AlmaChapter20
And it came to pass that when they had established a church in that land, that king Lamoni desired that Ammon should go with him to the land of Nephi, that he might show him unto his father.
And the voice of the Lord came to Ammon saying: Thou shalt not go up to the land of Nephi, for behold, the king will seek thy life; but thou shalt go to the land of Middoni; for behold, thy brother Aaron, and also Muloki and Ammah are in prison.
Now it came to pass that when Ammon had heard this, he said unto Lamoni: Behold, my brother and brethren are in prison at Middoni, and I go that I may deliver them.
Now Lamoni said unto Ammon: I know, in the strength of the Lord thou canst do all things. But behold, I will go with thee to the land of Middoni; for the king of the land of Middoni, whose name is Antiomno, is a friend unto me; therefore I go to the land of Middoni, that I may flatter the king of the land, and he will cast thy brethren out of prison. Now Lamoni said unto him: Who told thee that thy brethren were in prison?
And Ammon said unto him: No one hath told me, save it be God; and he said unto me—Go and deliver thy brethren, for they are in prison in the land of Middoni.
Now when Lamoni had heard this he caused that his servants should make ready his horses and his chariots.
And he said unto Ammon: Come, I will go with thee down to the land of Middoni, and there I will plead with the king that he will cast thy brethren out of prison.
And it came to pass that as Ammon and Lamoni were journeying thither, they met the father of Lamoni, who was king over all the land.
And behold, the father of Lamoni said unto him: Why did ye not come to the feast on that great day when I made a feast unto my sons, and unto my people?
And he also said: Whither art thou going with this Nephite, who is one of the children of a liar?
And it came to pass that Lamoni rehearsed unto him whither he was going, for he feared to offend him.
And he also told him all the cause of his tarrying in his own kingdom, that he did not go unto his father to the feast which he had prepared.
And now when Lamoni had rehearsed unto him all these things, behold, to his astonishment, his father was angry with him, and said: Lamoni, thou art going to deliver these Nephites, who are sons of a liar. Behold, he robbed our fathers; and now his children are also come amongst us that they may, by their cunning and their lyings, deceive us, that they again may rob us of our property.
Now the father of Lamoni commanded him that he should slay Ammon with the sword. And he also commanded him that he should not go to the land of Middoni, but that he should return with him to the land of Ishmael.
But Lamoni said unto him: I will not slay Ammon, neither will I return to the land of Ishmael, but I go to the land of Middoni that I may release the brethren of Ammon, for I know that they are just men and holy prophets of the true God.
Now when his father had heard these words, he was angry with him, and he drew his sword that he might smite him to the earth.
But Ammon stood forth and said unto him: Behold, thou shalt not slay thy son; nevertheless, it were better that he should fall than thee, for behold, he has repented of his sins; but if thou shouldst fall at this time, in thine anger, thy soul could not be saved.
And again, it is expedient that thou shouldst forbear; for if thou shouldst slay thy son, he being an innocent man, his blood would cry from the ground to the Lord his God, for vengeance to come upon thee; and perhaps thou wouldst lose thy soul.
Now when Ammon had said these words unto him, he answered him, saying: I know that if I should slay my son, that I should shed innocent blood; for it is thou that hast sought to destroy him.
And he stretched forth his hand to slay Ammon. But Ammon withstood his blows, and also smote his arm that he could not use it.
Now when the king saw that Ammon could slay him, he began to plead with Ammon that he would spare his life.
But Ammon raised his sword, and said unto him: Behold, I will smite thee except thou wilt grant unto me that my brethren may be cast out of prison.
Now the king, fearing he should lose his life, said: If thou wilt spare me I will grant unto thee whatsoever thou wilt ask, even to half of the kingdom.
Now when Ammon saw that he had wrought upon the old king according to his desire, he said unto him: If thou wilt grant that my brethren may be cast out of prison, and also that Lamoni may retain his kingdom, and that ye be not displeased with him, but grant that he may do according to his own desires in whatsoever thing he thinketh, then will I spare thee; otherwise I will smite thee to the earth.
Now when Ammon had said these words, the king began to rejoice because of his life.
