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Alma 20:4 For behold, it came to pass that the Zoramites became Lamanites; therefore in the commencement of the eighteenth year, the people of the Nephites saw that the Lamanites were coming upon them; therefore they made preparations for war; yea, they gathered together their armies in the land of Jershon.

Alma 20:5 And it came to pass that the Lamanites came with their thousands; and they came into the land of Antionum, which was the land of the Zoramites; and a man by the name of Zerahemnah was their leader.

Alma 20:6 And now as the Amalekites were of a more wicked and murderous disposition than the Lamanites were, in and of themselves, therefore Zerahemnah appointed chief captains over the Lamanites, and they were all the Amalekites and the Zoramites.

Alma 20:7 Now this he did, that he might preserve their hatred towards the Nephites; that he might bring them into subjection, to the accomplishment of his designs;

Alma 20:8 For behold, his designs were to stir up the Lamanites to anger against the Nephites; this he did that he might usurp great power over them; and also that he might gain power over the Nephites by bringing them into bondage, etc.

Alma 20:9 And now the design of the Nephites was to support their lands, and their houses, and their wives and their children, that they might preserve them from the hands of their enemies, and also that they might preserve their rights and their privileges;

Alma 20:10 Yea, and also their liberty, that they might worship God according to their desires; for they knew that if they should fall into the hands of the Lamanites, that whosoever should worship God, in spirit and in truth, the true and the living God, the Lamanites would destroy;

Alma 20:11 Yea, and they also knew the extreme hatred of the Lamanites towards their brethren, who were the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi; who were called the people of Ammon;

Alma 20:12 And they would not take up arms; yea, they had entered into a covenant, and they would not break it; therefore if they should fall into the hands of the Lamanites, they would be destroyed.

Alma 20:13 And the Nephites would not suffer that they should be destroyed; therefore they gave them lands for their inheritance.

Alma 20:14 And the people of Ammon did give unto the Nephites a large portion of their substance, to support their armies;

Alma 20:15 And thus the Nephites were compelled, alone, to withstand against the Lamanites, who were a compound of Laman and Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael, and all those who had dissented from the Nephites, who were Amalekites, and Zoramites, and the descendants of the priests of Noah.

Alma 20:16 Now those descendants were as numerous, nearly, as were the Nephites; and thus the Nephites were obliged to contend with their brethren, even unto bloodshed.

Alma 20:17 And it came to pass as the armies of the Lamanites had gathered together in the land of Antionum, behold the armies of the Nephites were prepared to meet them in the land of Jershon.

Alma 20:20 And it came to pass that he met the Lamanites in the borders of Jershon, and his people were armed with swords, and with cimeters, and all manner of weapons of war.

Alma 20:21 And when the armies of the Lamanites saw that the people of Nephi, or that Moroni had prepared his people with breastplates, and with arm-shields; yea, and also shields to defend their heads; and also they were dressed with thick clothing.

Alma 20:22 Now the army of Zerahemnah was not prepared with any such thing.

Alma 20:23 They had only their swords, and their cimeters, their bows and their arrows, their stones and their slings; but they were naked, save it were a skin which was girded about their loins; yea, all were naked, save it were the Zoramites and the Amalekites.

Alma 20:24 But they were not armed with breastplates, nor shields; therefore they were exceeding afraid of the armies of the Nephites, because of their armor, notwithstanding their number being so much greater than the Nephites.

Alma 20:25 Behold, now it came to pass, that they durst not come against the Nephites in the borders of Jershon; therefore they departed out of the land of Antionum, into the wilderness, and took their journey round about in the wilderness, away by the head of the river Sidon, that they might come into the land of Manti, and take possession of the land; for they did not suppose that the armies of Moroni would know whither they had gone.

Alma 20:26 But it came to pass, as soon as they had departed into the wilderness, Moroni sent spies into the wilderness, to watch their camp; and Moroni, also, knowing of the prophecies of Alma, sent certain men unto him, desiring him that he should inquire of the Lord whither the armies of the Nephites should go, to defend themselves against the Lamanites.

Alma 20:27 And it came to pass that the word of the Lord came unto Alma, and Alma informed the messenger of Moroni that the armies of the Lamanites were marching round about in the wilderness, that they might come over into the land of Manti, that they might commence an attack upon the more weak part of the people.

Alma 20:28 And those messengers went and delivered the message unto Moroni.

Alma 20:29 Now Moroni, leaving a part of his army in the land of Jershon, lest by any means, a part of the Lamanites should come into that land and take possession of the city, took the remainder part of his army and marched over into the land of Manti.

Alma 20:30 And he caused that all the people in that quarter of the land, should gather themselves together to battle, against the Lamanites, to defend their lands and their country, their rights and their liberties; therefore they were prepared against the time of the coming of the Lamanites.

Alma 20:31 And it came to pass, that Moroni caused that his army should be secreted in the valley which was near the bank of the river Sidon, which was on the west of the river Sidon, in the wilderness.

Alma 20:32 And Moroni placed spies round about, that he might know when the camp of the Lamanites should come.

Alma 20:33 And now as Moroni knew the intention of the Lamanites, that it was their intention to destroy their brethren, or to subject them and bring them into bondage, that they might establish a kingdom unto themselves, over all the land;

Alma 20:34 And he also knowing that it was the only desire of the Nephites to preserve their lands, their liberty, and their church, therefore he thought it no sin that he should defend them by stratagem; therefore he found, by his spies, which course the Lamanites were to take.

Alma 20:35 Therefore he divided his army, and brought a part over into the valley, and concealed them on the east, and on the south of the hill Riplah; and the remainder he concealed in the west valley, on the west of the river Sidon, and so down into the borders of the land of Manti.

Alma 20:36 And thus having placed his army according to his desire, he was prepared to meet them.