AlmaChapter22

Now, as Ammon was thus teaching the people of Lamoni continually, we will return to the account of Aaron and his brethren; for after he departed from the land of Middoni he was led by the Spirit to the land of Nephi, even to the house of the king which was over all the land save it were the land of Ishmael; and he was the father of Lamoni.

Now, while Ammon was continually teaching the people of Lamoni, we will return to the account of Aaron and his brothers. After Aaron left the land of Middoni, he was led by the Spirit to the land of Nephi, to the house of the king who ruled over all the land except the land of Ishmael. This king was the father of Lamoni.

And it came to pass that he went in unto him into the king’s palace, with his brethren, and bowed himself before the king, and said unto him: Behold, O king, we are the brethren of Ammon, whom thou hast delivered out of prison.

Aaron went with his brothers into the king's palace, and he bowed before the king and said to him, "O king, we are the brothers of Ammon, whom you released from prison.

And now, O king, if thou wilt spare our lives, we will be thy servants. And the king said unto them: Arise, for I will grant unto you your lives, and I will not suffer that ye shall be my servants; but I will insist that ye shall administer unto me; for I have been somewhat troubled in mind because of the generosity and the greatness of the words of thy brother Ammon; and I desire to know the cause why he has not come up out of Middoni with thee.

And now, O king, if you will spare our lives, we will be your servants." But the king said to them, "Stand up. I will grant you your lives, and I will not allow you to be my servants; but I will insist that you minister to me. For I have been somewhat troubled in mind because of the generosity and the greatness of the words of your brother Ammon, and I want to know why he hasn't come up from Middoni with you."

And Aaron said unto the king: Behold, the Spirit of the Lord has called him another way; he has gone to the land of Ishmael, to teach the people of Lamoni.

And Aaron said to the king, "The Spirit of the Lord has called him another way: he has gone to the land of Ishmael, to teach the people of Lamoni."

Now the king said unto them: What is this that ye have said concerning the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, this is the thing which doth trouble me.

Then the king said to them, "What is this you have said about the Spirit of the Lord? This is the very thing that troubles me.

And also, what is this that Ammon said—If ye will repent ye shall be saved, and if ye will not repent, ye shall be cast off at the last day?

And what is this that Ammon said: 'If you repent, you will be saved, and if you do not repent, you will be cast off at the last day'?"

And Aaron answered him and said unto him: Believest thou that there is a God? And the king said: I know that the Amalekites say that there is a God, and I have granted unto them that they should build sanctuaries, that they may assemble themselves together to worship him. And if now thou sayest there is a God, behold I will believe.

Aaron answered him, "Do you believe that there is a God?" And the king said, "I know that the Amalekites say there is a God, and I have allowed them to build sanctuaries, where they can gather to worship him. And if you now say there is a God, then I will believe."

And now when Aaron heard this, his heart began to rejoice, and he said: Behold, assuredly as thou livest, O king, there is a God.

When Aaron heard this, his heart began to rejoice, and he said, "As surely as you live, O king, there is a God."

And the king said: Is God that Great Spirit that brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem?

And the king said, "Is God that Great Spirit who brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem?"

And Aaron said unto him: Yea, he is that Great Spirit, and he created all things both in heaven and in earth. Believest thou this?

And Aaron said to him, "Yes, he is that Great Spirit, and he created all things in heaven and on earth. Do you believe this?"

And he said: Yea, I believe that the Great Spirit created all things, and I desire that ye should tell me concerning all these things, and I will believe thy words.

And he said, "Yes, I believe that the Great Spirit created all things, and I want you to tell me about all these things, and I will believe your words."

And it came to pass that when Aaron saw that the king would believe his words, he began from the creation of Adam, reading the scriptures unto the king—how God created man after his own image, and that God gave him commandments, and that because of transgression, man had fallen.

When Aaron saw that the king would believe his words, he began from the creation of Adam, reading the scriptures to the king: how God created humankind in his own image, how he gave them commandments, and how, because of transgression, they had fallen.

And Aaron did expound unto him the scriptures from the creation of Adam, laying the fall of man before him, and their carnal state and also the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would believe on his name.

Aaron explained the scriptures to him, from the creation of Adam onward, laying before him the fall of man, and their carnal state, and also the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all who would believe in his name.

And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth; and that he breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory; and Aaron did expound all these things unto the king.

