BOOK OF MORMON

Book of Alma

CHAPTERS 4-6

   [Alma 4:1] And now it came to pass that after Alma had made an end of speaking unto the people of the church, which was established in the city of Zarahemla, he ordained priests and elders, by laying on his hands according to the order of God, to preside and watch over the church.
   [Alma 4:2] And it came to pass that whosoever did not belong to the church who repented of their sins, were baptized unto repentance, and were received into the church.
   [Alma 4:3] And it also came to pass that whosoever did belong to the church, that did not repent of their wickedness, and humble themselves before God; [4] I mean those who were lifted up in the pride of their hearts; the same were rejected, and their names were blotted out, that their names were not numbered among those of the righteous; and thus they began to establish the order of the church in the city of Zarahemla.
   [Alma 4:5] Now I would that ye should understand that the word of God was liberal unto all; that none were deprived of the privilege of assembling themselves together to hear the word of God; [6] Nevertheless the children of God were commanded that they should gather themselves together oft, and join in fasting and mighty prayer, in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God.
   [Alma 4:7] And now it came to pass that when Alma had made these regulations, he departed from them, yea, from the church which was in the city of Zarahemla, [8] And went over upon the east of the river Sidon, into the valley of Gideon, there having been a city built which was called the city of Gideon, which was in the valley that was called Gideon, being called after the man who was slain by the hand of Nehor with the sword.
   [Alma 4:9] And Alma went and began to declare the word of God unto the church which was established in the valley of Gideon, according to the revelation of the truth of the word which had been spoken by his fathers, [10] And according to the spirit of prophecy which was in him, according to the testimony of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who should come to redeem his people from their sins, and the holy order by which he was called. And thus it is written. Amen.


CHAPTER 5

The words of Alma which he delivered to the people in Gideon, according to his own record.

