60:1 And it came to pass that he wrote again to the
governor of the land, who was Pahoran, and these are the
words which he wrote, saying: Behold, I direct mine
epistle to Pahoran, in the city of Zarahemla, who is the
chief judge and the governor over the land, and also to
all those who have been chosen by this people to govern
and manage the affairs of this war. |
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60:2 For behold, I have somewhat to say unto them by
the way of condemnation; for behold, ye yourselves know
that ye have been appointed to gather together men, and
arm them with swords, and with cimeters, and all manner of weapons of war of every
kind, and send forth against the Lamanites, in whatsoever
parts they should come into our land. |
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60:3 And now behold, I say unto you that myself, and
also my men, and also Helaman and his men, have suffered
exceedingly great sufferings; yea, even hunger, thirst,
and fatigue, and all manner of afflictions of every kind.
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60:4 But behold, were this all we had suffered we
would not murmur nor complain. |
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60:5 But behold, great has been the slaughter among
our people; yea, thousands have fallen by the sword, while it might have otherwise been if ye had
rendered unto our armies sufficient strength and succor
for them. Yea, great has been your neglect towards us. |
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60:6 And now behold, we desire to know the cause of
this exceedingly great neglect; yea, we desire to know
the cause of your thoughtless state. |
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60:7 Can you think to sit upon your thrones in a
state of thoughtless stupor, while your enemies are
spreading the work of death around you? Yea, while they
are murdering thousands of your brethren-- |
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60:8 Yea, even they who have looked up to you for
protection, yea, have placed you in a situation that ye
might have succored them, yea, ye might have sent armies
unto them, to have strengthened them, and have saved
thousands of them from falling by the sword. |
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60:9 But behold, this is not all--ye have withheld
your provisions from them, insomuch that many have fought
and bled out their lives because of their great desires
which they had for the welfare of this people; yea, and
this they have done when they were about to perish with
hunger, because of your exceedingly great neglect towards
them. |
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60:10 And now, my beloved brethren--for ye ought to
be beloved; yea, and ye ought to have stirred yourselves
more diligently for the welfare and the freedom of this
people; but behold, ye have neglected them insomuch that
the blood of thousands shall come upon your heads for
vengeance; yea, for known unto God were all their cries,
and all their sufferings-- |
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60:11 Behold, could ye suppose that ye could sit upon
your thrones, and because of the exceeding goodness of
God ye could do nothing and he would deliver you? Behold,
if ye have supposed this ye have supposed in vain. |
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60:12 Do ye suppose that, because so many of your
brethren have been killed it is because of their
wickedness? I say unto you, if ye have supposed this ye
have supposed in vain; for I say unto you, there are many
who have fallen by the sword; and behold it
is to your condemnation; |
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60:13 For the Lord suffereth the righteous to be
slain that his justice and judgment may come upon the
wicked; therefore ye need not suppose that the righteous
are lost because they are slain; but behold, they do
enter into the rest of the Lord their God. |
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60:14 And now behold, I say unto you, I fear
exceedingly that the judgments of God will come upon this
people, because of their exceeding slothfulness, yea,
even the slothfulness of our government, and their
exceedingly great neglect towards their brethren, yea,
towards those who have been slain. |
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60:15 For were it not for the wickedness which first
commenced at our head, we could have withstood our
enemies that they could have gained no power over us. |
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60:16 Yea, had it not been for the war which broke
out among ourselves; yea, were it not for these king-men,
who caused so much bloodshed among ourselves; yea, at the
time we were contending among ourselves, if we had united
our strength as we hitherto have done; yea, had it not
been for the desire of power and authority which those
king-men had over us; had they been true to the cause of
our freedom, and united with us, and gone forth against
our enemies, instead of taking up their swords against us, which was the cause of so much
bloodshed among ourselves; yea, if we had gone forth
against them in the strength of the Lord, we should have
dispersed our enemies, for it would have been done,
according to the fulfilling of his word. |
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60:17 But behold, now the Lamanites are coming upon
us, taking possession of our lands, and they are
murdering our people with the sword, yea, our women and our children, and also
carrying them away captive, causing them that they should
suffer all manner of afflictions, and this because of the
great wickedness of those who are seeking for power and
authority, yea, even those king-men. |
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60:18 But why should I say much concerning this
matter? For we know not but what ye yourselves are
seeking for authority. We know not but what ye are also
traitors to your country. |
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60:19 Or is it that ye have neglected us because ye
are in the heart of our country and ye are surrounded by
security, that ye do not cause food to be sent unto us,
and also men to strengthen our armies? |
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60:20 Have ye forgotten the commandments of the Lord
your God? Yea, have ye forgotten the captivity of our
fathers? Have ye forgotten the many times we have been
delivered out of the hands of our enemies? |
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60:21 Or do ye suppose that the Lord will still
deliver us, while we sit upon our thrones and do not make
use of the means which the Lord has provided for us? |
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60:22 Yea, will ye sit in idleness while ye are
surrounded with thousands of those, yea, and tens of
thousands, who do also sit in idleness, while there are
thousands round about in the borders of the land who are
falling by the sword, yea, wounded
and bleeding? |
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60:23 Do ye suppose that God will look upon you as
guiltless while ye sit still and behold these things?
