they were drunken
and the Nephites could have slain them.
Alma 55:19
19 But behold, this was not the desire of Moroni; he did not
delight in murder or bloodshed, but he delighted in the saving of
his people from destruction; and for this cause he might not
bring upon him injustice, he would not fall upon the Lamanites
and destroy them in their drunkenness.
Alma 55:20
20 But he had obtained his desires; for he had armed those
prisoners of the Nephites who were within the wall of the city,
and had given them power to gain possession of those parts which
were within the walls.
Alma 55:21
21 And