   [Alma 5:1] Behold my beloved brethren, seeing that I have been permitted to come unto you, therefore I attempt to address you in my language; [2] Yea, by my own mouth, seeing that it is the first time that I have spoken unto you by the words of my mouth, I having been wholly confined to the judgment seat, having had much business that I could not come unto you; [3] And even I could not have come now at this time, were it not that the judgment seat hath been given to another to reign in my stead; and the Lord in much mercy hath granted that I should come unto you.
   [Alma 5:4] And behold, I have come, having great hopes and much desire that I should find that ye had humbled yourselves before God, and that ye had continued in the supplicating of his grace, that I should find that ye were blameless before him; [5] That I should find that ye were not in the awful dilemma that our brethren were in at Zarahemla:
   [Alma 5:6] But blessed be the name of God, that he hath given me to know, yea, hath given unto me the exceeding great joy of knowing that they are established again in the way of his righteousness.
   [Alma 5:7] And I trust, according to the Spirit of God which is in me, that I shall also have joy over you; [8] Nevertheless I do not desire that my joy over you should come by the cause of so much afflictions and sorrow which I have had for the brethren at Zarahemla; [9] For behold, my joy cometh over them after wading through much afflictions and sorrow.
   [Alma 5:10] But behold, I trust that ye are not in a state of so much unbelief as were your brethren:
   [Alma 5:11] I trust that ye are not lifted up in the pride of your hearts; yea, I trust that ye have not set your hearts upon riches, and the vain things of the world; [12] Yea, I trust that you do not worship idols, but that ye do worship the true and the living God, and that ye look forward for the remission of your sins with an everlasting faith which is to come.
   [Alma 5:13] For behold, I say unto you, There be many things to come; and behold, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all:
   [Alma 5:14] For behold, the time is not far distant, that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people.
   [Alma 5:15] Behold, I do not say that he will come among us at the time of his dwelling in his mortal tabernacle; for behold, the Spirit hath not said unto me that this should be the case.
   [Alma 5:16] Now as to this thing I do not know; but this much I do know, that the Lord God hath power to do all things which are according to his word.
   [Alma 5:17] But behold, the Spirit hath said this much unto me, saying: Cry unto this people, saying, Repent ye, repent ye and prepare the way of the Lord, and walk in his paths, which are straight:
   [Alma 5:18] For behold, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and the Son of God cometh upon the face of the earth.
   [Alma 5:19] And behold, he shall be born of Mary at Jerusalem, which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed, and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God; [20] And he shall go forth, suffering pains, and afflictions, and temptations of every kind; [21] And this that the word might be fulfilled which saith, He will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people; and he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people:
   [Alma 5:22] And he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
   [Alma 5:23] Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh, that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions, according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.
   [Alma 5:24] Now I say unto you, that ye must repent, and be born again: for the Spirit saith, If ye are not born again, ye can not inherit the kingdom of heaven; [25] Therefore come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness; [26] Yea, I say unto you, Come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction; [27] Yea, come and go forth, and shew unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins, and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day, by going into the waters of baptism; [28] And whosoever doeth this, and keepeth the commandments of God from thenceforth, the same will remember that I say unto him, yea, he will remember that I have said unto him, he shall have eternal life, according to the testimony of the Holy Spirit, which testifieth in me.
   [Alma 5:29] And now my beloved brethren, do you believe these things?
   [Alma 5:30] Behold, I say unto you, Yea, I know that ye believe them; and the way that I know that ye believe them, is by the manifestation of the Spirit which is in me.
   [Alma 5:31] And now because your faith is strong concerning that, yea, concerning the things which I have spoken, great is my joy.
   [Alma 5:32] For as I said unto you from the beginning, that I had much desire that ye were not in the state of dilemma like your brethren, even so I have found that my desires have been gratified.
   [Alma 5:33] For I perceive that ye are in the paths of righteousness: I perceive that ye are in the path which leads to the kingdom of God; [34] Yea, I perceive that ye are making his paths straight, I perceive that it has been made known unto you by the testimony of his word, that he can not walk in crooked paths; [35] Neither doth he vary from that which he hath said, neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left, nor from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one eternal round.
   [Alma 5:36] And he doth not dwell in unholy temples; neither can filthiness, nor anything which is unclean be received into the kingdom of God; [37] Therefore I say unto you, The time shall come, yea, and it shall be at the last day, that he who is filthy, shall remain in his filthiness.
   [Alma 5:38] And now my beloved brethren, I have said these things unto you, that I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God, that ye may walk blameless before him; that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received.
   [Alma 5:39] And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive, and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; [40] Asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive, [41] And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works; [42] And may the Lord bless you, and keep your garments spotless, that ye may at last be brought to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the holy prophets who have been ever since the world began, having your garments spotless, even as their garments are spotless in the kingdom of heaven, to go no more out.
   [Alma 5:43] And now my beloved brethren, I have spoken these words unto you, according to the Spirit which testifieth in me; and my soul doth exceedingly rejoice, because of the exceeding diligence and heed which ye have given unto my word.
   [Alma 5:44] And now, may the peace of God rest upon you, and upon your houses and lands, and upon your flocks and herds, and all that you possess; your women and your children, according to your faith and good works, from this time forth and for ever. And thus I have spoken. Amen.

