Helaman — Chapter 2
1 During the forty-second year of the judges, after Moronihah made peace between the Nephites and Lamanites, there was no chief judge, so people began to argue about who should become the chief judge.
2 The people voted to make Helaman, the son of Helaman, the chief judge.
3 But Kishkumen, who had killed Pahoran, planned to kill Helaman, too. He was helped by his group of people who had promised not to tell about his wickedness.
4 There was a man named Gadianton who was very good at killing and robbing in secret, so he became the leader of Kishkumen’s group.
5 Gadianton promised Kishkumen and his group that if they made him chief judge, he would make them rulers over the people, so Kishkumen planned to kill Helaman.
6 But one of Helaman’s servants had been out at night, and had learned about the plan to kill Helaman by disguising himself. So as Kishkumen went to kill Helaman at the place of judgment,
7 This servant showed Kishkumen the group’s secret sign. Then Kishkumen asked the servant to take him to Helaman so he could kill him.
8 The servant had learned that Kishkumen wanted to kill Helaman so he and his robbers could murder, and rob, and have power over the people. He said to Kishkumen: “Let’s go to the judgment-seat.”
9 This made Kishkumen very happy, because he thought he would be able to kill Helaman. But as they were going to the judgment-seat, the servant stabbed Kishkumen in the heart, and Kishkumen died without making a sound. Then the servant ran and told Helaman everything he had seen and heard and done.
10 Then Helaman sent soldiers to catch the robbers and killers so they would be punished to death by law.
11 But when Kishkumen did not come back, Gadianton became afraid that he would be caught and destroyed, so he made his robbers follow him out of the land, using a secret path to the wilderness. So Helaman’s soldiers could not find them.
12 There will be more to say about Gadianton later on. This was the end of the forty-second year of the judges.
13 At the end of this book you will see that Gadianton almost destroyed all the Nephites.
14 (I do not mean the end of Helaman’s book, but the end of Nephi’s book, where I have gotten this history.)
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