And when he saw that Ammon had no desire to destroy him, and when he also saw the great love he had for his son Lamoni, he was astonished exceedingly, and said: Because this is all that thou hast desired, that I would release thy brethren, and suffer that my son Lamoni should retain his kingdom, behold, I will grant unto you that my son may retain his kingdom from this time and forever; and I will govern him no more—
And I will also grant unto thee that thy brethren may be cast out of prison, and thou and thy brethren may come unto me, in my kingdom; for I shall greatly desire to see thee. For the king was greatly astonished at the words which he had spoken, and also at the words which had been spoken by his son Lamoni, therefore he was desirous to learn them.
And it came to pass that Ammon and Lamoni proceeded on their journey towards the land of Middoni. And Lamoni found favor in the eyes of the king of the land; therefore the brethren of Ammon were brought forth out of prison.
And when Ammon did meet them he was exceedingly sorrowful, for behold they were naked, and their skins were worn exceedingly because of being bound with strong cords. And they also had suffered hunger, thirst, and all kinds of afflictions; nevertheless they were patient in all their sufferings.
And, as it happened, it was their lot to have fallen into the hands of a more hardened and a more stiffnecked people; therefore they would not hearken unto their words, and they had cast them out, and had smitten them, and had driven them from house to house, and from place to place, even until they had arrived in the land of Middoni; and there they were taken and cast into prison, and bound with strong cords, and kept in prison for many days, and were delivered by Lamoni and Ammon.
After they had established a church in that land, King Lamoni wanted Ammon to go with him to the land of Nephi to show him to his father.
But the voice of the Lord came to Ammon: "You shall not go up to the land of Nephi, for the king will seek to kill you. But you shall go to the land of Middoni, for your brother Aaron is in prison there, and Muloki and Ammah with him."
After Ammon had heard this, he said to Lamoni, "My brother and the others with him are in prison at Middoni, and I'm going to free them."
Lamoni said to Ammon, "I know that in the Lord's strength you can do anything. But I'll go with you to Middoni because the king of that land, whose name is Antiomno, is a friend of mine. So I'll go and flatter him, and he'll let your brothers out of prison." Then Lamoni asked him, "Who told you that your brothers were in prison?"
Ammon answered, "No one told me except God. He said to me, 'Go and free your brothers, for they are in prison in the land of Middoni.'"
After Lamoni had heard this, he had his servants get his horses and chariots ready. And he said to Ammon, "Come, I'll go down there with you, and I'll plead with the king to let your brothers out of prison."
As Ammon and Lamoni were traveling there, they met Lamoni's father, who was king over the whole land.
His father said to him, "Why didn't you come to the feast on that great day when I gave a feast for my sons and my people?" He also said, "Where are you going with this Nephite, who is one of a liar's children?"
Lamoni told him where he was going because he was afraid of offending him. He also told him the whole reason he had stayed in his own kingdom instead of going to the feast his father had prepared.
When Lamoni told him all this, to his surprise his father was angry with him and said, "Lamoni, you're going to free these Nephites, who are sons of a liar. He robbed our fathers, and now his children have come among us too, so that by their cunning and lies they can deceive us and rob us of our property again."
Then his father commanded him to kill Ammon with the sword. He also commanded him not to go to Middoni, but to return with him to the land of Ishmael.
But Lamoni said to him, "I won't kill Ammon, and I won't go back to the land of Ishmael. I'm going to Middoni to free Ammon's brothers because I know they are good men and holy prophets of the true God."
When his father heard this, he was angry with him and drew his sword to strike him down.
But Ammon stepped forward and said to him, "You're not going to kill your son. Still, it would be better for him to die than for you, because he has repented of his sins. But if you died now, in your anger, your soul couldn't be saved. And besides, you need to hold back. If you killed your son, an innocent man, his blood would cry out from the ground to the Lord his God for vengeance on you, and you might lose your soul."
When Ammon said this, the king answered, "I know that if I killed my son I would be shedding innocent blood because you're the one who has been trying to destroy him."
Then he reached out his hand to kill Ammon. But Ammon blocked his blows and struck his arm so that he couldn't use it.
When the king saw that Ammon could kill him, he began pleading with Ammon to spare his life.
But Ammon raised his sword and said to him, "I'll strike you down unless you agree to have my brothers released from prison."