CHAPTER 6

   [Alma 6:1] And now it came to pass that Alma returned from the land of Gideon, after having taught the people of Gideon many things which can not be written, having established the order of the church, according as he had before done in the land of Zarahemla; [2] Yea, he returned to his own house at Zarahemla to rest himself from the labors which he had performed.
   [Alma 6:3] And thus ended the ninth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi.
   [Alma 6:4] And it came to pass in the commencement of the tenth year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi, that Alma departed from thence, and took his journey over into the land of Melek, on the west of the river Sidon, on the west by the borders of the wilderness; [5] And he began to teach the people in the land of Melek, according to the holy order of God by which he had been called; and he began to teach the people throughout all the land of Melek.
   [Alma 6:6] And it came to pass that the people came to him throughout all the borders of the land which was by the wilderness side.
   [Alma 6:7] And they were baptized throughout all the land, so that when he had finished his work at Melek, he departed thence, and traveled three days' journey on the north of the land of Melek; and he came to a city which was called Ammonihah.
   [Alma 6:8] Now it was the custom of the people of Nephi, to call their lands, and their cities, and their villages, yea, even all their small villages, after the name of him who first possessed them; and thus it was with the land of Ammonihah.
   [Alma 6:9] And it came to pass that when Alma had come to the city of Ammonihah, he began to preach the word of God unto them.
   [Alma 6:10] Now Satan had gotten great hold upon the hearts of the people of the city of Ammonihah; therefore they would not hearken unto the words of Alma.
   [Alma 6:11] Nevertheless Alma labored much in the spirit, wrestling with God in mighty prayer, that he would pour out his Spirit upon the people who were in the city: that he would also grant that he might baptize them unto repentance; [12] Nevertheless, they hardened their hearts, saying unto him, Behold, we know that thou art Alma; and we know that thou art high priest over the church which thou hast established in many parts of the land, according to your tradition; [13] And we are not of thy church, and we do not believe in such foolish traditions.
   [Alma 6:14] And now we know that because we are not of thy church, we know that thou hast no power over us; [15] And thou hast delivered up the judgment seat unto Nephihah; therefore thou art not the chief judge over us.
   [Alma 6:16] Now when the people had said this, and had withstood all his words, and reviled him, and spit upon him, and caused that he should be cast out of their city, he departed thence and took his journey towards the city which was called Aaron.
   [Alma 6:17] And it came to pass that while he was journeying thither, being weighed down with sorrow, wading through much tribulation and anguish of soul, because of the wickedness of the people who were in the city of Ammonihah, [18] It came to pass that while Alma was thus weighed down with sorrow, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto him, saying, Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice:
   [Alma 6:19] For thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou received thy first message from him.
   [Alma 6:20] Behold, I am he that delivered it unto you; and behold, I am sent to command thee that thou return to the city of Ammonihah, and preach again unto the people of the city; yea, preach unto them.
   [Alma 6:21] Yea, say unto them, except they repent, the Lord God will destroy them.
   [Alma 6:22] For behold, they do study at this time that they may destroy the liberty of thy people, (for thus saith the Lord,) which is contrary to the statutes, and judgments, and commandments which he has given unto his people.
   [Alma 6:23] Now it came to pass that after Alma had received his message from the angel of the Lord, he returned speedily to the land of Ammonihah.
   [Alma 6:24] And he entered the city by another way, yea, by the way which is on the south of the city of Ammonihah.
   [Alma 6:25] And as he entered the city he was an hungered, and he said to a man, Will ye give to an humble servant of God something to eat?
   [Alma 6:26] And the man said unto him, I am a Nephite, and I know that thou art a holy prophet of God, for thou art the man whom an angel said in a vision, Thou shalt receive; [27] Therefore go with me into my house, and I will impart unto thee of my food; and I know that thou will be a blessing unto me and my house.
   [Alma 6:28] And it came to pass that the man received him into his house; and the man was called Amulek; and he brought forth bread and meat, and sat before Alma.
   [Alma 6:29] And it came to pass that Alma ate bread and was filled; and he blessed Amulek and his house, and he gave thanks unto God.
   [Alma 6:30] And after he had eaten and was filled, he said unto Amulek, I am Alma, and am the high priest over the church of God throughout the land.
   [Alma 6:31] And behold, I have been called to preach the word of God among all this people, according to the spirit of revelation and prophecy; [32] And I was in this land, and they would not receive me, but they cast me out, and I was about to set my back towards this land for ever.
   [Alma 6:33] But behold, I have been commanded that I should turn again and prophesy unto this people, yea, and to testify against them concerning their iniquities.
   [Alma 6:34] And now Amulek, because thou hast fed me, and took me in, thou art blessed; for I was an hungered, for I had fasted many days.
   [Alma 6:35] And Alma tarried many days with Amulek, before he began to preach unto the people.
   [Alma 6:36] And it came to pass that the people did wax more gross in their iniquities.
   [Alma 6:37] And the word came to Alma, saying, Go; and also say unto my servant Amulek, Go forth and prophesy unto this people, saying, Repent ye, for thus saith the Lord, Except ye repent, I will visit this people in mine anger; yea, and I will not turn my fierce anger away.
   [Alma 6:38] And Alma went forth, and also Amulek, among the people to declare the words of God unto them; and they were filled with the Holy Ghost; [39] And they had power given unto them, insomuch that they could not be confined in dungeons; neither were it possible that any man could slay them; [40] Nevertheless they did not exercise their power until they were bound in bands and cast into prison.
   [Alma 6:41] Now this was done that the Lord might shew forth his power in them.
   [Alma 6:42] And it came to pass that they went forth and began to preach and to prophesy unto the people, according to the spirit and power which the Lord had given them.