Helaman — Chapter 9
1 After Nephi said this, five men ran to the judgment-seat, saying to each other:
2 “Now we will see if this man is a prophet and if God has told him to prophesy such great things to us. We don’t believe God has done this, and we don’t believe he is a prophet. But if what he said about the chief judge is true — if the chief judge is dead, then we will believe that the other things he said are true, too.”
3 So they ran as fast as they could to the judgment-seat, and saw the chief judge lying on the ground in his own blood.
4 When they saw this, they were so surprised that they fainted, because they had not believed what Nephi had said about the chief judge.
5 But when they saw this, they believed and became very afraid of all the judgments Nephi said would come on the people. So they shook and fell on the ground.
6 Right after the judge had been stabbed to death by his brother in disguise (who then ran away), the judge’s servants ran among the people and shouted “Murder!”
7 The people gathered at the judgment-seat, and were surprised to see the five men fallen on the ground.
8 These people did not know anything about the people who had gathered in Nephi’s garden, so they said to themselves: “These are the men who murdered the judge. God struck them so they could not get away from us.”
9 So they took them and tied them up and threw them in prison. Then they told everyone that the judge had been killed, and that his murderers had been taken and thrown into prison.
10 The next day the people came together to weep and fast as the great chief judge was buried.
11 The judges who had been in Nephi’s garden and had heard what Nephi had said were also at the burial.
12 They asked the people: “Where are the five men we sent to find out if the chief judge was dead?” And the people said: “We don’t know about the five men you say you sent, but we have thrown five men into prison who are the murderers.”
13 The judges asked to see them, so they were brought to them, and they were the five men whom they had sent. The judges asked them what had happened, and they told them about all that they had done, saying:
14 “We ran to the judgment seat. When we saw everything just like Nephi had said it would be, we were so amazed that we fainted. When we woke up, they [had thrown] us into prison.
15 “We don’t know who killed this man. We only know that we did what you wanted, and ran to this place, and saw he was dead, just as Nephi said.”
16 The judges told this to the people, and said to them: “We know this Nephi must have planned with someone to kill the judge so he could tell us this thing to make us believe he is a great prophet whom God has chosen.
17 “We will find this man, and we will make him tell us about his crime and tell us who the true murderer of the judge is.”
18So the five men were freed on the day of the burial. But the men argued with the judges about what they had said about Nephi, and showed that each one was wrong.
19 Even so, they had Nephi taken and tied up and brought before the people. They began to ask him tricky questions so they could find a way to kill him.
20 They said to him: “You are part of this. Who is the murderer? Tell us, and tell us about your part in it.” And they also said: “Here is some money for you. We will let you live if you tell us about the plan you made with the murderer.”
21 But Nephi said to them: “O you fools, you sinners, you blind and stubborn people, how long do you think the Lord your God will let you go on this way in sin?
22 “Shouldn’t you howl and be sad because of the destruction waiting for you if you do not repent?
23 “You say I have planned with a man to murder Seezoram, our chief judge. But you are saying this because I told you about this thing as a witness to you that I know about the sins and wickedness among you.
24 “And because I did this, you say I have planned with someone to do this thing. Yes, because I showed you this sign, you are angry with me and want to kill me.
25 “So now I will show you another sign, and see if you will be able to kill me because of this thing.
26 “I tell you: Go to the house of Seantum, Seezoram’s brother, and say to him:
27 “‘Has Nephi, the false prophet who prophesies so many evil things about this people, planned with you to murder your brother Seezoram?’
28 “He will say to you: ‘No.’
29 “Then say to him: ‘Did you murder your brother?’
30 “He will be afraid and not know what to say. Then he will say that he did not do it, and will act surprised, and then he will tell you that he is not guilty.
31 “Then you will look at him very carefully, and you will see blood on his clothes.
32 “When you see this, you will ask: ‘Where does this blood come from? Isn’t this your brother’s blood?’
33 “Then he will shake and look as if death had come for him.
34 “Then you will say: ‘We know you are guilty because you are afraid and your face is so white.’
35 “He will be even more afraid. Then he will tell you everything, and he will say he committed this murder.
36 “Then he will tell you that I, Nephi, knew nothing about this thing, except by the power of God. Then you will know I am an honest man, and that God sent me.”
37 They did these things just as Nephi said. And what Nephi had said came true. First Seantum said he did not do it, and then he said he did.
38 He showed that he himself was the murderer, so the five men were free, and so was Nephi.
39 Some Nephites believed what Nephi said, and some believed because of what the five men said, who had begun to believe while they were in prison.
40 Some Nephites said that Nephi was a prophet.
41 Other Nephites said: “He is a god. Only a god could know these things. He told us what we were thinking, and other things, and he told us who the chief judge’s murderer was.”
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