Peace and Then Fighting Again
In the forty-third year of the judges’ rule, there was no fighting among the Nephites. There was a little pride in the church. This caused some small disagreements among the people. These problems were settled by the end of the forty-third year. There was no fighting among the people in the forty-fourth year. There was not much fighting in the forty-fifth year either.
People Move to the North
In the forty-sixth year, there were many fights and disagreements. Very many people left Zarahemla. They went north to live in the northern lands. They traveled a very long way. They came to large lakes and many rivers. They spread out into all parts of the land. They went to any parts that had not become empty and without trees. Many people had lived there before. No part of the land was empty except for trees. But because so many people who had lived there before were destroyed, it was called empty.
There was very little wood on the land. But the people who went there became very skilled at working with cement. So they built houses of cement. They lived in them. They had many children and spread out. They went from the south land to the north land. They spread so much that they began to cover the whole earth. They went from the south sea to the north sea. They went from the west sea to the east sea. The people in the north land lived in tents and in cement houses. They let any tree that grew on the land keep growing. This way they would have wood later to build their houses, cities, temples, meeting places, and all kinds of buildings. Wood was very hard to find in the north land. So they sent much wood by ship. This way the people in the north land could build many cities. They built with both wood and cement.
Many of Ammon’s people also went to this land. They were Lamanites by birth.
Many Records Were Kept
There are many records kept about this people. Many people wrote these records. They are detailed and very large. But not even one percent of what happened to these people can fit in this book. The stories of the Lamanites and Nephites cannot all fit. Their wars, fights, and disagreements cannot all fit. Their preaching, their messages from God, their ships, and their building cannot all fit. Their temples, meeting places, and holy buildings cannot all fit. Their good deeds and their evil deeds cannot all fit. Their murders, robberies, stealing, and all their terrible sins cannot all fit in this book. But there are many books and many records of every kind. The Nephites have mostly kept them. The Nephites have passed them down from one family to the next. They did this until they sinned. Then they were murdered, robbed, hunted, driven away, killed, and scattered across the earth. They mixed with the Lamanites. They were not called Nephites anymore. They became evil, wild, and mean. They became Lamanites.
Helaman Judges Fairly
I will return to my story. What I have said happened after there had been great fights, troubles, wars, and disagreements among the Nephites. The forty-sixth year of the judges’ rule ended.
There was still much fighting in the land. This was true in the forty-seventh year and in the forty-eighth year too. But Helaman was a fair and honest judge. He obeyed God’s laws and rules. He did what was right in God’s eyes all the time. He followed his father’s ways. So he did well in the land. He had two sons. He named the oldest one Nephi. He named the youngest one Lehi. They began to grow up following the Lord.
The wars and fights began to slow down a little among the Nephites. This happened at the end of the forty-eighth year of the judges’ rule.
The Church Grows
In the forty-ninth year of the judges’ rule, there was lasting peace in the land. The only problem was the secret groups that Gadianton the robber had set up. They were in the more settled parts of the land. The government leaders did not know about them yet. So they were not destroyed. In this same year, the church grew very much. Thousands of people joined the church. They were baptized as they turned from their sins. The church grew so much. So many blessings were given to the people. Even the high priests and the teachers were very surprised. The Lord’s work grew. Many people were baptized and joined God’s church. There were tens of thousands.
The Lord Is Kind to All
So we can see that the Lord is kind to all who truly call on his holy name. We see that Heaven’s door is open to all. It is open to those who believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We see that whoever holds on to God’s word will be helped. God’s word is alive and powerful. It will cut through all the tricks and traps of the Devil. It will lead people who follow Christ on a straight and narrow path. It will help them cross the terrible gulf of sadness that waits to swallow up the wicked. It will bring their souls to God’s right hand in Heaven. They will sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They will sit with all our holy fathers. They will never leave.
Peace and Joy
In this year there was constant joy in Zarahemla. There was joy in all the areas around it. There was joy in all the land that the Nephites owned. There was peace and very great joy for the rest of the forty-ninth year. There was also lasting peace and great joy in the fiftieth year of the judges’ rule.
Pride Enters the Church
In the fifty-first year of the judges’ rule, there was peace too. But pride began to enter the church. It did not enter God’s church itself. It entered the hearts of people who said they belonged to God’s church. They became full of pride. They even hurt many of their brothers and sisters. This was a great evil. It caused the more humble people to suffer greatly. They went through much trouble. But they fasted and prayed often. They grew stronger and stronger in their humility. They grew stronger and stronger in their faith in Christ. Their souls were filled with joy and comfort. Their hearts were made pure and holy. This happened because they gave their hearts to God. The fifty-second year also ended in peace. But there was very great pride in people’s hearts. This was because they had very great riches. They were doing very well in the land. It grew worse day by day.
In the fifty-third year of the judges’ rule, Helaman died. His oldest son Nephi began to rule in his place. He was a fair and honest judge. He obeyed God’s rules. He followed his father’s ways.