HOW THE LORD DELIVERED HIS PEOPLE.
At the close of my last story you asked me if the Nephites had to stay in bondage to the Lamanites all the rest of their lives. It will, I know, make you glad to hear that, in His own time, the Lord delivered them out of the hands of their oppressors.
But before setting them free. He permitted great afflictions to come upon them as punishment for their sins and to teach them to be humble and to live good lives.
As the years went by, the Lamanites treated the Nephites more cruelly. They made them go out and work in their fields, carry heavy burdens, and when they complained, the Lamanites beat them and told them to remember they were their servants.
There was a man reigning as king over the Nephites at that time, whose name was Limhi. He was the grandson of Zeniff. It made him feel very bad to look upon the afflictions of his people. But he could not help them, except by speaking kindly to them, telling them to bear their trials as patiently as possible, and to pray often and earnestly to the Lord to deliver them.
Three times the Nephites came to Limhi, saying, "O, king, we cannot stand the treatment of the Lamanites any longer. We would just as lieve die as continue to live in this condition. We want you to let us go to war with the Lamanites. We will fight with all our might to rid ourselves of this terrible slavery."
But Limhi knew that his people were weak and that they were far less in number than the Lamanites; so he advised them not to go to war. They kept on pleading with him, however, and, seeing that they were determined, he finally yielded.
The Nephites fought three battles with the Lamanites and each time the Nephites were badly beaten. Then they saw that no power save the power of God could deliver them; so they cried to the Lord in anguish of soul to help them to get free from their enemies.
At last the Lord heard and listened to their prayers. He saw that they were sorry for all the wicked things they had done, and for the way in which they had treated the Prophet Abinadi. So He looked down in mercy upon them and began to prepare a way for their escape. This is how He did it:
You remember that Zeniff and his followers left the rest of the Nephites to go up to the land of the Lamanites. The people whom Zeniff left were living in a city called Zarahemla. They had as their ruler a wise and good man named Mosiah. A number of times Mosiah's people had gone to him and said, "King Mosiah, what do you think has become of Zeniff and those who went with him to the land of the Lamanites? It is many years since they left us, and we have never heard from them."
And Mosiah would say, "I am sure, my people, I do not know what has become of them. I fear the Lamanites have slain them. It seems to me that if they were alive we would have heard from them."
One day, sixteen large, strong men went to King Mosiah and told him they had decided to go in search of the people of Zeniff. At first Mosiah refused to let them go: he was afraid they might get lost also. But after they had talked with him for some time he consented.
They chose for their leader a man named Ammon. He was a man of great strength and courage. So, with Amnion at their head, and provisions to last them a long time, the party set out in search of their brethren. A large number of men and women, boys and girls followed them to the outskirts of the city, cheering them on their way.
For forty days Ammon and his followers traveled in the wilderness in search of their brethren. They had seen no sign of them, so they began to feel discouraged and to think that their mission had been in vain. They did not know that at that time they were only a short distance from them, and that ere long they would be rejoicing in their company.
At the end of forty days' travel, Ammon and his brethren came to a high hill. At the foot of the hill they put up their tents. After having refreshed themselves, Ammon took three of his brethren and climbed to the top of the hill. When they reached the summit they saw a sight which brought the greatest joy to their hearts. In the valley below was a beautiful city, and in the city were their long-lost brethren.
Ammon and his comrades lost no time in making their way to the city. But just as they were about to enter it they were seized by several men—guards of the king—and taken off to prison. The men who arrested Ammon and his brethren did not know who they were: they thought they were spies sent out by the Lamanites.
The next day Ammon and his three companions were brought before King Limhi. The king asked them who they were, and when Ammon told him they were his brethren, and that they had come from Zarahemla in search of him and his people, Limhi rejoiced and praised the Lord. He sent out and brought the other members of Ammon's party into the city and treated them all with the greatest kindness.
The king then told Ammon all that had happened to the people of Zeniff from the time they had left their brethren: how they had broken the commandments of God and had killed the Prophet Abinadi. Because of that the Lord had forsaken them and had suffered them to be brought into bondage to the Lamanites.
"Well," said Ammon, "I feel that the Lord has sent us to deliver you and to lead you back to your own people in the land of Zarahemla."
King Limhi called his people together, and they listened with the greatest interest while Ammon told them that he and his brethren had come all the way from Zarahemla in search of them, and now that they had found them, they were going to help them to free themselves from bondage.
When Ammon had finished speaking, a man named Gideon, leader of the Nephite army, went forward and bowed down before the king. "O, king," said he, "if you will grant me permission I will undertake to deliver our people out of the power of the Lamanites."
"How do you think you can do that?" asked the king.
"In this way," said Gideon, "let all the people get ready for the journey, and tonight when the Lamanites are asleep I will lead our people out by the back pass. When the Lamanites awake in the morning we will be so far away that they cannot overtake us."
Gideon's plan pleased the king, and he at once gave orders to his people to prepare to make their escape. That night, while the Lamanites slept, Gideon got his people together, and, with Ammon and his brethren leading the way, they started for Zarahemla.
You can imagine the surprise of the Lamanites when they awoke the next morning and found the cities of the Nephites deserted. You can also imagine the surprise and joy of King Mosiah and the Nephites in Zarahemla when Ammon and his followers returned accompanied by their brethren and sisters who, through the power of God, had been delivered out of the hands of the Lamanites.
I suppose you would also like to know what became of Alma and his people, who made their escape from the army of King Noah. They settled in another part of the land and were doing well, when one day an army of Lamanites came down upon them and captured them and their city.
They also became servants to the Lamanites; but after a time the Lord helped them to make their escape, and they, too, came and joined their brethren in the land of Zarahemla.