The Book of Mormon

Alma 14:24

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~82 BC

1830 Edition

And the Chief Judge stood before them, and smote them again, and saith unto them, If ye have the power of God, deliver yourselves from these bands, and then we will believe that the Lord will destroy this people according to your words.

Influences

Matthew 27:42 (KJV)
He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

Changes

And the Cchief Jjudge stood before them, and smote them again, and saithd unto them,: If ye have the power of God, deliver yourselves from these bands, and then we will believe that the Lord will destroy this people according to your words.

Simple English

The chief judge stood before them and hit them again. He said to them: 'If you have the power of God, free yourselves from these ropes. Then we will believe that the Lord will destroy these people like you said.'

Paraphrase

The chief judge stood before them, struck them again, and said, 'If you have the power of God, free yourselves from these ropes. Then we’ll believe the Lord will destroy this people like you said.'

Notes

14:22-28

In Joseph Smith's Plagiarism of the Bible in the Book of Mormon, Jerald and Sandra Tanner list at least 17 significant parallels between the Apostle Paul in the Bible and Alma in the Book of Mormon.

Compare Alma 14:22 with Acts 16:23—both Alma and Paul were cast into prison. Compare Alma 14:26 with Acts 16:25—both men prayed to the Lord while imprisoned. Compare Alma 14:27 with Acts 16:26—in each account, a great earthquake occurs. Finally, compare Alma 14:28 with Acts 16:26—in both cases, the prisoners’ bands were loosed.

Additional parallels between Paul and Alma can be found in Mosiah 27:8; Alma 36:6; Alma 36:14; Mosiah 27:10–11; Mosiah 27:12; Mosiah 27:13; Mosiah 27:19; Mosiah 27:23–24; Mosiah 27:32; Alma 30:32; and Alma 15:11.