And since humankind had fallen, they could not merit anything on their own; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance and so on. And he breaks the bands of death, so that the grave will have no victory and the sting of death will be swallowed up in the hope of glory. And Aaron explained all these things to the king.

And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.

After Aaron had explained these things to him, the king said, "What must I do to have this eternal life you have spoken of? Yes, what must I do to be born of God, to have this wicked spirit rooted out of my heart, and to receive his Spirit, so that I may be filled with joy and not be cast off at the last day? Listen: I will give up all that I possess — yes, I will abandon my kingdom — to receive this great joy."

But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.

But Aaron said to him, "If you want this, if you will bow down before God, yes, if you will repent of all your sins and bow down before God and call on his name in faith, believing that you will receive, then you will receive the hope you long for."

And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying:

When Aaron had said these words, the king bowed down before the Lord on his knees; indeed, he prostrated himself on the ground and cried out earnestly, saying:

O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead.

"O God, Aaron has told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if you are God, will you make yourself known to me? I will give away all my sins to know you, so that I may be raised from the dead and be saved at the last day." And when the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead.

And it came to pass that his servants ran and told the queen all that had happened unto the king. And she came in unto the king; and when she saw him lay as if he were dead, and also Aaron and his brethren standing as though they had been the cause of his fall, she was angry with them, and commanded that her servants, or the servants of the king, should take them and slay them.

Then his servants ran and told the queen everything that had happened to the king. She came in to the king, and when she saw him lying as if he were dead, and saw Aaron and his brothers standing there as though they had caused his fall, she was angry with them. And she commanded her servants (or rather, the king's servants) to take them and kill them.

Now the servants had seen the cause of the king’s fall, therefore they durst not lay their hands on Aaron and his brethren; and they pled with the queen saying: Why commandest thou that we should slay these men, when behold one of them is mightier than us all? Therefore we shall fall before them.

Now the servants had seen what caused the king's fall, so they did not dare lay their hands on Aaron and his brothers. And they pleaded with the queen, "Why are you commanding us to kill these men, when one of them is more powerful than all of us together? We will fall before them."

Now when the queen saw the fear of the servants she also began to fear exceedingly, lest there should some evil come upon her. And she commanded her servants that they should go and call the people, that they might slay Aaron and his brethren.

When the queen saw the servants' fear, she too became terribly afraid that some evil would come upon her. And she commanded her servants to go and call the people, so that they could kill Aaron and his brothers.

Now when Aaron saw the determination of the queen, he, also knowing the hardness of the hearts of the people, feared lest that a multitude should assemble themselves together, and there should be a great contention and a disturbance among them; therefore he put forth his hand and raised the king from the earth, and said unto him: Stand. And he stood upon his feet, receiving his strength.

Now when Aaron saw the queen's determination, and knowing how hard the hearts of the people were, he was afraid that a crowd would gather, and that there would be great contention and disturbance among them. So he put out his hand and raised the king from the ground, and said to him, "Stand." And the king stood on his feet, and his strength returned.

Now this was done in the presence of the queen and many of the servants. And when they saw it they greatly marveled, and began to fear. And the king stood forth, and began to minister unto them. And he did minister unto them, insomuch that his whole household were converted unto the Lord.

Now this happened in the presence of the queen and many of the servants. When they saw it, they marveled greatly and began to be afraid. And the king came forward and began to minister to them; and he ministered to them until his whole household was converted to the Lord.

Now there was a multitude gathered together because of the commandment of the queen, and there began to be great murmurings among them because of Aaron and his brethren.

Now a crowd had gathered because of the queen's command, and loud complaints about Aaron and his brothers began to spread among them.

But the king stood forth among them and administered unto them. And they were pacified towards Aaron and those who were with him.

But the king stood among them and ministered to them, and the people's anger toward Aaron and those who were with him died down.

And it came to pass that when the king saw that the people were pacified, he caused that Aaron and his brethren should stand forth in the midst of the multitude, and that they should preach the word unto them.

When the king saw that the people were calm, he had Aaron and his brothers stand in the middle of the crowd and preach the word to them.

And it came to pass that the king sent a proclamation throughout all the land, amongst all his people who were in all his land, who were in all the regions round about, which was bordering even to the sea, on the east and on the west, and which was divided from the land of Zarahemla by a narrow strip of wilderness, which ran from the sea east even to the sea west, and round about on the borders of the seashore, and the borders of the wilderness which was on the north by the land of Zarahemla, through the borders of Manti, by the head of the river Sidon, running from the east towards the west—and thus were the Lamanites and the Nephites divided.

