THE BOOK OF ALMA
THE soN OF ALMA
CHAPTER 54
Ammoron and Moroni negotiate for the exchange of prisoners—Moroni demands that the Lamanites withdraw and cease their murderous attacks—Ammoron demands that the Nephites lay down their arms and become subject to the Lamanites. [About 63 B.C.]
[What did Mormon see in our day that would have caused him to include these verses? Interesting note these appear to be taken from letters written back and forth. Now at the time that Mormon is abridging the records some 300 years have passed away - So we might easily conclude that the letters were written as part of the plates. So they must have been thought to be quite important as nothing was to be written upon the plates except as Nephi put it : “Wherefore, I shall give commandment unto my seed, that they shall not occupy these plates with things which are not of worth unto the children of men.” why would you include 20 plus chapter on war Alma 43-63
see Verses 5-14 Fear God more than the Armies of Man]
1 AND now it came to pass in the *commencement of the twenty and ninth year of the judges, that Ammoron sent unto Moroni desiring that he would exchange prisoners.
2 And it came to pass that Moroni felt to rejoice exceedingly at this request, for he desired the provisions which were imparted for the support of the Lamanite prisoners for the support of his own people; and he also desired his own people for the strengthening of his army. [It would seem that if Moroni is really interested in the exchange of prisoners then he should have taken a little more diplomatic approach, as the approach that he does take is counter productive in negoiation. Perhaps this comes from his great anger - and when anger sets in diplomacy usually goes out the window. Perhaps a little insite into Moroni's character.]
3 Now the Lamanites had taken many women and children, and there was not a woman nor a child among all the prisoners of Moroni, [This is what happens when the war is fought in your home land. In the case of the Laminites who were doing the attacking they were attacking the Nephites were they lived with their women and children. The Nephites fought back and had most the those battles either in the Nephite home towns or in the wildreness and not in the Laminite cities, and the Laminites would not have brought their women and children to battle, so there was no way to have captured them even if they would have wanted to. ] or the prisoners whom Moroni had taken; therefore Moroni resolved upon a stratagem to obtain as many prisoners of the Nephites from the Lamanites as it were possible.
4 Therefore he wrote an epistle, and sent it by the servant of Ammoron, the same who had brought an epistle to Moroni. Now these are the words which he wrote unto Ammoron, saying:
5 Behold, Ammoron, I have written unto you somewhat concerning this war which ye have waged against my people, or rather which thy brother hath waged against them, and which ye are still determined to carry on after his death.
6 Behold, I would tell you somewhat concerning the justice of
God, and the sword of his almighty wrath, which doth hang over you except
ye repent and withdraw your armies into your own lands, [ So he is ensinuating that the Lamanites are either theives or squatters because they are not on the land that is theirs. ] or the land of your possessions, which is the land of Nephi.
7 Yea, I would tell you these things if ye were capable of hearkening [ Hebrew "Shema" is translated here as hearkening which means to "listening to" and "obeying". ] unto them; yea, I would tell you concerning that awful hell that awaits to receive such murderers as thou and thy brother have been, except ye repent and withdraw your murderous purposes, and return with your armies to your own lands.
8 But as ye have once rejected these things, [ Moroni demeans Ammoron's character; that he is an will always be the same; a follower of satan, murdering and robbing his way through life. vs 6-7] and have fought against the people of the Lord, even so I may expect you will do it again.
9 And now behold, we are prepared to receive you; yea, and except you withdraw your purposes, behold, ye will pull down the wrath of that God whom you have rejected upon you, even to your utter destruction.
10 But, as the Lord liveth, our armies shall come upon you except ye withdraw, and ye shall soon be visited with death, for we will retain our cities and our lands; yea, and we will maintain our religion and the cause of our God.
11 But behold, it supposeth me that I talk to you concerning these things in vain; or it supposeth me that thou art a child of hell; therefore I will close my epistle by telling you that I will not exchange prisoners, save it be on conditions that ye will deliver up a man and his wife and his children, for one prisoner; if this be the case that ye will do it, I will exchange.
