The Amalekites Turn Their Rage on Believers
The Lamanite army that had been trying to destroy the Nephites finally gave up. After so many failed attempts, they realized it was pointless and headed back home to Nephi.
The Amalekites were furious about their losses. When they couldn’t get revenge on the Nephites, they turned their rage toward their own people—the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. They began attacking them instead.
True to their covenant, the Anti-Nephi-Lehies refused to pick up weapons. They let themselves be killed rather than break their promise.
Ammon Seeks God’s Direction
When Ammon and his brothers saw this slaughter—these people they loved so deeply, who had loved them like angels sent from God to save them—their hearts broke. They went to the king and said, “Let’s gather these people and take them south to Zarahemla, to our Nephite brothers. We need to get them out of here before they’re all killed.”
But the king said, “The Nephites will destroy us. We’ve murdered too many of them. We’ve committed terrible sins against them.”
Ammon replied, “I’ll ask the Lord. If he tells us to go to our brothers, will you go?”
The king said, “Yes. If the Lord says go, we’ll go. And we’ll become their slaves until we’ve made up for all the murders and sins we committed against them.”
But Ammon told him, “Slavery is against our people’s law—the law my father established. There are no slaves among the Nephites. Let’s just go and trust in our brothers’ mercy.”
The king insisted, “Ask the Lord first. If he says go, we’ll go. Otherwise we’ll stay here and die.”
So Ammon prayed and asked the Lord. And the Lord answered, “Get these people out of this land before they’re all killed. Satan has a strong hold on the Amalekites, and they’re stirring up the Lamanites to slaughter them. Leave now. This generation of believers is blessed—I will protect them.”
Ammon returned and told the king everything the Lord had said.
They gathered all their people—everyone who believed in the Lord—and rounded up their flocks and herds. They left their homeland and traveled through the wilderness between Nephi and Zarahemla, stopping near the border.
Ammon told them, “My brothers and I will go ahead into Zarahemla. Wait here until we come back. We need to see how our people will respond—whether they’ll even let you come into their land.”
A Joyful Reunion
As Ammon was heading into the land, he and his brothers ran into Alma. What a joyful reunion that was!
Ammon’s joy was so overwhelming that it consumed him completely. He was swallowed up in the joy of his God until his strength gave out and he collapsed to the ground.
Can you imagine such joy? This is the kind of joy only the truly repentant receive—only those who humbly seek real happiness.
Alma was thrilled to see his brothers too, and so were Aaron, Omner, and Himni. But their joy didn’t overwhelm them like Ammon’s did.
The Nephites Make Room
Alma brought his brothers back to Zarahemla, to his own home. Then they went to the chief judge and told him everything that had happened in the land of Nephi among the Lamanites.
The chief judge sent out a proclamation across the whole land, asking the people to vote on whether to let the Anti-Nephi-Lehies come live among them.
The people’s answer came back: “We’ll give them the land of Jershon—the territory by the eastern sea, just south of Bountiful. That land will be their inheritance. We’ll station our armies between Jershon and the land of Nephi to protect them. We’re doing this because they’re afraid to take up weapons—afraid they’ll sin if they fight their own people. Their fear comes from deep repentance over all the murders and terrible wickedness in their past. Here’s what we’ll do: we’ll give them the land of Jershon as their inheritance, and we’ll defend them with our armies. In return, they’ll contribute part of their resources to help us maintain those armies.”
When Ammon heard this decision, he and Alma went back through the wilderness to where the Anti-Nephi-Lehies had set up camp. They told them everything. Alma also shared the story of how he, Ammon, Aaron, and the others had been converted.
The People of Ammon
This news filled them with joy. They moved south into the land of Jershon and settled there. The Nephites started calling them “the people of Ammon,” and that name stuck from then on.
They became part of the Nephite nation and were counted among the members of God’s church. They became known for their passion—for God and for people. They were completely honest and upright in everything they did, and their faith in Christ remained unshakable to the end.
They hated the thought of killing anyone. No one could ever convince them to take up weapons against other people. And they had no fear of death at all—their hope and confidence in Christ and the resurrection made death powerless. Christ’s victory had swallowed up death completely.
They would endure the most brutal and agonizing deaths their enemies could inflict before they’d ever raise a sword against another person.
They were a passionate and beloved people, deeply favored by the Lord.