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Alma — Chapter 4

¹ During the sixth year of the Nephite judges, there were no quarrels or wars in the land of Zarahemla.

² But the people had great trouble because of the people they had lost, and the flocks and herds they had lost, and all the grain which had been destroyed when the Lamanites came through.

³ Their troubles were so great that everyone was sad. They thought it was God’s judgment on them because of their wickedness and sins, and this was how they remembered to do what they should.

⁴ They began to build up the church again. Yes, Alma, whose father Alma had made him high priest over the people of the church, baptized many into God’s church.

⁵ About three thousand five hundred people joined the church and were baptized during the seventh year of the judges. This was how the seventh year of the Nephite judges ended, and there was peace during all that time.

⁶ During the eighth year of the judges, the people of the church began to get proud because of their great riches and fine cloth and silks, and their many flocks and herds, and their gold and silver, which they had worked hard for. They began to be very proud and began to wear very rich and fancy clothes.

⁷ This made Alma, and many of the others whom he had made priests and teachers over the church, very sad. Yes, many of them were very sad about the wickedness which they saw had begun again among their people.

⁸ They saw with great sadness that the people of the church began to be very proud. The people wanted to be rich, and they began to be mean to each other, persecuting those who did not believe what they wanted them to.

⁹ So during the eighth year of the judges, there began to be lots of trouble among the people of the church — envy, big quarrels, lies, persecution, and pride — yes, even more pride than those who were not part of God’s church.

¹⁰ This was how the eighth year of the judges ended. The wickedness of those in the church kept other people from joining the church, so the church stopped growing.

¹¹ Then at the beginning of the ninth year, Alma saw that the wickedness of the people of the church had begun to lead the unbelievers into committing more and more sin, which would destroy all of the people.

¹² Yes, he saw that the people were not equal. Some were very proud, hating others, turning their backs on those who were poor and naked, and hungry and thirsty, and sick and troubled.

¹³ This made many people very sad, even though others were being humble, helping those who needed help — giving what they had to the poor, feeding the hungry, and being persecuted for their belief in Christ, who would come as the prophecies said.

¹⁴ These people were looking forward to the day when their sins would be taken away from them. They had great joy because of the resurrection of the dead that the saving power of Jesus Christ would bring.

¹⁵ Alma began to be very sad when he saw that the people were not equal, and when he saw the trouble and persecutions the rest of the people made for God’s humble followers, but the Spirit of the Lord did not leave him.

¹⁶ He chose a wise man among the elders of the church and gave him power by the voice of the people to make laws to punish people who were wicked and had done evil.

¹⁷ This man’s name was Nephihah, and he was chosen to be chief judge. He sat in the judgment-seat to judge and rule over the people.

¹⁸ Alma did not make him high priest over the church, but kept on being the high priest himself. But he made Nephihah the chief judge.

¹⁹ He did this so he could go among the Nephites and teach God’s word to them, so they would remember to do what was right, and so he could get rid of the pride and evil and fights among his people. Telling them the truth about their sins was the only way he saw to bring them back to what was right.

²⁰ So in the beginning of the ninth year of the judges, Alma gave up the judgment-seat to Nephihah, and did only the work of the high priesthood of God, to teach the gospel by the spirit of revelation and prophecy.