The king, afraid he would lose his life, said, "If you'll spare me, I'll grant you whatever you ask, even up to half the kingdom."
When Ammon saw that he had worked on the old king just as he wanted, he said to him, "If you'll agree to have my brothers released from prison, let Lamoni keep his kingdom, and not be displeased with him but let him do whatever he thinks best, then I'll spare you. Otherwise I'll strike you down."
When Ammon said this, the king rejoiced that his life was spared.
And when he saw that Ammon had no wish to kill him and saw the great love he had for his son Lamoni, he was amazed and said, "Since all you have asked is that I release your brothers and let my son Lamoni keep his kingdom, I'll grant you this: my son may keep his kingdom from this time on and forever, and I'll govern him no more. And I'll also grant that your brothers be released from prison, and that you and your brothers may come to me in my kingdom because I'll want very much to see you." The king was greatly astonished at what Ammon had said and what his son Lamoni had said too, so he wanted to learn more about these things.
So Ammon and Lamoni went on with their journey to Middoni. Lamoni found favor with the king of that land, so Ammon's brothers were brought out of prison.
When Ammon met them, he was very sad because they were naked and their skin was worn raw from being bound with strong cords. They had also suffered hunger, thirst, and all kinds of hardships, yet they were patient through all their suffering. As it happened, they had fallen into the hands of a more hardened and more stubborn people, so those people wouldn't listen to what they said. They had thrown them out, beaten them, and driven them from house to house and from place to place until they came to Middoni. There they were seized and thrown into prison, bound with strong cords, and kept there for many days, until Lamoni and Ammon set them free.
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And it came to pass that when they had established a church in that land, that king Lamoni desired that Ammon should go with him to the land of Nephi, that he might show him unto his father.
After they had established a church in that land, King Lamoni wanted Ammon to go with him to the land of Nephi to show him to his father.
And the voice of the Lord came to Ammon saying: Thou shalt not go up to the land of Nephi, for behold, the king will seek thy life; but thou shalt go to the land of Middoni; for behold, thy brother Aaron, and also Muloki and Ammah are in prison.
But the voice of the Lord came to Ammon: "You shall not go up to the land of Nephi, for the king will seek to kill you. But you shall go to the land of Middoni, for your brother Aaron is in prison there, and Muloki and Ammah with him."
Now it came to pass that when Ammon had heard this, he said unto Lamoni: Behold, my brother and brethren are in prison at Middoni, and I go that I may deliver them.
After Ammon had heard this, he said to Lamoni, "My brother and the others with him are in prison at Middoni, and I'm going to free them."
Now Lamoni said unto Ammon: I know, in the strength of the Lord thou canst do all things. But behold, I will go with thee to the land of Middoni; for the king of the land of Middoni, whose name is Antiomno, is a friend unto me; therefore I go to the land of Middoni, that I may flatter the king of the land, and he will cast thy brethren out of prison. Now Lamoni said unto him: Who told thee that thy brethren were in prison?
Lamoni said to Ammon, "I know that in the Lord's strength you can do anything. But I'll go with you to Middoni because the king of that land, whose name is Antiomno, is a friend of mine. So I'll go and flatter him, and he'll let your brothers out of prison." Then Lamoni asked him, "Who told you that your brothers were in prison?"
And Ammon said unto him: No one hath told me, save it be God; and he said unto me—Go and deliver thy brethren, for they are in prison in the land of Middoni.
Ammon answered, "No one told me except God. He said to me, 'Go and free your brothers, for they are in prison in the land of Middoni.'"
Now when Lamoni had heard this he caused that his servants should make ready his horses and his chariots.
After Lamoni had heard this, he had his servants get his horses and chariots ready.
And he said unto Ammon: Come, I will go with thee down to the land of Middoni, and there I will plead with the king that he will cast thy brethren out of prison.
And he said to Ammon, "Come, I'll go down there with you, and I'll plead with the king to let your brothers out of prison."
And it came to pass that as Ammon and Lamoni were journeying thither, they met the father of Lamoni, who was king over all the land.
As Ammon and Lamoni were traveling there, they met Lamoni's father, who was king over the whole land.
