Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Mosiah 10:16 - 10:22

Mosiah 10:16 And again, they were wroth with him because he departed into the wilderness as the Lord had commanded him, and took the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, for they said that he robbed them.

They were mad to because Nephi escaped their anger and took the records that the group had brought with them and went elsewhere to settle as the Lord had directed him to do.
[The older brothers probably looked upon the stewardship of the brass plates as a mark of their leadership. Since Nephi had them it was another slap in the face to their leadership. I wonder if Nephi would have still stayed with his brothers to try to get them to repent if the Lord had not told him to move elsewhere?]

Mosiah 10:17 And thus they have taught their children that they should hate them, and that they should murder them, and that they should rob and plunder them, and do all they could to destroy them; therefore they have an eternal hatred towards the children of Nephi.

Anyway the Lamanites from then on taught their children to hate the Nephites and kill them whenever possible. That steeling and destroying their property was no crime and their duty.

Mosiah 10:18 For this very cause has king Laman, by his cunning, and lying craftiness, and his fair promises, deceived me, that I have brought this my people up into this land, that they may destroy them; yea, and we have suffered these many years in the land.

This was the reason that old king Laman allowed the Nephites to move into the land of Nephi so he could pillage and kill them when he thought the time was right. When he thought he could get the most of them when he attached.

Mosiah 10:19 And now I, Zeniff, after having told all these things unto my people concerning the Lamanites, I did stimulate them to go to battle with their might, putting their trust in the Lord; therefore, we did contend with them, face to face.

After king Zeniff had reminded the people of the underlining intentions of the Lamanites and that they would not be given any quarter if they fell to the Lamanites, they were aroused enough to contend with them. They knew it was literally life or death and so they prayed to the Lord for assistance.

Mosiah 10:20 And it came to pass that we did drive them again out of our land; and we slew them with a great slaughter, even so many that we did not number them.

The Nephites were successful in their defense. They did drive out the Lamanites from their land and in the battle, killed a large number of them. There were so many killed that Zeniff did not even bother to count them.

Mosiah 10:21 And it came to pass that we returned again to our own land, and my people again began to tend their flocks, and to till their ground.

Again the Nephites resumed their lives on their farms.

Mosiah 10:22 And now I, being old, did confer the kingdom upon one of my sons; therefore, I say no more. And may the Lord bless my people. Amen.

Zeniff is now old and confers the kingdom on one of his sons. He ends his record and prays the Lord will keep his people safe and that they will live righteously.

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