The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon, upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi. Kirtland, OH: P. P. Pratt and J. Goodson; printed by O. Cowdery & Co., 1837. iii–vi, 7–619 pp., plus two additional pp. The copy used herein is held at CHL. Includes signature marks.
down to the land of Zarahemla. Yea, even Amalickiah did himself come down, at the head of the Lamanites. And it was in the twenty and fifth year of the reign of the judges; and it was at the same time that they had began to settle the affairs of their contentions concerning the chief judge, Pahoran.
And it came to pass that when the men who were called king-men, had heard that the Lamanites were coming down to battle against them, they were glad in their hearts, and they refused to take up arms; for they were so wroth with the chief judge, and also with the people of liberty, that they would not take up arms to defend their country. And it came to pass that when Moroni saw this, and also saw that the Lamanites were coming into the borders of the land, he was exceeding wroth, because of the stubbornness of those people, whom he had labored with so much diligence to preserve; yea, he was exceeding wroth; his soul was filled with anger against them. And it came to pass that he sent a petition, with the voice of the people, unto the governor of the land, desiring that he should read it, and give him, (Moroni,) power to compel those dissenters to defend their country, or to put them to death; for it was his first care to put an end to such contentions, and dissensions among the people; for behold, this had been hitherto a cause of all their destruction. And it came to pass that it was granted, according to the voice of the people.
And it came to pass that Moroni commanded that his army should go against those king-men, to pull down their pride and their nobility, and level them with the earth, or they should take up arms and support the cause of liberty. And it came to pass that the armies did march forth against them; and they did pull down their pride and their nobility, insomuch, that as they did lift their weapons of war to fight against the men of Moroni, they were hewn down, and leveled to the earth. And it came to pass that there were four thousand of those dissenters, who were hewn down by the sword; and those of their leaders who were not slain in battle, were taken and cast into prison, for there was no time for their trials at this period; and the remainder of those dissenters, rather than to be smote down to the earth by the sword, yielded to the standard of liberty, and were compelled to hoist the title of liberty upon their towers, and in their cities, and to take up arms in defence of their [p. 389]