Alma — Chapter 18
1 Then King Lamoni made his servants tell all about the things they had seen.
2 When they had told him what they had seen, and when he learned about how faithful Ammon was in protecting his flocks, and about Ammon’s great power when fighting those who wanted to kill him, he was very amazed and said: “Truly he is more than just a man. Isn’t he the Great Spirit, who is punishing this people because of all their murders?”
3 They said to the king: “We do not know if he is the Great Spirit or a man, but we do know that the king’s enemies cannot kill him, nor can they scatter the king’s sheep because of his skill and strength. So we know he is the king’s friend. We do not believe that a man could have this great power, and we know he cannot be killed.”
4 When the king heard this, he said to them: “Now I know he is the Great Spirit. He came down now to save your lives so I would not kill you as I killed your brothers. He is the Great Spirit our ancestors talked about.”
5 Lamoni’s father had taught him that there was a Great Spirit. Even though they believed in a Great Spirit, they did whatever they wanted. Even so, Lamoni began to be afraid that he had done something wrong when he had killed his servants.
6 He had killed many of them because their brothers had scattered his flocks at the watering place.
7 The Lamanites scattered the people’s flocks at the Waters of Sebus so they could take away some of the sheep and put them with their own flocks.
8 Then Lamoni asked his servants: “Where is this man who has such great power?”
9 They said to him: “He is feeding your horses.” (The king had commanded his servants that after they watered the flocks, they should get his horses and chariots ready to go to the land of Nephi, where Lamoni’s father, the king of all the land, was going to give a feast.)
10 When Lamoni heard that Ammon was getting his horses and chariots ready, he was even more amazed because of Ammon’s faithfulness, and said: “I have never had such a good servant. He remembers to do everything I command him to do.
11 “Now I truly know that he is the Great Spirit. I wish he would come in to me, but I am afraid to ask him to.”
12 After Ammon got the horses and chariots ready for the king and his servants, he went in to the king. He saw that the king had a strange look on his face, so he began to go out again.
13 Then one of the king’s servants said to him, “Rabbanah, the king wants you to stay.” (“Rabbanah” means “great and powerful king.”)
14 So Ammon went back to the king, and said to him: “What do you want me to do for you, O king?” But the king did not answer him for an hour, because he did not know what to say to him.
15 Then Ammon asked him again: “What do you want me to do?” But the king did not answer him.
16 Then Ammon was filled with God’s Spirit, so he could tell what the king was thinking. He said to the king: “Are you afraid to talk to me because I killed seven men and cut off other men’s arms to protect your servants and flocks?
17 “Why are you so afraid? I am just a man, and I will do whatever you want me to do which is right.”
18 When the king heard these words, he was surprised and afraid again, because he could see that Ammon knew what he was thinking. But he said to him: “Who are you? Are you the Great Spirit who knows everything?”
19 Ammon said to him: “I am not.”
20 And the king said: “How do you know what I am thinking? You may tell me plainly about these things. Tell me by what power you killed and cut off the arms of the men who scattered my flocks.
21 “If you tell me these things, I will give you whatever you want. I would protect you with my armies if that was needed, but I know you have more power than all of them. I will give you whatever you want.”
22 Ammon was wise, but harmless, so he said to Lamoni: “Will you listen to what I say if I tell you by what power I do these things? This is what I want you to do.”
23 The king said to him: “Yes, I will believe all you say.” So his own words trapped him.
24 Then Ammon began to talk to him plainly, and said to him: “Do you believe there is a God?”
25 And Lamoni said to him: “I don’t know what that means.”
26 Then Ammon said to him: “Do you believe there is a Great Spirit?”
27 And he said: “Yes.”
28 Then Ammon said: “That is God.” Then Ammon asked him again: “Do you believe that the Great Spirit, who is God, made everything in heaven and on earth?”
29 And Lamoni said: “Yes, I believe he made everything on earth, but I don’t know about heaven.”
30 Then Ammon said to him: “Heaven is a holy place where God and all his angels live.”
31 King Lamoni asked: “Is it above the earth?”
32 Ammon answered: “Yes, and [God] looks down on all people. He knows the thoughts and plans of their hearts, because he made them all at the beginning.”
33 King Lamoni said: “I believe everything you have said. Has God sent you?”
34 Ammon said to him: “I am a man. In the beginning God made people to look like him. I have been called by his Holy Spirit to teach this people so they can come to know the things which are just and true.
35 “Part of that Spirit lives in me and gives me knowledge and power through my faith in God.”
36 After Ammon said these words, he told Lamoni everything which had happened when the world was made — about Adam and Eve and the Fall. He told him all about the records of the people and the holy scriptures the prophets had given down to the time their father, Lehi, left Jerusalem.
37 He also told the king and his servants about all their ancestors’ travels in the desert, and about their hunger and thirst, and so on.
38 He told them about the rebellions of Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael, and about all the records and scriptures from that time until then.
39 This was not all. He taught them about the plan of salvation prepared before the world began. He told them about Christ’s coming, and about all the Lord’s works.
40 After he had said all these things to the king, the king believed all his words.
41 Then the king began to pray to the Lord, saying: “O Lord, have mercy on me and my people, just as you have had great mercy on the Nephites.”
42 After he said this, he fell down on the ground as if dead.
43 His servants took him to his wife and put him on a bed. He lay on the bed as if dead for two days and nights. His wife and sons and daughters wept for him as the Lamanites do, and were very sad.
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