Alma 54:11 - 54:15

Alma 54: 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.

Moroni feels it would be a waste of time to talk about the gross evil that Ammoron and his army is trying to inflict on the Nephites seeing that Ammoron is a follower of satan. However, Moroni will exchange prisoners under the condition of one Lamanite POW to a Nephite POW and his wife and children.

It is interesting that the Nephite fighters had their families with them as “camp followers” while the Lamanites seem to be single men.

Alma 54: 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.

If Ammoron refuses to exchange with these terms, then Moroni will arm all the Nephites, women and children, and he will come against Ammoron with all his fury. Not only will they kill as many of Ammoron’s men as possible but will even pursue them if they try to escape back to the land of Nephi where they came from. Moroni means to completely wipe out the whole Lamanite population if Ammoron will not exchange but will try to continue the fight.

Alma 54: 13 Behold, I am in my anger, 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.

Moroni is mad as are the Nephites as a whole. They are tired of being invaded and being killing by people who only what to kill and steal from them their possessions. The Lamanites were the ones who invaded Nephite territory not Nephites invading Lamanite lands.

Alma 54: 14 Now I close my epistle. I am Moroni; I am a leader of the people of the Nephites.

Moroni ends his letter and signs his name to it.

Alma 54: 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:

Moroni’s letter infuriates Ammoron and he fires back a response.