Alma — Chapter 49
1 On the tenth day of the eleventh month of the nineteenth year, the Lamanite armies were seen coming toward the land of Ammonihah.
2 The city of Ammonihah had been built again, and Moroni had put an army by the borders of the city. They had built dirt walls around to protect themselves from the Lamanites’ arrows and stones (which is what the Lamanites fought with).
3 I said that the city was rebuilt, but it had been only partly rebuilt. Since the Lamanites had destroyed it before because of the people’s sins, they thought it would be easy to destroy again.
4 But they were very disappointed, because the Nephites had built up a dirt wall around themselves. It was so high that the Lamanites could not throw their stones nor shoot their arrows at them very well, nor could they come against them except at the gate.
5 The Lamanites’ chief captains were very surprised at how wise the Nephites had been in preparing for them.
6 The Lamanites’ leaders had thought they would be able to come and destroy that place as they had done before, because there were so many of them, and because they had made shields and armor, and thick clothes from skins to cover themselves with.
7 Since they were so prepared, they thought they could easily defeat the Nephites and make them their slaves, or kill them whenever they wanted.
8 But they were very surprised to find the Nephites ready for them in a way none of Lehi’s descendants had ever been before. They were ready to fight the Lamanites in the way Moroni taught them.
9 So the Lamanites, or the Amalickiahites, were very surprised at how ready for war the Nephites were.
10 If King Amalickiah had come down from the land of Nephi to lead his army, he might have had the Lamanites fight the Nephites at the city of Ammonihah, since he did not care how many of his people might be killed.
11 But Amalickiah did not come down to fight. His chief captains were afraid to fight the Nephites at Ammonihah because Moroni had prepared the Nephites so well. So the Lamanites could not leave their camps and fight them.
12 They went back into the wilderness. Then they took their camp toward the land of Noah, thinking it would be the next best place to go fight the Nephites.
13 They did not know that Moroni had built forts for every city in the land, so they went to the land of Noah to fight the Nephites there. Their chief captains had promised they would destroy the people of that city.
14 But they were very surprised to find that the city of Noah, which had been a weak place, was even stronger than the city of Ammonihah, thanks to Moroni.
15 Moroni had been very wise. He thought the Lamanites would be afraid at the city of Ammonihah, and that they would go to the city of Noah to fight instead, since it had been the weakest part of the land before. So they did just what he wanted them to.
16 Moroni made Lehi (the same Lehi who fought the Lamanites in the valley on the east side of the river Sidon) the chief captain over the men of the city of Noah.
17 When the Lamanites found out that Lehi commanded the city, they were disappointed again, because they were very afraid of him. But since their chief captains had promised to fight against that city, they brought up their armies.
18 The Lamanites could not get into the Nephites’ forts except by the gate, because of the dirt walls the Nephites had built, and the deep ditches they had dug.
19 So the Nephites were ready to destroy all who tried to get into the fort by any way other than the gate, by throwing stones and shooting arrows at them.
20 They were ready with an army of their strongest men with swords and slings, to kill all who tried to get into their forts using the gate. This was how prepared they were to protect themselves against the Lamanites.
21 The Lamanite captains brought up their armies to the gate and began to fight with the Nephites to get into their fort, but they were beaten back again and again, and many of them were killed.
22 When the Lamanites found they could not get in at the gate, they began to dig down the dirt walls so their armies could get through to fight better. But every time they tried, they were beaten back by the stones and arrows coming at them. And instead of filling in the ditches with dirt, some of the ditches were partly filled with their dead and wounded bodies.
23 So the Nephites had all power over their enemies. The Lamanites tried to destroy the Nephites until all the Lamanites’ chief captains were killed. More than a thousand Lamanites were killed, but not one Nephite.
24 About fifty Nephites had been hurt by the Lamanites’ arrows at the gate. Most of their wounds (some of which were very bad) were on their legs, which were not protected by their armor and shields.
25 When the Lamanites saw that all their chief captains were killed, they ran away into the wilderness. Then they went back to the land of Nephi to tell their king, Amalickiah, who had been born a Nephite, about their great defeat.
26 He was very angry with his people because he had not gotten what he wanted. He had not made the Nephites his slaves.
27 Yes, he was so angry that he cursed God and Moroni, and promised to drink Moroni’s blood. [He had not succeeded] because Moroni had kept God’s commandments to prepare and keep his people safe.
28 But the Nephites thanked the Lord their God for his great power in saving them from their enemies.
29 This was how the nineteenth year ended.
30 Yes, there was peace among them, and they prospered very much because of their hard work in keeping God’s commandments, which they were taught by Helaman, Shiblon, Corianton, Ammon and his brothers, and by all who had been called by God and baptized to repentance, and sent to teach the people.
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