Mosiah 7

A Mission to Find the Lost Colony

After King Mosiah had enjoyed three years of peace, he grew concerned about the group who had left to settle in the land of Lehi-Nephi. No one in Zarahemla had heard from them since they left, and the people kept pressing the king about it. Finally, King Mosiah agreed to send sixteen strong men up to Lehi-Nephi to find out what had happened to their relatives. The next day they set out, led by a man named Ammon—a strong, capable man descended from Zarahemla.

But they didn’t know which way to go through the wilderness to reach Lehi-Nephi, so they wandered for forty days. After all that wandering, they reached a hill north of Shilom and set up camp.

Captured and Questioned

Ammon took three of his companions—Amaleki, Helem, and Hem—and they headed down into the land of Nephi. The king’s guards surrounded them, arrested them, tied them up, and threw them in prison.

After two days in prison, they were brought before the king again. Their ropes were untied, and the king ordered them to answer his questions.

He said to them, 'I am Limhi, son of Noah, grandson of Zeniff. Zeniff came up from Zarahemla to reclaim this land—the land of our ancestors. The people made me king.' 'Now I want to know why you were bold enough to approach the city walls when I was right there outside the gate with my guards.' 'The only reason I let you live was so I could question you. Otherwise my guards would have killed you. You may speak.'

Ammon Reveals His Identity

When Ammon realized he had permission to speak, he stepped forward and bowed before the king. Standing up again, he said, 'Your Majesty, I’m so grateful to God today that I’m still alive and allowed to speak. I’m going to be direct with you:' 'If you had known who I was, you never would have tied me up. I’m Ammon, descended from Zarahemla. I came up from Zarahemla to find out what happened to our relatives—the people Zeniff brought up from there.'

When Limhi heard Ammon’s words, he was overjoyed. 'Now I know for certain that my relatives back in Zarahemla are still alive! This calls for celebration—tomorrow I’ll have my whole people celebrate too.' 'You see, we’re enslaved by the Lamanites, and they’ve crushed us with heavy taxes. Our relatives will rescue us from the Lamanites' grip. We’d rather serve our own people than pay tribute to the Lamanite king.'

King Limhi ordered his guards to release Ammon and his companions completely, then sent them to the hill north of Shilom to bring the rest of their group into the city. They could eat, drink, and recover from their exhausting journey—they’d been through hunger, thirst, and complete fatigue.

Limhi’s Speech to His People

The next day, King Limhi sent out a proclamation calling all his people to gather at the temple to hear what he had to say.

When everyone had assembled, he addressed them: 'My people, lift up your heads and take heart. The time is coming—and it’s not far off—when we’ll no longer be under our enemies' control. I know we’ve struggled hard with no results, but I believe one more fight will actually work.' 'So lift up your heads and celebrate. Put your trust in God—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The same God who brought Israel’s people out of Egypt, who split the Red Sea so they could cross on dry ground, who fed them with manna in the wilderness so they wouldn’t starve. He did so much more for them.' 'And that same God brought our ancestors out of Jerusalem and has protected his people right up to now. But listen—we’re in slavery because of our own sins and disgusting choices.'

How We Fell Into Bondage

'You all know what happened. Zeniff became king over this people. He was so eager to reclaim our ancestral land that King Laman tricked him. Laman made a treaty with Zeniff and handed over the city of Lehi-Nephi, the city of Shilom, and the surrounding territory.' 'He did it all for one reason: to enslave us. And that’s exactly where we are now. We pay tribute to the Lamanite king—half our corn, half our barley, half of all our grain. Half the calves born to our herds, half the lambs from our flocks. Half of everything we own or produce—the Lamanite king demands it all, or he’ll take our lives.'

'Isn’t this crushing? Isn’t our suffering overwhelming? Don’t we have every reason to grieve?' 'We have every reason to mourn. Think how many of our people have been killed, their blood spilled for nothing—all because of sin.' 'If this people hadn’t rebelled, the Lord never would have let this disaster happen to us. But they wouldn’t listen to his words. Instead they turned on each other with such fury that they murdered their own people.'

The Prophet They Killed

'They killed a prophet of the Lord—a man chosen by God who warned them about their wickedness and evil practices. He prophesied many things still to come, including the coming of Christ.' 'He told them that Christ is God, the Father of all things, and that he would take on human form—the same form God used when he created humanity in the beginning. In other words, humanity was created in God’s image, and God himself would come down and walk the earth in flesh and blood.' 'Because he said this, they killed him. And they did many other evil things that brought God’s anger down on them. So why should anyone be surprised that we’re enslaved and crushed with suffering?'

The Lord’s Warning

'The Lord has said: 'I won’t rescue my people when they’re in rebellion. Instead I’ll block their path so they can’t succeed. Everything they do will trip them up.'' 'And again he says: 'If my people plant wickedness, they’ll harvest worthless chaff in a whirlwind. What they get from it will poison them.'' 'And again: 'If my people plant wickedness, they’ll reap the scorching east wind that brings instant destruction.'' 'And look—the Lord’s promise has come true. You’re being crushed and suffering.'

'But if you turn back to the Lord wholeheartedly, put your trust in him, and serve him with complete devotion—if you do this, he will set you free from slavery. It will happen in his own time and in his own way.'