coming—
Alma 16:17
17 That they might not be hardened against the word, that they
might not be unbelieving, and go on to destruction, but that they
might receive the word with joy, and as a branch be grafted into
the true vine, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord
their God.
Alma 16:18
18 Now those priests who did go forth among the people did
preach against all lyings, and deceivings, and envyings, and
strifes, and malice, and revilings, and stealing, robbing,
plundering, murdering, committing adultery, and all manner of
lasciviousness, crying that these things ought not so to be—
Alma 16:19
19 Holding forth things which must shortly come; yea, holding
forth the coming of the Son of God, his sufferings and death, and
also the resurrection of the dead.
Alma 16:20
20 And many of the people did inquire concerning the place where
the Son of God should come; and they were taught that he would
appear unto them after his resurrection; and this the people did
hear with great joy and gladness.
Alma 16:21
21 And now after the church had been established throughout all
the land—having got the victory over the devil, and the word of
God being preached in its purity in all the land, and the Lord
pouring out his blessings upon the people—thus ended the
fourteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of
Nephi.
Alma 17 Chapter 17
Alma 17:1
1 And now it came to pass that as Alma was journeying from the
land of Gideon southward, away to the land of Manti, behold, to
his astonishment, he met with the sons of Mosiah journeying
towards the land of Zarahemla.
Alma 17:2
2 Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel
first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly
to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were
still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in
the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound
understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently,
that they might know the word of God.
Alma 17:3
3 But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer,
and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the
spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with
power and authority of God.
Alma 17:4
4 And they had been teaching the word of God for the space of
fourteen years among the Lamanites, having had much success in
bringing many to the knowledge of the truth; yea, by the power of
their words many were brought before the altar of God, to call on
his name and confess their sins before him.
Alma 17:5
5 Now these are the circumstances which attended them in their
journeyings, for they had many afflictions; they did suffer much,
both in body and in mind, such as hunger, thirst and fatigue, and
also much labor in the spirit.
Alma 17:6
6 Now these were their journeyings: Having taken leave of their
father, Mosiah, in the first year of the judges; having refused
the kingdom which their father was desirous to confer upon them,
and also this was the minds of the people;
Alma 17:7
7 Nevertheless they departed out of the land of Zarahemla, and
took their swords, and their spears, and their bows, and their
arrows, and their slings; and this they did that they might
provide food for themselves while in the wilderness.
Alma 17:8
8 And thus they departed into the wilderness with their numbers
which they had selected, to go up to the land of Nephi, to preach
the word of God unto the Lamanites.
Alma 17:9
9 And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the
wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord
would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them,
and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the
hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the
Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth, to the knowledge of the
baseness of the traditions of their fathers, which were not
correct.
Alma 17:10
10 And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his
Spirit, and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were
comforted.
Alma 17:11
11 And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the
Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be
patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth
good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of
thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.
Alma 17:12
12 And it came to pass that the hearts of the sons of Mosiah,
and also those who were with them, took courage to go forth unto
the Lamanites to declare unto them the word of God.
Alma 17:13
13 And it came to pass when they had arrived in the borders of
the land of the Lamanites, that they separated themselves and
departed one from another, trusting in the Lord that they should
meet again at the close of their harvest; for they supposed that
great was the work which they had undertaken.
Alma 17:14
14 And assuredly it was great, for they had undertaken to preach
the word of God to a wild and a hardened and a ferocious people;
a people who delighted in murdering the Nephites, and robbing and
plundering them; and their hearts were set upon riches, or upon
gold and silver,