12 And behold, if ye do not this, I will come against you with my armies; yea, even I will arm my women and my children, and I will come against you, and I will follow you even into your own land, which is the land of our first inheritance; yea, and it shall be blood for blood, yea, life for life; and I will give you battle even until you are destroyed from off the face of the earth. [This is a little out of Moroni's character as he is one who has never killed the helpless (cf. 43:54, 44:20, 55:19). However if you look at Alma 44:17 Moroni when he is sufficiently angered he will go all out for blood ]
13 Behold, I am in my anger,
[ Can you imagine the feelings
of Moroni as he pen's this epistle? What is he so angry about? Why
is it not good to write your epostle in anger? You might
say some things that you really do not mean - Moroni said he would exchange
prisoners - did he really mean it or was he angry when he wrote the epistle
so he later decided he would not exchange prisoners] and
also my people; ye
have sought to murder us,
and we have only sought to defend ourselves. But behold, if ye seek
to destroy us more we will seek to destroy you; yea, and we will seek
our land, the land of our first inheritance.
15 Now it came to pass that Ammoron, when he had received this epistle, was angry; and he wrote another epistle unto Moroni, and these are the words which he wrote, saying:
16 I am Ammoron, the king of the Lamanites; I am the brother of Amalickiah whom ye have murdered. Behold, I will avenge his blood upon you, yea, and I will come upon you with my armies for I fear not your threatenings. [ Both sides seems to be justified in the labors they are persuing - to kill each other and their people. Nothing new then or today! ]
17 For behold, your fathers did wrong their brethren, insomuch that they did rob them of their right to the government when it rightly belonged unto them. [ Ammoron's justification for doing what he thinks he is entitled to do. Just like Mosiah 10:12-18]
18 And now behold, if ye will lay down your arms, and subject yourselves to be governed by those to whom the government doth rightly belong, then will I cause that my people shall lay down their weapons and shall be at war no more.
19 Behold, ye have breathed out many threatenings against me and my people; but behold, we fear not your threatenings. [ Could this in part that Ammoron thinks that Moroni is weak; since he has in the past always given the Laminites a chance to take an oath and not suffer from the sword when they are about to be over-taken. Does this imply that Moroni is weak when it comes to battle? or that he is perceived to be that way at least? ]
20 Nevertheless, I will grant to exchange prisoners according
to your request, gladly, that I may preserve my food for my men of war;
and we
will wage a war which shall be eternal, either to the subjecting the
Nephites to our authority or to their eternal extinction. [ What does it sound like when we talk about waging a war that is eternal? a
type of the war that has been and continues forward - the war between
good and evil. The interesting thing is that both think that they are
right - they both are justified in what they are fighting for. It is
easy to end up of a side in a conflict sometimes without any real choice
- along family lines, neighborhoods, religion... How
do we know if the side that we are choosing is in the right? ]
21 And as concerning that God whom ye say we have rejected, behold, we know not such a being; neither do ye; but if it so be that there is such a being, we know not but that he hath made us as well as you.
22 And if it so be that there is a devil and a hell, behold will he not send you there to dwell with my brother whom ye have murdered, [pretty good point - if Moroni is saying that Ammoron and his people are going to hell for murdering the Nephites then why would it not hold true that Moroni was going to hell for killing Amalickiah? ] whom ye have hinted that he hath gone to such a place? But behold these things matter not.
23 I am Ammoron, and a descendant of Zoram, whom your fathers pressed and brought out of Jerusalem. [ Ammoron takes a stab at Moroni accussing his fathers of kidnapping Zoram and then thrusting their religion upon him, by making hiim take an oath or die. Ammoron again attack's the faults in Moroni's character (thru the sins of his fathers) and supports the notion that since Zoram was one of his fore-fathers and was kidnaped from Jerusalem by Nephi then Ammoron would be saying he is really a Lamanite, and not a dissident Nephite, fighting for his rights]
* Verse 1 [63 B.C.].