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Alma — Chapter 19

¹ After two days and nights, [Lamoni’s people] were about to take his body and put it in a grave they had made to bury the dead.

² The queen had heard of Ammon, so she sent and asked him to come to her.

³ Ammon did as he was commanded, and went to the queen, asking her what she wanted him to do.

⁴ She said to him: “My husband’s servants have told me that you are a prophet of a holy God, and that you have power to do many wonderful works in his name.

⁵ “If this is true, I want you to go in and see my husband, because he has been lying on his bed for two days and nights. Some say he is not dead, but others say he is dead and is beginning to stink, and that he should be put into a grave. As for me, I do not think he stinks.”

⁶ Now, this was what Ammon wanted, because he knew that King Lamoni was in God’s power, and that all the darkness of his unbelief was going away, and God’s wonderful light was filling his mind. Yes, this light of eternal life had chased out the darkness and brought him so much joy that his body was overcome, and he was taken away in God.

⁷ So what the queen wanted was what Ammon wanted, too. He went in to the king as the queen had asked, and he saw that the king was not dead.

⁸ Ammon said to the queen: “He is not dead but is sleeping in God. Tomorrow he will get up, so do not bury him.”

⁹ Then Ammon asked her: “Do you believe this?” And she said to him: “I have no witness except for what you and the servants say, but I believe this will happen just as you have said.”

¹⁰ Ammon said to her: “You are blessed because of your great faith. I tell you, woman, not even the Nephites have had such faith.”

¹¹ “From that time until the time Ammon said the king would get up, the queen watched over her husband’s bed.

¹² He got up, as Ammon had said. And as he got up, he touched the queen, and said: “God’s name be blessed, and you are blessed.

¹³ “Just as you live, I have seen my Savior. He will be born of a woman, and he will save all people who believe on his name.” After he said these words, his heart was full, and he fell down with joy again. The queen fell down also because of the Spirit’s power.

¹⁴ When Ammon saw that the Spirit of the Lord had come on the Lamanites (who had made so much trouble for the Nephites, or God’s people, because of their sins and false teachings), as he and his brothers had prayed it would, he fell on his knees and began to thank God for what he had done for his brothers and sisters. He was also overcome with joy, so all three had fallen on the ground.

¹⁵ When the king’s servants saw them fall, they began to pray to God in fear of him, because they were the ones who had told the king about Ammon’s great power.

¹⁶ As they prayed to the Lord with all their power, they all fell on the ground, except for a Lamanite woman named Abish, who had been one of God’s people for many years because of a wonderful vision of her father.

¹⁷ She had never told anyone that she was one of God’s people. But when she saw all of Lamoni’s servants, and the king, and queen, and Ammon on the ground, she knew God’s power had done it. She thought this would be a good time to tell the people what had happened among them, because seeing this might make them believe in God’s power. So she ran from house to house telling the people all about it.

¹⁸ The people began to gather together at the king’s house. Many people came and were very surprised to see the king and queen and all the servants on the ground. They thought they were dead. They also saw Ammon, a Nephite.

¹⁹ Then the people began to talk to each other, saying that some great evil had come on the king and his house, because he had let a Nephite stay in the land.

²⁰ But others said: “The king brought this evil on his house because he killed his servants who let his flocks get scattered at the Waters of Sebus.”

²¹ Then some of the men who had scattered the king’s flocks at the Waters of Sebus argued with them. They were angry at Ammon because he had killed some of their brothers while protecting the king’s flocks.

²² One of them was so angry at Ammon for killing his brother that he took his sword and went to kill Ammon. But as he raised his sword to kill him, he fell down dead.

²³ (Ammon could not be killed, because the Lord had promised his father, Mosiah, saying: “I will protect him because of your faith,” and Mosiah trusted the Lord.)

²⁴ When the people saw that the man who wanted to kill Ammon had fallen down dead, they were very afraid and would not touch him or anyone else who had fallen. They began to wonder what power made this happen, and what these things could mean.

²⁵ Many among them said that Ammon was the Great Spirit. Others said that the Great Spirit had sent him.

²⁶ But others said he was a Nephite monster who had come to make trouble for them.

²⁷ Some said that Ammon was sent by the Great Spirit to punish them for their sins, and that the Great Spirit had always helped the Nephites and saved them from [the Lamanites]. They said that the Great Spirit had destroyed many of their Lamanite brothers.

²⁸ They began to argue a lot. When the woman who had gathered the people together saw that they were arguing, she was very sad and even started to cry.

²⁹ Then she took the queen’s hand to try to raise her from the ground. As soon as Abish touched her hand, the queen stood up and shouted: “O blessed Jesus, who has saved me from an awful hell! O blessed God, have mercy on this people!”

³⁰ The queen put her hands together, being filled with joy, and said many things the people did not understand. Then she took King Lamoni’s hand, and he stood up.

³¹ When he saw his people arguing, he told them to stop, and began teaching them what Ammon had taught him. Everyone who listened to what he said believed him and came to the Lord.

³² But many among them would not listen and went away.

³³ When Ammon got up, he taught them, and so did all of Lamoni’s servants. They all told the people the same thing — that their hearts had been changed, and that they did not want to do evil anymore.

³⁴ Many told the people that they had seen and talked with angels, and they told them about God and his righteousness.

³⁵ Many believed what they said. Those who believed were baptized, and became a righteous people, and began a church among them.

³⁶ This was how the Lord’s work began among the Lamanites, and how he began to give them his Spirit. So we see that he will have mercy on all people who repent and believe on his name.