# Alma 11

*Paraphrase*

### The Nephite System of Money

Under Mosiah’s law, judges were paid based on how much time they spent hearing cases. If someone refused to pay what they owed, the creditor would file a complaint with the judge. The judge would send officers to bring the debtor in, then rule on the case based on the law and the evidence. The debtor would be forced to pay what they owed—or be whipped, or kicked out of society as a thief. A judge’s daily wage was one senine of gold, or one senum of silver (which equaled a senine of gold). That was the law.

Here are the names and values of their gold and silver coins. These were Nephite names—they didn’t use the system from Jerusalem, nor did they measure things the way the Jews did. Instead, they adapted their system to fit their own needs and circumstances. That continued through each generation until the reign of the judges, which King Mosiah had established.

Here’s the system: a senine of gold, a seon of gold, a shum of gold, and a limnah of gold. A senum of silver, an amnor of silver, an ezrom of silver, and an onti of silver. A senum of silver equaled a senine of gold. Either one could buy a measure of barley or any other grain. A seon of gold was worth twice as much as a senine. A shum of gold was worth twice as much as a seon. And a limnah of gold was worth all the others combined. An amnor of silver was equal to two senums. An ezrom of silver was equal to four senums. And an onti was equal to all of them combined.

Now here are the smaller denominations: A shiblon was half a senum—so it could buy half a measure of barley. A shiblum was half a shiblon. And a leah was half a shiblum.

That’s their numbering system. An antion of gold equaled three shublons.

### Zeezrom’s Trap

The whole point of this system was profit. Since they were paid based on their workload, lawyers and judges would stir up riots and all kinds of trouble and wickedness so they’d have more cases to work—and more money to make. That’s why they stirred up the people against Alma and Amulek.

One of these lawyers was Zeezrom. He started questioning Amulek: “Will you answer a few questions I want to ask you?” Zeezrom was an expert at the devil’s tactics—skilled at twisting things to destroy what was good. So he said to Amulek, “Will you answer my questions?” Amulek answered, “Yes, as long as it’s in line with the Spirit of the Lord in me. I won’t say anything that goes against the Spirit.” Then Zeezrom said, “Look, here are six onties of silver. I’ll give you all of this if you’ll deny there’s a Supreme Being.”

Amulek fired back: “You child of hell! Why are you trying to tempt me? Don’t you know the righteous don’t give in to that kind of thing? Do you really think there’s no God? I’m telling you—no. You know perfectly well there is a God. You just love money more than you love him. You’ve just lied to me before God. You said, ‘Here are six onties—very valuable coins—I’ll give them to you,’ but you planned to keep them all along. You just wanted me to deny the true and living God so you’d have an excuse to destroy me. Well, for this evil, you’re going to pay.”

### Questions About God

Zeezrom said, “You’re saying there is a true and living God?” Amulek said, “Yes, there is a true and living God.” Zeezrom said, “Is there more than one God?” He answered, “No.” Zeezrom pressed him: “How do you know these things?” He said, “An angel told me.” Zeezrom asked again, “Who’s coming? Is it the Son of God?” He said, “Yes.” Zeezrom asked, “Will he save his people while they’re still in their sins?” Amulek answered, “No, he won’t. It’s impossible for him to break his word.”

Then Zeezrom turned to the crowd: “Remember what he’s saying! He says there’s only one God, but then he says the Son of God is coming—yet he won’t save his people. Sounds like he thinks he can boss God around.”

Amulek shot back: “You’re lying again. You’re saying I spoke like I could command God just because I said he won’t save his people in their sins. I’m telling you again—he cannot save them in their sins. I can’t deny his word, and he’s said that nothing unclean can enter the kingdom of heaven. So how can you be saved if you can’t enter the kingdom of heaven? You can’t be saved in your sins.”

### The Son and the Father

Zeezrom asked another question: “Is the Son of God the very Eternal Father?”

Amulek said, “Yes. He is the very Eternal Father of heaven and earth and everything in them. He is the beginning and the end, the first and the last. He will come into the world to redeem his people. He’ll take upon himself the sins of those who believe in his name. These are the ones who will have eternal life. Salvation comes to no one else. So the wicked stay as if no redemption had been made—except for the breaking of death’s grip. Because the day is coming when everyone will rise from the dead and stand before God and be judged by their works.”

### Death and Resurrection

“There’s a death called temporal death. Christ’s death will break the grip of this temporal death so that everyone will be raised from it. Spirit and body will be reunited in perfect form. Every limb and joint will be restored to its proper place—just like we are right now. We’ll stand before God, knowing what we know now, with a clear memory of all our guilt. This restoration will come to everyone—old and young, slave and free, male and female, wicked and righteous. Not even a hair on their heads will be lost. Everything will be restored to perfect form, just as it is now in the body. And they’ll be brought to stand before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit—who are one eternal God—to be judged by their works, whether good or evil. I’ve been talking to you about the death of the mortal body, and also about the resurrection of the mortal body. I’m telling you—this mortal body is raised to an immortal body. It goes from death (that first death) to life, so they can never die again. Their spirits unite with their bodies, never to be separated. The whole person becomes spiritual and immortal. They can’t see corruption anymore.”

When Amulek finished speaking, the people were stunned. Zeezrom began to tremble. And that ended Amulek’s words—at least all that I’ve written down.

---

*Source: [The Book of Mormon](https://bookofmormon.com/paraphrase/alma/11)*
