Alma 3

The Aftermath of War

After the battle, the Nephite survivors buried their dead—so many that they didn’t even try to count them all. Then they went home to their families.

The war had devastated them. Many women and children had been killed. Their livestock were slaughtered, and their grain fields trampled flat by armies.

The bodies of the Lamanites and Amlicites who fell near the Sidon River were thrown into the water. Their bones still lie at the bottom—countless bones in the depths.

The Marks That Separated Them

You could tell the Amlicites apart from the Nephites by the red marks they painted on their foreheads—just like the Lamanites used to do. But unlike the Lamanites, they didn’t shave their heads. The Lamanites shaved their heads and wore almost nothing except a leather strip around their waists. They carried their weapons—bows, arrows, slings, and stones—and wore whatever armor they had.

The Lamanites had dark skin because of the mark God placed on their ancestors—a curse that came from their rebellion against their brothers: Nephi, Jacob, Joseph, and Sam, who were righteous and faithful men. When their brothers tried to kill them, God cursed them. He put a mark on Laman and Lemuel, and on the sons of Ishmael and the Ishmaelite women. He did this so their descendants would be easy to recognize—to keep his people from mixing with them and adopting false beliefs that would destroy them.

Anyone who joined with the Lamanites brought the same curse on their own family. So whoever let themselves be led away by the Lamanites was counted among them, and marked.

On the other hand, those who rejected Lamanite teachings and trusted the records brought from Jerusalem—who believed in the true traditions of their ancestors and kept God’s commands—they were called Nephites, the people of Nephi. And the Nephites are the ones who kept the true records of both their own people and the Lamanites.

Fulfilling Prophecy Without Knowing It

Now back to the Amlicites. They also had a mark on them—but they put it there themselves. They chose to paint red marks on their foreheads.

In doing this, they fulfilled God’s word without even knowing it. God had told Nephi long ago: 'I’ve cursed the Lamanites, and I’ll put a mark on them so they and their descendants will be separated from you and yours forever—unless they turn from their wickedness and come back to me. Then I can show them mercy.' 'And I’ll mark anyone who joins with your rebellious brothers, so they’ll be cursed too.' 'And I’ll mark anyone who fights against you and your descendants.' 'Whoever leaves you will no longer be counted as your family. But I’ll bless you and everyone who is called your descendants, now and forever.' These were the Lord’s promises to Nephi and his family.

The Amlicites had no idea they were fulfilling God’s prophecy when they marked their foreheads. But they had rebelled openly against God, so it made sense that the curse would fall on them. You see, they brought the curse on themselves. That’s how it works—everyone who’s cursed brings condemnation on themselves.

Another Battle, Another Victory

Not long after the battle in Zarahemla, another Lamanite army showed up in the exact same place where the first army had joined forces with the Amlicites. The Nephites sent an army to push them back.

Alma couldn’t lead this battle himself because he was still recovering from his wounds. But he sent a large army, and they killed many Lamanites and drove the rest out of Nephite territory. Then the army came home, and the Nephites began rebuilding peace in their land. For a while, at least, their enemies left them alone.

All of this—all these wars and conflicts—began and ended in the fifth year of the judges' reign. In just one year, tens of thousands of people were sent into eternity to face what they’d earned—eternal joy or eternal misery, depending on which spirit they’d chosen to follow, whether good or evil. Everyone gets what they’ve worked for, serving the master they chose. The spirit of prophecy says it clearly, and so it is. And that’s the end of the fifth year of the judges.