The Lamanites Attack Ammonihah
In the eleventh month of the nineteenth year, on the tenth day of the month, the Lamanite armies marched toward the land of Ammonihah. The city had been rebuilt. Moroni had placed an army by the borders of the city. They had piled up dirt all around to protect them from the Lamanites’ arrows and stones. The Lamanites fought with stones and arrows. The city of Ammonihah had been partly rebuilt. The Lamanites had destroyed it once because the people were wicked. So they thought it would be easy to conquer again. But they were very disappointed. The Nephites had dug up a ridge of earth all around them. It was so high that the Lamanites could not hit them with their stones and arrows. They could not attack them except through their entrance.
The Lamanite captains were amazed at how wise the Nephites were in preparing their safe places. The Lamanite leaders thought that because they had so many soldiers, they could attack like they had before. They had prepared themselves with shields and armor on their chests. They also had very thick clothes made of animal skins to cover their bodies. Being prepared like this, they thought they would easily beat their brothers and force them to be slaves or kill them. But they were completely shocked. The Nephites were prepared for them in a way that had never been known among all the children of Lehi. They were ready for the Lamanites to battle, just as Moroni had taught them. The Lamanites, or the Amalickiahites, were amazed at how prepared the Nephites were for war.
The Lamanites March to Noah
If king Amalickiah had come down from the land of Nephi at the head of his army, he might have made the Lamanites attack the Nephites at the city of Ammonihah. He did not care about the blood of his people. But Amalickiah did not come down himself to battle. His captains did not dare attack the Nephites at the city of Ammonihah. Moroni had changed how things were run among the Nephites. The Lamanites were disappointed in their plans, and they could not attack them. So they went back into the wilderness and made camp. They marched toward the land of Noah. They thought that would be the next best place to attack the Nephites. They did not know that Moroni had built strong forts for every city in all the land around. So they marched forward to the land of Noah, determined to succeed. Their captains came forward and promised that they would destroy the people of that city.
But to their surprise, the city of Noah, which had been a weak place, was now very strong because of Moroni. It was even stronger than the city of Ammonihah. This showed Moroni’s wisdom. He had thought they would be scared of the city of Ammonihah. Since the city of Noah had been the weakest part of the land, they would march there to battle. And it happened just as he wanted. Moroni had put Lehi in charge as captain over the men of that city. It was the same Lehi who had fought with the Lamanites in the valley on the east side of the river Sidon.
The Battle at Noah
When the Lamanites found that Lehi was in charge of the city, they were disappointed again. They were very scared of Lehi. But their captains had promised to attack the city. So they brought up their armies. The Lamanites could not get into the Nephite forts any other way except by the entrance. The dirt bank that had been thrown up was too high. The ditch that had been dug all around was too deep. So the Nephites were ready to destroy anyone who tried to climb up and enter the fort any other way. They would throw stones and arrows at them. They were prepared. A group of their strongest men stood with their swords and their slings. They would strike down anyone who tried to come into their safe place through the entrance. This is how they were ready to defend themselves against the Lamanites.
The Lamanite captains brought their armies up to the entrance. They began to fight with the Nephites to get into their safe place. But they were pushed back again and again. Very many of them were killed. When they found that they could not get through the entrance, they began to dig down the dirt banks to make a way for their armies to have an equal chance to fight. But in these attempts, they were hit by the stones and arrows that were thrown at them. Instead of filling up the ditches by pulling down the banks of earth, the ditches were partly filled up with their dead and wounded bodies. So the Nephites had all the power over their enemies. The Lamanites tried to destroy the Nephites until all their captains were killed. More than a thousand of the Lamanites were killed. But not a single Nephite was killed. There were about fifty Nephites who were hurt. They had been hit by the Lamanites’ arrows through the entrance. But they were protected by their shields and their chest armor and their helmets. So their wounds were on their legs. Many of those wounds were very bad.
Amalickiah’s Anger and the Nephites’ Thanks
When the Lamanites saw that all their captains were killed, they ran into the wilderness. They went back to the land of Nephi to tell their king, Amalickiah, who was a Nephite by birth, about their great loss. He was very angry with his people. He had not gotten what he wanted over the Nephites. He had not forced them to be his slaves. He was very angry. He cursed God and also Moroni. He swore an oath that he would drink Moroni’s blood. This was because Moroni had obeyed God’s commands in preparing for the safety of his people.
On the other hand, the people of Nephi thanked the Lord their God for his amazing power in saving them from their enemies.
And so ended the nineteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi. There was peace among them all the time. There was very great success in the church. This was because they paid attention to and worked hard at following the word of God. This word was taught to them by Helaman, Shiblon, Corianton, Ammon, and his brothers. It was taught by all those who had been chosen by the holy order of God, who were baptized to repent, and sent out to preach among the people.