Then the king sent a proclamation throughout all the land, among all his people in all the regions around him, in the land bordering the sea on the east and on the west, the land divided from the land of Zarahemla by a narrow strip of wilderness. That strip ran from the sea on the east to the sea on the west, around the borders of the seashore, along the borders of the wilderness on the north near the land of Zarahemla, and through the borders of Manti by the headwaters of the river Sidon, running from the east toward the west. And that is how the Lamanites and the Nephites were divided.

Now, the more idle part of the Lamanites lived in the wilderness, and dwelt in tents; and they were spread through the wilderness on the west, in the land of Nephi; yea, and also on the west of the land of Zarahemla, in the borders by the seashore, and on the west in the land of Nephi, in the place of their fathers’ first inheritance, and thus bordering along by the seashore.

Now the more idle part of the Lamanites lived in the wilderness and stayed in tents. They were spread through the wilderness to the west, in the land of Nephi, and also to the west of the land of Zarahemla, in the borders by the seashore, and in the west of the land of Nephi, in the place where their fathers first settled, there along the seashore.

And also there were many Lamanites on the east by the seashore, whither the Nephites had driven them. And thus the Nephites were nearly surrounded by the Lamanites; nevertheless the Nephites had taken possession of all the northern parts of the land bordering on the wilderness, at the head of the river Sidon, from the east to the west, round about on the wilderness side; on the north, even until they came to the land which they called Bountiful.

There were also many Lamanites to the east by the seashore, where the Nephites had driven them. So the Nephites were nearly surrounded by the Lamanites; still, the Nephites had taken possession of all the northern parts of the land bordering the wilderness, at the headwaters of the river Sidon, from the east to the west, all along the wilderness side on the north, up to the land they called Bountiful.

And it bordered upon the land which they called Desolation, it being so far northward that it came into the land which had been peopled and been destroyed, of whose bones we have spoken, which was discovered by the people of Zarahemla, it being the place of their first landing.

Bountiful bordered the land they called Desolation, which lay so far to the north that it reached the land where a people had once lived and been destroyed. We have spoken of their bones; the people of Zarahemla discovered them, since that was the place where they first landed.

And they came from there up into the south wilderness. Thus the land on the northward was called Desolation, and the land on the southward was called Bountiful, it being the wilderness which is filled with all manner of wild animals of every kind, a part of which had come from the land northward for food.

From there they came up into the south wilderness. So the land to the north was called Desolation, and the land to the south was called Bountiful, since it was a wilderness filled with all kinds of wild animals, some of which had come down from the land to the north in search of food.

And now, it was only the distance of a day and a half’s journey for a Nephite, on the line Bountiful and the land Desolation, from the east to the west sea; and thus the land of Nephi and the land of Zarahemla were nearly surrounded by water, there being a small neck of land between the land northward and the land southward.

Now, it was only a day and a half's journey for a Nephite, along the line between the land Bountiful and the land Desolation, from the east to the west sea. So the land of Nephi and the land of Zarahemla were nearly surrounded by water, with only a small neck of land between the land to the north and the land to the south.

And it came to pass that the Nephites had inhabited the land Bountiful, even from the east unto the west sea, and thus the Nephites in their wisdom, with their guards and their armies, had hemmed in the Lamanites on the south, that thereby they should have no more possession on the north, that they might not overrun the land northward.

The Nephites had settled the land Bountiful, from the east all the way to the west sea. So in their wisdom, with their guards and their armies, the Nephites had hemmed in the Lamanites on the south, so that the Lamanites could gain no more possessions in the north and could not overrun the land to the north.

Therefore the Lamanites could have no more possessions only in the land of Nephi, and the wilderness round about. Now this was wisdom in the Nephites—as the Lamanites were an enemy to them, they would not suffer their afflictions on every hand, and also that they might have a country whither they might flee, according to their desires.

So the Lamanites had no possessions except in the land of Nephi and the wilderness around it. Now this was wise of the Nephites: since the Lamanites were their enemy, the Nephites would not have to endure their attacks on every side; and they would also have a country to escape to, if they ever wished to flee.

And now I, after having said this, return again to the account of Ammon and Aaron, Omner and Himni, and their brethren.

And now, having said all this, I return to the account of Ammon and Aaron, Omner and Himni, and their brothers.