Alma — Chapter 20
1 After they began a church in that land, King Lamoni wanted Ammon to go with him to the land of Nephi so he could show Ammon to his father.
2 But the Lord’s voice said to Ammon: “Don’t go up to the land of Nephi, because the king will try to kill you. Go to the land of Middoni, because your brother Aaron, and Muloki and Ammah are in prison there.”
3 When Ammon heard this, he said to Lamoni: “My brother and friends are in prison in Middoni, and I need to go there and save them.”
4 Then Lamoni said to him: “I know that with God’s help you can do everything. But I will go with you to the land of Middoni, because the king of Middoni, Antiomno, is a friend of mine. I will go to Middoni and say nice things to him so he will let your brother and friends out of prison.” Then Lamoni asked him: “Who told you your brother and friends are in prison?”
5 Ammon replied: “No one told me, but God said to me: ‘Go save your brother and friends, because they are in prison in the land of Middoni.’”
6 When Lamoni heard this, he had his servants get his horses and chariots ready.
7 Then he said to Ammon: “Come. I will go with you down to the land of Middoni, and I will ask the king there to let your brother and friends out of prison.”
8 While Ammon and Lamoni were on their way there, they met Lamoni’s father, who was king over all the land.
9 Lamoni’s father said to him: “Why didn’t you come on the great day I gave a feast for my sons and my people?”
10 And he also asked: “Where are you going with this Nephite, who is one of the children of a liar?”
11 So Lamoni told him where he was going, because he did not want to make him angry.
12 He told him all about why he had stayed in his own kingdom and not gone to the feast his father had given.
13 After Lamoni told him all these things, he was very surprised that his father was angry with him. His father said to him: “Lamoni, you are going to save some Nephites who are the sons of a liar. Nephi robbed our ancestors, and now his descendants are coming among us so they can rob us of our things again by lying to us and tricking us.”
14 Then Lamoni’s father commanded him to kill Ammon with the sword and not go to the land of Middoni, but to go back with him to the land of Ishmael.
15 But Lamoni said to him: “I will not kill Ammon, and I will not go back to the land of Ishmael. I am going to the land of Middoni so I can set Ammon’s brothers free, because I know they are good men and holy prophets of the true God.”
16 When his father heard these words, he was angry with Lamoni and took out his sword to kill him.
17 But Ammon said to him: “Don’t kill your son. But it would be better for him to die than for you to die, because he has repented of his sins. If you were to die right now, while you are angry, your soul could not be saved.
18 “So stop, because if you kill your son, you would be killing a good man. His blood would cry out from the ground to the Lord his God for justice against you, and you might lose your soul.”
19 When Ammon said this to him, he answered: “I know that if I were to kill my son, I would be killing a good man. You are the one who has tried to destroy him.”
20 Then he tried to kill Ammon, but Ammon was not hurt. Then Ammon hurt the king’s arm so he could not use it.
21 When the king saw that Ammon could kill him, he asked Ammon to have mercy on his life.
22 But Ammon raised his sword and said: “I will kill you unless you let my brothers out of prison.”
23 The king was afraid for his life, so he said: “If you won’t kill me, I will give you whatever you want, up to half the kingdom.”
24 When Ammon saw that the old king would do what he wanted, he said to him: “If you let my brothers out of prison, and let Lamoni keep his kingdom, and not be angry with him, but let him do what he thinks is best, I will let you live. Otherwise, I will kill you.”
25 When Ammon said this, the king was happy, because his life was saved.
26 When he saw that Ammon did not want to kill him, and that Ammon loved his son Lamoni very much, the king was amazed, and said: “Because all you want me to do is set your brothers free, and let my son Lamoni keep his kingdom, I will let my son have his kingdom forever, and I will not rule over him anymore.
27 “And I will set your brothers free from prison, so you and your brothers may come to me in my kingdom, because I want to see you very much.” The king said this because he was so amazed at what Ammon and Lamoni had said, and he wanted to learn more.
28 So Ammon and Lamoni went on their way to Middoni. Lamoni talked with the king of that land, and Ammon’s brothers were let out of prison.
29 When Ammon saw them he was very sorry, because they were naked, and their skin had been hurt where they had been tied with cords. They had been hungry and thirsty, and had had all kinds of troubles, but they had been patient during them.
30 They had come to a hard and stubborn people who would not listen to their words. The people threw them out, and hit them, and chased them from house to house and from place to place, until they came to the land of Middoni, where they were taken and thrown into prison. They had been tied up with strong cords and kept in prison for many days, until Lamoni and Ammon set them free.
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