Alma — Chapter 39
Chapters 39–42: Alma’s commandments to his son Corianton.
1 My son, I have more to say to you than I said to your brother. Haven’t you seen how good and faithful he has been, and how hard he has worked to keep God’s commandments? Hasn’t he set a good example for you?
2 You did not pay as much attention to what I said as your brother did while we were with the Zoramites. This is what I have against you: You boasted about how strong and smart you were.
3 But this is not the only thing, my son. You did something that made me very sad: You stopped teaching the gospel and went over to the land of Siron, near the Lamanites’ land, to be with the harlot Isabel.
4 Yes, she made many men fall in love with her, but that is no excuse for you, my son. You should have taught the gospel as you were trusted to do.
5 Don’t you know, my son, that these things are wicked in God’s eyes? Yes, they are more wicked than anything else except murder or denying the Holy Ghost.
6 (You cannot be forgiven if you deny the Holy Ghost after it has been in you, if you know you deny it. It is very hard for someone to be forgiven who murders against God’s light and knowledge.)
7 I wish to God you had not been guilty of such a great sin, my son. I would not talk to you about your sins and make you feel guilty about them if it were not for your own good.
8 But you cannot hide your sins from God. If you do not repent of them, they will witness against you at the last day.
9 Now, my son, I want you to repent and give up your sins. Don’t go after harlots, but deny yourself these things, or you will not live in God’s kingdom. O, remember to do this, and deny yourself these evil things.
10 I command you to ask your older brothers about what you should do, because you are still young, and you need your brothers to teach you. Listen to what they say.
11 Don’t let yourself be led away by any foolish or vain things. Don’t let the devil lead your heart away to those harlots. You must know, O my son, what evil this brought to the Zoramites. When they saw the things you did, they would not believe what I said.
12 The Spirit of the Lord says to me: “Command your children to do good, so they will not lead away many people’s hearts to destruction.” So I command you, my son, in fear of God, to stop your wickedness.
13 Turn to the Lord with all your mind and strength, so you will not lead any more people into doing wicked things. Go back to them, and tell them about your sins and tell them that what you did was wrong.
14 Don’t look for riches and the vain things of the world, because you cannot take them with you.
15 Now, my son, I want to tell you a little about Christ’s coming. He will truly come to take away the sins of the world. Yes, he is coming to tell his people the good news of salvation.
16 My son, you were called to do the work of telling this good news to this people, to prepare their minds so salvation would come to them, and so they would prepare their children’s minds to hear the gospel when he comes.
17 I will answer some of your questions about this. You wonder why these things are known so far ahead of time. I ask you, aren’t people’s souls as dear to God now as they will be at the time he comes?
18 Don’t these people need to know about the plan of salvation as much as their descendants?
19 Isn’t it just as easy for the Lord to send his angel to us to tell us this good news as it will be to send one to our descendants, or to those who come after he does?
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