9:1 And again, I, Alma, having been commanded of
God that I should take Amulek and go forth and preach
again unto this people, or the people who were in the
city of Ammonihah, it came to pass as I began to preach
unto them, they began to contend with me, saying: |
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9:2 Who art thou? Suppose ye that we shall believe
the testimony of one man, although he should preach unto
us that the earth should pass away? |
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9:3 Now they understood not the words which they
spake; for they knew not that the earth should pass away.
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9:4 And they said also: We will not believe thy
words if thou shouldst prophesy that this great city
should be destroyed in one day. |
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9:5 Now they knew not that God could do such
marvelous works, for they were a hard-hearted and a
stiffnecked people. |
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9:6 And they said: Who is God, that sendeth no more
authority than one man among this people, to declare unto
them the truth of such great and marvelous things? |
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9:7 And they stood forth to lay their hands on me;
but behold, they did not. And I stood with boldness to
declare unto them, yea, I did boldly testify unto them,
saying: |
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9:8 Behold, O ye wicked and perverse generation,
how have ye forgotten the tradition of your fathers; yea,
how soon ye have forgotten the commandments of God. |
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9:9 Do ye not remember that our father, Lehi, was
brought out of Jerusalem by the hand of God? Do ye not
remember that they were all led by him through the
wilderness? |
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9:10 And have ye forgotten so soon how many times he
delivered our fathers out of the hands of their enemies,
and preserved them from being destroyed, even by the
hands of their own brethren? |
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9:11 Yea, and if it had not been for his matchless
power, and his mercy, and his long-suffering towards us,
we should unavoidably have been cut off from the face of
the earth long before this period of time, and perhaps
been consigned to a state of endless misery and woe. |
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9:12 Behold, now I say unto you that he commandeth
you to repent; and except ye repent, ye can in nowise
inherit the kingdom of God. But behold, this is not
all--he has commanded you to repent, or he will utterly
destroy you from off the face of the earth; yea, he will
visit you in his anger, and in his fierce anger he will
not turn away. |
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9:13 Behold, do ye not remember the words which he
spake unto Lehi, saying that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep
my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land? And again
it is said that: Inasmuch as ye will not keep my
commandments ye shall be cut off from the presence of the
Lord. |
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9:14 Now I would that ye should remember, that
inasmuch as the Lamanites have not kept the commandments
of God, they have been cut off from the presence of the
Lord. Now we see that the word of the Lord has been
verified in this thing, and the Lamanites have been cut
off from his presence, from the beginning of their
transgressions in the land. |
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9:15 Nevertheless I say unto you, that it shall be
more tolerable for them in the day of judgment than for
you, if ye remain in your sins, yea, and even more
tolerable for them in this life than for you, except ye
repent. |
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9:16 For there are many promises which are extended
to the Lamanites; for it is because of the traditions of
their fathers that caused them to remain in their state
of ignorance; therefore the Lord will be merciful unto
them and prolong their existence in the land. |
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9:17 And at some period of time they will be brought
to believe in his word, and to know of the incorrectness
of the traditions of their fathers; and many of them will
be saved, for the Lord will be merciful unto all who call
on his name. |
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9:18 But behold, I say unto you that if ye persist
in your wickedness that your days shall not be prolonged
in the land, for the Lamanites shall be sent upon you;
and if ye repent not they shall come in a time when you
know not, and ye shall be visited with utter destruction;
and it shall be according to the fierce anger of the
Lord. |
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9:19 For he will not suffer you that ye shall live
in your iniquities, to destroy his people. I say unto
you, Nay; he would rather suffer that the Lamanites might
destroy all his people who are called the people of
Nephi, if it were possible that they could fall into sins
and transgressions, after having had so much light and so
much knowledge given unto them of the Lord their God; |
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9:20 Yea, after having been such a highly favored
people of the Lord; yea, after having been favored above
every other 1nation, kindred, tongue, or people; after having
had all things made known unto them, according to their
desires, and their faith, and prayers, of that which has
been, and which is, and which is to come; |
[1] Revelation 14:6: ...to every nation, and
kindred, and tongue, and people... |
9:21 Having been visited by the Spirit of God;
having conversed with angels, and having been spoken unto
by the voice of the Lord; and having the spirit of
prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and also many
gifts, the gift of 1speaking with tongues, and the gift of
preaching, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the gift
of translation; |
[1] I Corinthians 12:10: ... to another divers
kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of
tongues... |
9:22 Yea, and after having been delivered of God out
of the land of Jerusalem, by the hand of the Lord; having
been saved from famine, and from sickness, and all manner
of diseases of every kind; and they having waxed strong
in battle, that they might not be destroyed; having been
brought out of bondage time after time, and having been
kept and preserved until now; and they have been
prospered until they are rich in all manner of things-- |
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9:23 And now behold I say unto you, that if this
people, who have received so many blessings from the hand
of the Lord, should transgress contrary to the light and
knowledge which they do have, I say unto you that if this
be the case, that if they should fall into transgression,
it would be far more tolerable for the Lamanites than for
them. |
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9:24 For behold, the promises of the Lord are
extended to the Lamanites, but they are not unto you if
ye transgress; for has not the Lord expressly promised
and firmly decreed, that if ye will rebel against him
that ye shall utterly be destroyed from off the face of
the earth? |
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9:25 And now for this cause, that ye may not be
destroyed, the Lord has sent his angel to visit many of
his people, declaring unto them that they must go forth
and cry mightily unto this people, saying: 1Repent
ye, for the kingdom of heaven is nigh at hand; |
[1] Matthew 4:17: ...Repent: for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand. |
9:26 And not many days hence the Son of God shall
come in his glory; and his glory shall be the 1glory
of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace,
equity, and truth, full of patience, mercy, and
long-suffering, quick to hear the cries of his people and
to answer their prayers. |
[1] John 1:14: ...(and we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of
grace and truth. |
9:27 And behold, he cometh to redeem those who will
be baptized unto repentance, through faith on his name. |
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9:28 Therefore, prepare ye the way of the Lord, for
the time is at hand that all men shall reap a reward of
their works, according to that which they have been--if
they have been righteous they shall reap the salvation of
their souls, according to the power and deliverance of
Jesus Christ; and if they have been evil they shall reap the
damnation of their souls, according to the power and
captivation of the devil. |
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9:29 Now behold, this is the voice of the angel,
crying unto the people. |
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9:30 And now, my beloved brethren, for ye are my
brethren, and ye ought to be beloved, and ye ought to 1bring
forth works which are meet for repentance, seeing that
your hearts have been grossly hardened against the word
of God, and seeing that ye are a lost and a fallen
people. |
[1] Matthew 3:8: Bring forth therefore fruits meet
for repentance. |
9:31 Now it came to pass that when I, Alma, had
spoken these words, behold, the people were wroth with me
because I said unto them that they were a hard-hearted
and a stiffnecked people. |
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9:32 And also because I said unto them that they
were a lost and a fallen people they were angry with me,
and sought to lay their hands upon me, that they might
cast me into prison. |
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9:33 But it came to pass that the Lord did not
suffer them that they should take me at that time and
cast me into prison. |
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9:34 And it came to pass that Amulek went and stood
forth, and began to preach unto them also. And now the
words of Amulek are not all written, nevertheless a part
of his words are written in this book. |
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