thoughtless stupor, while your enemies are spreading the work of
death around you? Yea, while they are murdering thousands of
your brethren—
Alma 60:8
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.
Alma 60:9
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.
Alma 60:10
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—
Alma 60:11
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.
Alma 60:12
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;
Alma 60:13
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.
Alma 60:14
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.
Alma 60:15
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.
Alma 60:16
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.
Alma 60:17
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.
Alma 60:18
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.
Alma 60:19
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?
Alma 60:20
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?
Alma 60:21
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?
Alma 60:22
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?
Alma 60:23
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 inward vessel shall be cleansed first, and then shall the
outer vessel be cleansed also.
Alma 60:24
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