Alma — Chapter 9
Chapters 9–14: The words Alma and Amulek preached to the people in the land of Ammonihah.
1 Then I, Alma, was commanded by God to take Amulek and go preach again to the people who lived in the city of Ammonihah. While I was preaching to them, they began to argue with me, saying:
2 “Who are you? Do you think we are going to believe the words of one man, even though he tells us that the earth is going to be changed?”
3 Now, they did not understand what they were saying, because they did not know that the earth would be changed.
4 They also said: “We will not believe you if you prophesy to us that this great city will be destroyed in one day.”
5 They did not know God could do such great works, because they were a hard-hearted and stubborn people.
6 Then they said: “Who is this God that sends only one man to us to tell us the truth about these great and wonderful things?”
7 Then they tried to grab me, but they did not. I stood before them and boldly said to them:
8 “O you wicked and stubborn generation, you have forgotten what you ancestors have taught. How quickly you have forgotten God’s commandments!
9 “Don’t you remember that God brought our father Lehi out of Jerusalem? Don’t you remember that God led all of them through the desert?
10 “Have you forgotten how many times he saved our ancestors from their enemies, and saved them from being destroyed by their own brothers?
11 “If it had not been for his great power and mercy and patience towards us, we would have been cut off from the earth long ago, and might have been sent to a place of endless sadness and woe.
12 “God commands you to repent. If you do not repent, you will not live in God’s kingdom. But this is not all. He commands you to repent, or he will completely destroy you from off the earth. Yes, he will visit you in his anger.
13 “Don’t you remember what he said to Lehi: ‘If you keep my commandments, you will prosper in the land’? And again, ‘If you do not keep my commandments, you will be cut off from me’?
14 “Now I want you to remember that the Lamanites did not keep God’s commandments, so they were cut off from the Lord. You see that what God said about this was true. They have been cut off from him since the beginning of their sins in this land.
15 “But it will be better for them at the day of judgment than it will be for you, if you keep on sinning. And it will be better for them in this life than for you if you do not repent.
16 “The Lamanites have been given many promises. Their ancestors’ false teachings have kept them from knowing the truth, so the Lord will have mercy on them and let them live longer in this land.
17 “At some time they will come to know his gospel, and learn that their ancestors’ teachings are not true. Many of them will be saved, because the Lord will have mercy on all who pray to him.
18 “I tell you that if you keep on being wicked, you will not live long in this land, because the Lamanites will come against you. If you do not repent, they will come at a time when you are not ready, and you will be completely destroyed in the Lord’s anger.
19 “He will not let you live in your sins and destroy his people. I tell you, No. The Lord would rather let the Lamanites destroy all the Nephites, if they fall into sins and wickedness after he has given them so much light and knowledge.
20 “Yes, if they fall into sin after the Lord has blessed them so much — being blessed more than any other nation, family or people; and being given everything they wanted to know, as they had faith and prayed — knowing about what has been, and what is, and what will come;
21 “And being visited by God’s Spirit, and talking with angels, and hearing the Lord’s voice; and having the spirit of prophecy and revelation, and having many gifts — speaking in different languages, teaching, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and being able to translate;
22 “Yes, after having God save them out of the land of Jerusalem, and saving them from famine and all kinds of sickness; and making them strong in war, so they would not be destroyed; and saving them from slavery time after time, and making them prosper and get rich in all ways and in all things —
23 “I tell you that if this people whom the Lord has blessed so much, sin against the light and knowledge they have, it will be much better for the Lamanites than it will be for them.
24 “The Lamanites were given many promises, but these promises are not for you if you sin. Hasn’t the Lord plainly said that if you rebel against him, you will be completely destroyed from off the earth?
25 “The Lord has sent his angel to tell many of his servants to shout to this people: ‘Repent, because the kingdom of heaven is coming soon!’ —so that you will not be destroyed.
26 “The Son of God will come in his glory not too long from now. His glory will be the glory of the Only Begotten Son of God the Father — full of grace, fairness, truth, patience, and mercy. He will be quick to hear and answer his people’s prayers.
27 “He is coming to save those who will be baptized to repentance through faith on his name.
28 “So prepare for the Lord to come. The time is near when all people will be paid for their works. If they have been righteous, the power of Jesus Christ will save their souls. If they have been evil, they will be damned because of the devil’s power to make them slaves.
29 “This is what the angel is telling the people.
30 “Now, my dear brothers and sisters — and you should be dear to me — show your repentance by your works, because your hearts are very hard against God’s word, and you are a lost and fallen people.”
31 After I, Alma, said these words, the people were angry with me for telling them that they were a hard-hearted and stubborn people.
32 They tried to grab me to throw me into prison for telling them that they were a lost and fallen people.
33 But the Lord would not let them throw me into prison at that time.
34 Then Amulek stood and began to talk to them. Now, not all of what he said was written down, but part of his words are written in this book.
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