# Helaman 1

*Paraphrase*

### The Fight for Power

In the fortieth year of the judges’ rule over the Nephites, a serious conflict erupted among the people.

Pahoran had died, and now his sons were fighting over who should take his place as chief judge. Three brothers were locked in this power struggle: Pahoran, Paanchi, and Pacumeni. The whole nation took sides. Pahoran had other sons too, but these three were the ones who wanted the judgment seat badly enough to split the people into three factions.

When the vote came in, Pahoran won and became the new chief judge and governor. Pacumeni accepted the results and backed his brother.

But Paanchi and his followers were furious. He started working the crowds, stirring them up to rebel. Before he could launch his uprising, he was arrested, put on trial, and sentenced to death for trying to destroy the people’s freedom.

### Murder in the Judgment Seat

His supporters were outraged. They hired an assassin named Kishkumen who went straight to the judgment seat and murdered Pahoran while he sat there.

Pahoran’s guards chased after him, but Kishkumen was too fast. He got away. When he made it back to those who’d sent him, they all swore an oath—calling on God himself—that they would never tell anyone that Kishkumen had killed Pahoran. Nobody knew who Kishkumen was because he’d worn a disguise. He and his whole gang blended back into the crowd. The authorities hunted them down, executing anyone they caught, but most got away.

So Pacumeni was appointed chief judge and governor in his brother’s place. It was his rightful turn. All this happened in that same fortieth year.

### Coriantumr’s Lightning Strike

The next year, the Lamanites assembled a massive army. They armed themselves with swords, scimitars, bows and arrows, helmets, armor, and shields of every kind.

They marched down to attack the Nephites, led by a man named Coriantumr. He was descended from Zarahemla but had defected from the Nephites. He was huge and powerful. Tubaloth was the Lamanite king at this time—Ammoron’s son. He figured that Coriantumr, being such a strong and brilliant warrior, could defeat the Nephites and help him take control. So he rallied his armies, put Coriantumr in command, and sent them marching toward Zarahemla to attack the Nephites.

Because of all the internal fighting and political chaos, the Nephites hadn’t posted enough guards around Zarahemla. They never imagined the Lamanites would be bold enough to strike at the heart of their territory and attack their capital. But that’s exactly what Coriantumr did. He led his huge army in a lightning-fast attack on the city, moving so quickly the Nephites had no time to pull their forces together. Coriantumr’s men killed the guards at the city gate and swept into Zarahemla. They cut down everyone who stood in their way and took control of the entire city.

Pacumeni, the chief judge, tried to escape but only made it to the city walls before Coriantumr caught him and slammed him against the stones. He died there. That was the end of Pacumeni.

Now that Coriantumr held Zarahemla—the strongest fortress in the whole land—and saw the Nephites fleeing, being killed, captured, and thrown in prison, his confidence soared. He decided to take the entire country. He didn’t waste time in Zarahemla. He pushed north with his army toward the city of Bountiful, determined to cut a path with the sword all the way to the northern territories. He figured the Nephites’ main strength was in the center of the land, so he kept moving fast, not giving them time to gather into large groups. He caught them in small bands and slaughtered them.

### Moronihah’s Counterattack

But Coriantumr’s bold march through the heart of the land actually gave Moronihah a huge advantage, despite all the Nephites who were killed.

Moronihah had assumed the Lamanites would attack the border cities as they always had, so he’d stationed his main armies along the edges of their territory. But the Lamanites weren’t scared off. They’d marched straight into the center, captured the capital, and were now cutting through the most important cities, killing men, women, and children, seizing city after city and fortress after fortress.

When Moronihah realized what was happening, he immediately sent Lehi with an army to circle around and cut them off before they reached Bountiful. Lehi did exactly that. He intercepted them before they reached Bountiful and hit them hard enough that they started retreating back toward Zarahemla. Then Moronihah intercepted them from behind and attacked. It turned into a brutal, bloody battle. Many died on both sides—including Coriantumr.

The Lamanites were trapped. They couldn’t retreat north, south, east, or west. The Nephites had them surrounded. Coriantumr had led the Lamanites into the middle of Nephite territory, and now they were completely at the Nephites’ mercy. Coriantumr was dead, and the Lamanites surrendered.

Moronihah recaptured Zarahemla and let the Lamanite prisoners go home in peace. That’s how the forty-first year of the judges ended.

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*Source: [The Book of Mormon](https://bookofmormon.com/paraphrase/helaman/1)*
