Alma — Chapter 10
1 This is what Amulek said to the people who lived in the land of Ammonihah.
2 “I am Amulek, Giddonah’s son, who was Ishmael’s son and Aminadi’s descendant. Aminadi was the one who read what God’s finger had written on the temple wall.
3 “Aminadi was a descendant of Nephi, the son of Lehi, who came out of the land of Jerusalem. Lehi was a descendant of Manasseh, the son of Joseph who was sold into Egypt by his brothers.
4 “I am well thought of by those who know me. I have a large family and many friends, and I have gotten very rich because of my hard work.
5 “Even so, I never knew very much about the Lord and his ways, and his mysteries and wonderful power. I said I never knew much about this, but I was wrong, because I saw his mysteries and power in the way he saved the lives of this people.
6 “But I hardened my heart. I was called many times, but I would not listen. Even though I knew these things, I did not want to know them. I kept fighting against God in the wickedness of my heart, until the fourth day of this seventh month, in the tenth year of the judges.
7 “While I was on my way to see someone in my family, an angel came to me and said: ‘Amulek, go back to your house, because you are going to feed a prophet of the Lord — a holy man whom God has chosen. He has fasted for many days and is very hungry. Take him in and feed him. He will bless you and your family, and the Lord’s blessings will be on you and your family.’
8 “I did what the angel said. As I was going back to my house, I found the man whom the angel told me to take into my house. It was the same man who has been talking to you about the things of God.
9 “The angel told me that he is a holy man, so I know he is a holy man.
10 “I know that what he has said is true because, as the Lord lives, the Lord sent his angel to me to show me these things, and he has done this while Alma has lived in my house.
11 “He has blessed my house — me, my women, my children, my parents and all my family. Yes, he has blessed all my family just as the Lord said.”
12 When Amulek said this, the people were amazed, because now there was more than one witness who spoke by the spirit of prophecy about their wickedness, and about the things to come.
13 Even so, there were some among them who asked them questions. They hoped to trick Alma and Amulek into saying something they could use against them, so the judges would punish them by law. They would be killed or put into prison if those men could make it seem as if Alma and Amulek had committed a crime.
14 The men who wanted to destroy them were lawyers. They were paid by the people to help them when they were in trouble and taken before the judges.
15 These lawyers were very smart and very good at their jobs.
16 So they began to ask Amulek questions, hoping he would say something wrong.
17 They did not know that Amulek could tell what they were thinking. But as they asked him questions, he saw what they were thinking and said to them: “O you wicked and stubborn generation, you lawyers and hypocrites, you are doing the devil’s work by trying to trap and trick God’s holy ones.
18 “You are planning to change what is righteous, which will bring God’s anger down on you and completely destroy this people.
19 “Yes, it was good that our last king, Mosiah (just before he gave up the kingdom because he had no one to give it to) made laws so this people would rule themselves. Yes, he was wise to say that if the time came when the people would choose evil and become wicked, they would be ready to be destroyed.
20 “The Lord has rightly judged your wickedness. He has good reason to say to this people through his angels: ‘Repent, repent, because the kingdom of heaven is near.’
21 “Yes, he has good reason to say by his angels: ‘I will come down with fairness and justice in my hands.’
22 ““If it were not for the prayers of the righteous in this land, you would be completely destroyed even now — not by a flood, as in Noah’s time, but by sickness and war.
23 “But the prayers of the righteous are saving you. If you throw out the righteous from among you, the Lord will punish you, and his great anger will come against you. You will have famine, and sickness, and war, and this will happen soon if you do not repent.”
24 Then the people were more angry with Amulek, and shouted: “This man is saying bad things about our good laws, and about the wise lawyers we have chosen.”
25 But Amulek shouted louder to them: “O you wicked and stubborn generation, why does Satan have such power over your hearts? Why will you let him have so much power over you that you are blind in your eyes and cannot understand the true words I have said?
26 “Have I said anything against your law? You do not understand. You say that I have said bad things about your law, but I have not. I have spoken good things about your law, and that condemns you.
27 “The unrighteousness of your lawyers and judges is the beginning of the destruction of this people.”
28 After Amulek said this, the people shouted against him: “Now we know this man is a child of the devil, because he has lied to us. He has said bad things about our law, but now he says he has not said anything bad about it.
29 “And he has said bad things about our lawyers and judges.”
30 Now, the lawyers told the people to remember these things against him.
31 One of the lawyers was Zeezrom, and he was among the ones who tried to trap Amulek and Alma. He was one of the smartest among them, and the people always gave him lots of work to do.
32 The lawyers wanted to get rich, and they were paid by how much work they did.
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