Twenty-Two Years of Peace
We got back to rebuilding our kingdom and living in peace. I made sure we produced every kind of weapon we could, so we’d be ready when the Lamanites came to attack us again. I posted guards all around our territory so the Lamanites couldn’t catch us by surprise and wipe us out. That’s how I protected my people and our livestock from falling into enemy hands.
We lived on in the land our ancestors had settled—twenty-two years of it. I had the men work the fields, growing all kinds of grain and every fruit we could. I had the women spinning thread and making fine linen and cloth of all kinds, so we’d have clothes to wear. We thrived in the land. We had unbroken peace for twenty-two years.
War Comes Again
Then King Laman died, and his son took over. He started stirring up his people against mine, getting them ready for war and planning an attack. But I’d sent scouts around the land of Shemlon to figure out what they were planning, so I could protect my people from being caught off guard and destroyed. They came from the north side of the land of Shilom—a massive army of men armed with bows, arrows, swords, scimitars, stones, and slings. Their heads were shaved bare, they wore almost nothing except leather belts around their waists.
I had all the women and children hidden in the wilderness. Then I gathered every man who could fight—old and young alike—and organized them into ranks by age to face the Lamanites in battle. We marched out to meet them. Even though I was old, I went to battle against the Lamanites myself. We went forward in the Lord’s strength.
The Lamanite Story
The Lamanites didn’t know anything about the Lord or his strength. They depended entirely on their own power. And physically, they were strong. They were wild, fierce, and bloodthirsty people, living by the stories their ancestors had passed down to them. Those stories went like this: They believed they’d been driven out of Jerusalem because their ancestors had done wrong, and that their own family had mistreated them in the wilderness and again while crossing the ocean. And more: They believed they’d been cheated in their first homeland after crossing the sea. All of this happened, they said, because Nephi obeyed the Lord’s commands more faithfully than they did. The Lord favored him, heard his prayers, and let him lead the journey through the wilderness. Nephi’s brothers were furious with him because they didn’t understand how the Lord worked. They stayed angry at him during the ocean voyage, because they’d hardened their hearts against the Lord. And when they reached the promised land, they got even angrier. They said Nephi had stolen their right to rule the people, and they tried to kill him. Then they were furious again because he went into the wilderness, just as the Lord told him to, and took the brass plates with him. They said he’d robbed them. That’s what they’ve taught their children—to hate us, to murder us, to rob and destroy us in every way they can. So they have this never-ending hatred toward Nephi’s descendants. This is exactly why King Laman used his lies and tricks and smooth promises to deceive me into bringing my people to this land—so he could destroy us. And we’ve suffered here for many years because of it.
Victory and Farewell
After I’d explained all this to my people about the Lamanites, I rallied them to fight with everything they had, trusting in the Lord. So we faced them head-on.
We drove them out of our land once again and killed so many of them we didn’t even bother counting. Then we went back home, and my people returned to tending their livestock and working their fields.
Now that I’m old, I’ve passed the kingdom to one of my sons. So I’ll say no more. May the Lord bless my people. Amen.