Behold I say unto you, Nay. Now I would that ye should
remember that God has said that the 1inward vessel shall be cleansed first, and then
shall the outer vessel be cleansed also. |
[1] Matthew 23:26: ...cleanse first that which
is within the cup and platter, that the outside of
them may be clean also. |
60:24 And now, except ye do repent of that which ye
have done, and begin to be up and doing, and send forth
food and men unto us, and also unto Helaman, that he may
support those parts of our country which he has regained,
and that we may also recover the remainder of our
possessions in these parts, behold it will be expedient
that we contend no more with the Lamanites until we have
first cleansed our inward vessel, yea, even the great
head of our government. |
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60:25 And except ye grant mine epistle, and come out
and show unto me a true spirit of freedom, and strive to
strengthen and fortify our armies, and grant unto them
food for their support, behold I will leave a part of my
freemen to maintain this part of our land, and I will
leave the strength and the blessings of God upon them,
that none other power can operate against them-- |
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60:26 And this because of their exceeding faith, and
their patience in their tribulations-- |
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60:27 And I will come unto you, and if there be any
among you that has a desire for freedom, yea, if there be
even a spark of freedom remaining, behold I will stir up
insurrections among you, even until those who have
desires to usurp power and authority shall become
extinct. |
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60:28 Yea, behold I do not fear your power nor your
authority, but it is my God whom I fear; and it is
according to his commandments that I do take my sword to defend the cause of my country, and it is
because of your iniquity that we have suffered so much
loss. |
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60:29 Behold it is time, yea, the time is now at
hand, that except ye do bestir yourselves in the defence
of your country and your little ones, the sword of
justice doth hang over you; yea, and it shall fall upon
you and visit you even to your utter destruction. |
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60:30 Behold, I wait for assistance from you; and,
except ye do administer unto our relief, behold, I come
unto you, even in the land of Zarahemla, and smite you
with the sword, insomuch that ye can have no more power to
impede the progress of this people in the cause of our
freedom. |
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60:31 For behold, the Lord will not suffer that ye
shall live and wax strong in your iniquities to destroy
his righteous people. |
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60:32 Behold, can you suppose that the Lord will
spare you and come out in judgment against the Lamanites,
when it is the tradition of their fathers that has caused
their hatred, yea, and it has been redoubled by those who
have dissented from us, while your iniquity is for the
cause of your love of glory and the vain things of the
world? |
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60:33 Ye know that ye do transgress the laws of God,
and ye do know that ye do trample them under your feet.
Behold, the Lord saith unto me: If those whom ye have
appointed your governors do not repent of their sins and
iniquities, ye shall go up to battle against them. |
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60:34 And now behold, I, Moroni, am constrained,
according to the covenant which I have made to keep the
commandments of my God; therefore I would that ye should
adhere to the word of God, and send speedily unto me of
your provisions and of your men, and also to Helaman. |
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60:35 And behold, if ye will not do this I come unto
you speedily; for behold, God will not suffer that we
should perish with hunger; therefore he will give unto us
of your food, even if it must be by the sword. Now see that ye fulfil the word of God. |
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60:36 Behold, I am Moroni, your chief captain. I seek
not for power, but to pull it down. I seek not for honor
of the world, but for the glory of my God, and the
freedom and welfare of my country. And thus I close mine
epistle. |
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