Alma — Chapter 58
Helaman’s letter to Mormon, continued.
1 Then we wanted to get back the city of Manti, but there was no way we could lead them out of the city by using small armies. They remembered what we had done before, so we could not get them to come out of their strong places.
2 They had so many more men than we did that we did not want to try to fight them in their strong places.
3 We also needed to keep some of our men to protect the parts of the land we had gotten back. So we waited until we could get more men and supplies from the land of Zarahemla.
4 I sent some men to our [chief judge] to tell him what was happening in our part of the land. And we waited to get more supplies and men from the land of Zarahemla.
5 This did not do us any good, because the Lamanites were also getting more men and supplies every day.
6 The Lamanites came against us from time to time, trying to trick us and destroy us. But we could not fight against them because of their forts and strong places.
7 We waited like this for many months until we had just about died of hunger.
8 Then two thousand men came to us, bringing food with them. That was all the help we got to defend ourselves and our country from our enemies, who had a countless army.
9 We did not know why they did not send us more men, so we were sad and afraid that God’s judgments would come on our land, and that we would be completely destroyed.
10 We prayed with all our souls to God to make us strong and save us from our enemies, and to help us keep our cities and lands for the good of our people.
11 The Lord our God told us he would save us. He gave peace to our souls, and gave us great faith and hope in him that he would save us.
12 We took courage with the small number of men we had gotten, and we chose to defeat our enemies, and keep our lands, and our belongings, and our wives, and our children, and our freedom.
13 So we went against the Lamanites in the city of Manti with all our strength. We set up our tents on the side by the wilderness near the city.
14 When the Lamanites saw that we were in the borders by the wilderness near the city, they sent out their spies to see how strong our army was.
15 When they saw that we did not have very many men, they prepared to come out and fight against us, because they were afraid we would cut them off from their supplies. They thought they could easily destroy us, because there were so many more of them.
16 When we saw they were getting ready to fight against us, I had Gid take a small number of men, and Teomner take a small number of men, and hide themselves in the wilderness.
17 Gid and his men were on the right, and [Teomner and his men] were on the left. When they had hidden themselves, I stayed with the rest of the army where we had first set up our tents, to wait for the Lamanites to come fight us.
18 Then the Lamanites came against us with their big army. When they were just about to come on us, I had the men with me go back into the wilderness.
19 The Lamanites followed us quickly, because they wanted to catch up to us and kill us. So they followed us into the wilderness and went right by Gid and Teomner without seeing them.
20 When the Lamanite army passed by Gid and Teomner, they came out of their hiding places and cut off the Lamanites’ spies so they could not go back to the city.
21 After they cut off the spies, they ran to the city and fought with the guards who had been left behind. They destroyed them and took back the city.
22 This happened because the Lamanites had used their whole army to chase us into the wilderness, leaving only a few guards behind.
23 This was how Gid and Teomner took back this strong place. We were gone a long time in the wilderness, going towards the land of Zarahemla.
24 When the Lamanites saw we were going towards the land of Zarahemla, they were very afraid that a trap was set to destroy them. So they began going back through the wilderness the same way they had come.
25 It was night, so they set up their tents. The chief captains of the Lamanites thought the Nephites were tired because of the long march. They thought they had been chasing the whole army, so they did not worry about the city of Manti.
26 When it was night, I did not let my men sleep, but had them go a different way toward the city of Manti.
27 Because we had gone at night, we were way ahead of the Lamanites the next day and got back to the city of Manti before they did.
28 This was how we tricked them and got back the city of Manti without losing any of our men.
29 When the Lamanite armies came near the city and saw that we were ready for them, they were very surprised and afraid, and ran away in the wilderness.
30 Yes, all the Lamanites ran away from this part of the land. But they have taken many of our women and children with them out of the land.
31 At this time we have gotten back all the cities the Lamanites had taken over. Our parents and women and children are all going back home, except for those who have been taken away prisoner by the Lamanites.
32 Our armies are too small to protect so many cities and so much land,
33 But we trust in God, who gave us success in getting back our cities and lands.
34 We don’t know why the government hasn’t sent more men. The men they sent don’t know why, either.
35 We don’t know if you have not had success and have needed to have more men. If so, then we don’t want to complain.
36 If not, then we are afraid there is something wrong with the government, and that that is why they are not sending more men to help us. We know there are many more men than those they have sent.
37 But it does not matter–we trust that God will save us from our enemies, even though our armies are weak.
38 This is the last part of the twenty-ninth year. We have taken all our lands back, and the Lamanites have run away to the land of Nephi.
39 Those sons of Ammon’s people, of whom I have written such good things, are with me in the city of Manti. The Lord helped them and saved them from dying. Not one of them has been killed.
40 They were all wounded, but they are strong to stand for the freedom God has given them. They are strict about serving the Lord their God every day. Yes, they keep his laws and commandments at all times, and they have strong faith in the prophecies about the things to come.
41 Now, my dear brother Moroni, may the Lord our God who has saved us and made us free, keep you with him. Yes, may he bless this people so you will have success in getting back all the lands the Lamanites have taken from us. I end my letter now. I am Helaman, Alma’s son.
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