not go against them, but we will wait till they shall come
against us; therefore as the Lord liveth, if we do this he will
deliver them into our hands.
3 Nephi 3:22
22 And it came to pass in the seventeenth year, in the latter
end of the year, the proclamation of Lachoneus had gone forth
throughout all the face of the land, and they had taken their
horses, and their chariots, and their cattle, and all their
flocks, and their herds, and their grain, and all their
substance, and did march forth by thousands and by tens of
thousands, until they had all gone forth to the place which had
been appointed that they should gather themselves together, to
defend themselves against their enemies.
3 Nephi 3:23
23 And the land which was appointed was the land of Zarahemla,
and the land which was between the land Zarahemla and the land
Bountiful, yea, to the line which was between the land Bountiful
and the land Desolation.
3 Nephi 3:24
24 And there were a great many thousand people who were called
Nephites, who did gather themselves together in this land. Now
Lachoneus did cause that they should gather themselves together
in the land southward, because of the great curse which was upon
the land northward.
3 Nephi 3:25
25 And they did fortify themselves against their enemies; and
they did dwell in one land, and in one body, and they did fear
the words which had been spoken by Lachoneus, insomuch that they
did repent of all their sins; and they did put up their prayers
unto the Lord their God, that he would deliver them in the time
that their enemies should come down against them to battle.
3 Nephi 3:26
26 And they were exceedingly sorrowful because of their enemies.
And Gidgiddoni did cause that they should make weapons of war of
every kind, and they should be strong with armor, and with
shields, and with bucklers, after the manner of his instruction.
3 Nephi 4 Chapter 4
3 Nephi 4:1
1 And it came to pass that in the latter end of the eighteenth
year those armies of robbers had prepared for battle, and began
to come down and to sally forth from the hills, and out of the
mountains, and the wilderness, and their strongholds, and their
secret places, and began to take possession of the lands, both
which were in the land south and which were in the land north,
and began to take possession of all the lands which had been
deserted by the Nephites, and the cities which had been left
desolate.
3 Nephi 4:2
2 But behold, there were no wild beasts nor game in those lands
which had been deserted by the Nephites, and there was no game
for the robbers save it were in the wilderness.
3 Nephi 4:3
3 And the robbers could not exist save it were in the
wilderness, for the want of food; for the Nephites had left their
lands desolate, and had gathered their flocks and their herds and
all their substance, and they were in one body.
3 Nephi 4:4
4 Therefore, there was no chance for the robbers to plunder and
to obtain food, save it were to come up in open battle against
the Nephites; and the Nephites being in one body, and having so
great a number, and having reserved for themselves provisions,
and horses and cattle, and flocks of every kind, that they might
subsist for the space of seven years, in the which time they did
hope to destroy the robbers from off the face of the land; and
thus the eighteenth year did pass away.
3 Nephi 4:5
5 And it came to pass that in the nineteenth year Giddianhi
found that it was expedient that he should go up to battle
against the Nephites, for there was no way that they could
subsist save it were to plunder and rob and murder.
3 Nephi 4:6
6 And they durst not spread themselves upon the face of the land
insomuch that they could raise grain, lest the Nephites should
come upon them and slay them; therefore Giddianhi gave
commandment unto his armies that in this year they should go up
to battle against the Nephites.
3 Nephi 4:7
7 And it came to pass that they did come up to battle; and it
was in the sixth month; and behold, great and terrible was the
day that they did come up to battle; and they were girded about
after the manner of robbers; and they had a lamb-skin about their
loins, and they were dyed in blood, and their heads were shorn,
and they had head-plates upon them; and great and terrible was
the appearance of the armies of Giddianhi, because of their
armor, and because of their being dyed in blood.
3 Nephi 4:8
8 And it came to pass that the armies of the Nephites, when they
saw the appearance of the army of Giddianhi, had all fallen to
the earth, and did lift their cries to the Lord their God, that
he would spare them and deliver them out of the hands of their
enemies.
3 Nephi 4:9
9 And it came to pass that when the armies of Giddianhi saw this
they began to shout with a loud voice, because of their joy, for
they had supposed that the Nephites had fallen with fear because
of the terror of their armies.
3 Nephi 4:10
10 But in this thing they were disappointed, for the Nephites
did not fear them; but they did fear their God and did supplicate
him for protection; therefore, when the armies of Giddianhi did
rush upon them they were prepared to meet them; yea, in the
strength of the Lord they did receive them.
3 Nephi 4:11
11 And the battle commenced in this the sixth month; and great
and terrible