# 3 Nephi 6

*Simple English*

### The People Return Home

The people of the Nephites all went back to their own lands in the 26th year. Each person went with their family, their animals, and everything that belonged to them. They had not eaten up all their food. So they took all that they had not used with them. They took all kinds of grain, their gold, their silver, and all their special things. They went back to their own lands, both in the north and in the south. They gave land to the robbers who had promised to keep the peace. These were the people who wanted to stay Lamanites. They gave them enough land so they could grow food to live on. This is how they made peace in all the land.

### Peace and Growth

They started to do well again and to grow strong. The 26th and 27th years passed. There was great order in the land. They made laws that were fair and right. There was nothing in all the land to stop the people from doing well. The only thing that could stop them was if they sinned. It was Gidgiddoni, Judge Lachoneus, and the leaders they had chosen who made this great peace in the land.

Many new cities were built. Many old cities were fixed. Many roads were built. These roads went from city to city and from land to land. The 28th year passed. The people had peace all the time.

### Pride and Fighting

But in the 29th year, the people started to argue. Some people became proud and bragged because they were very rich. They treated others badly. There were many business people in the land. There were also many lawyers and officers. The people started to be ranked by how much money they had and how much they could learn. Some people stayed poor and didn’t learn much. Others learned a lot because they were rich. Some people became proud. Others stayed humble. Some people said mean things back when others were mean to them. But others were treated badly and didn’t say mean things back. They stayed humble before God. So there was a big gap between people in all the land. The church started to break apart. In the 30th year the church was broken up in all the land. Only a few of the Lamanites kept the true faith. They would not leave it. They were strong and did not move away from God. They worked hard to keep God’s rules.

### Satan Leads the People Away

This is why the people did wrong. Satan had great power to make the people do all kinds of wrong things. He made them proud. He got them to want power and control and riches and the empty things of the world. Satan led the hearts of the people away to do all kinds of wrong things. So they had only enjoyed peace for a few years. At the start of the 30th year, the people had been led by Satan for a long time. He carried them wherever he wanted them to go. He got them to do whatever wrong things he wanted. At the start of the 30th year, they were doing very bad things. They did not sin because they didn’t know better. They knew what God wanted from them because they had been taught. So they chose to go against God.

This happened in the days of Lachoneus, the son of Lachoneus. Lachoneus took his father’s place. He ruled the people that year.

### Prophets Are Killed

Men sent from heaven started to preach among the people in all the land. They spoke boldly about the sins and wrong things of the people. They told them about how the Lord would save his people. In other words, they told them about Jesus coming back to life. They spoke boldly about his death and suffering. Many people were angry because of those who told them these things. The people who were most angry were the chief judges, the people who had been high priests, and the lawyers. All the lawyers were angry with those who told them these things.

No lawyer, judge, or high priest could order someone to be killed unless the governor of the land signed the order. Many people who told about Jesus spoke boldly. The judges took them and killed them in secret. The governor of the land didn’t know they had died until after they were dead. This was against the law of the land. No one could be killed unless the governor of the land said so.

So someone made a complaint to the governor of the land in Zarahemla. The complaint was against these judges who had killed the prophets of the land without following the law. The judges were arrested and brought before the judge. They would be judged for the crime they had done according to the law the people had made.

### A Secret Plan

Those judges had many friends and family members. Most of the lawyers and high priests gathered together. They joined with the families of those judges who were going to be judged by the law. They made a promise to each other. They made the same promise that had been made long ago. This promise was given by the devil. It was to join together against all that is right. So they joined together against the people of the Lord. They promised to destroy them. They promised to save those who were guilty of murder from being punished by the law. They did not care about the law and the rights of their country. They promised to each other that they would kill the governor. They would put a king over the land. The land would no longer be free. It would be ruled by kings.

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*Source: [The Book of Mormon](https://bookofmormon.com/simple/3-nephi/6)*