And behold, the father of Lamoni said unto him: Why did ye not come to the feast on that great day when I made a feast unto my sons, and unto my people?
His father said to him, "Why didn't you come to the feast on that great day when I gave a feast for my sons and my people?"
And he also said: Whither art thou going with this Nephite, who is one of the children of a liar?
He also said, "Where are you going with this Nephite, who is one of a liar's children?"
And it came to pass that Lamoni rehearsed unto him whither he was going, for he feared to offend him.
Lamoni told him where he was going because he was afraid of offending him.
And he also told him all the cause of his tarrying in his own kingdom, that he did not go unto his father to the feast which he had prepared.
He also told him the whole reason he had stayed in his own kingdom instead of going to the feast his father had prepared.
And now when Lamoni had rehearsed unto him all these things, behold, to his astonishment, his father was angry with him, and said: Lamoni, thou art going to deliver these Nephites, who are sons of a liar. Behold, he robbed our fathers; and now his children are also come amongst us that they may, by their cunning and their lyings, deceive us, that they again may rob us of our property.
When Lamoni told him all this, to his surprise his father was angry with him and said, "Lamoni, you're going to free these Nephites, who are sons of a liar. He robbed our fathers, and now his children have come among us too, so that by their cunning and lies they can deceive us and rob us of our property again."
Now the father of Lamoni commanded him that he should slay Ammon with the sword. And he also commanded him that he should not go to the land of Middoni, but that he should return with him to the land of Ishmael.
Then his father commanded him to kill Ammon with the sword. He also commanded him not to go to Middoni, but to return with him to the land of Ishmael.
But Lamoni said unto him: I will not slay Ammon, neither will I return to the land of Ishmael, but I go to the land of Middoni that I may release the brethren of Ammon, for I know that they are just men and holy prophets of the true God.
But Lamoni said to him, "I won't kill Ammon, and I won't go back to the land of Ishmael. I'm going to Middoni to free Ammon's brothers because I know they are good men and holy prophets of the true God."
Now when his father had heard these words, he was angry with him, and he drew his sword that he might smite him to the earth.
When his father heard this, he was angry with him and drew his sword to strike him down.
But Ammon stood forth and said unto him: Behold, thou shalt not slay thy son; nevertheless, it were better that he should fall than thee, for behold, he has repented of his sins; but if thou shouldst fall at this time, in thine anger, thy soul could not be saved.
But Ammon stepped forward and said to him, "You're not going to kill your son. Still, it would be better for him to die than for you, because he has repented of his sins. But if you died now, in your anger, your soul couldn't be saved.
And again, it is expedient that thou shouldst forbear; for if thou shouldst slay thy son, he being an innocent man, his blood would cry from the ground to the Lord his God, for vengeance to come upon thee; and perhaps thou wouldst lose thy soul.
And besides, you need to hold back. If you killed your son, an innocent man, his blood would cry out from the ground to the Lord his God for vengeance on you, and you might lose your soul."
Now when Ammon had said these words unto him, he answered him, saying: I know that if I should slay my son, that I should shed innocent blood; for it is thou that hast sought to destroy him.
When Ammon said this, the king answered, "I know that if I killed my son I would be shedding innocent blood because you're the one who has been trying to destroy him."
And he stretched forth his hand to slay Ammon. But Ammon withstood his blows, and also smote his arm that he could not use it.
Then he reached out his hand to kill Ammon. But Ammon blocked his blows and struck his arm so that he couldn't use it.
Now when the king saw that Ammon could slay him, he began to plead with Ammon that he would spare his life.
When the king saw that Ammon could kill him, he began pleading with Ammon to spare his life.
But Ammon raised his sword, and said unto him: Behold, I will smite thee except thou wilt grant unto me that my brethren may be cast out of prison.
But Ammon raised his sword and said to him, "I'll strike you down unless you agree to have my brothers released from prison."
Now the king, fearing he should lose his life, said: If thou wilt spare me I will grant unto thee whatsoever thou wilt ask, even to half of the kingdom.
The king, afraid he would lose his life, said, "If you'll spare me, I'll grant you whatever you ask, even up to half the kingdom."
Now when Ammon saw that he had wrought upon the old king according to his desire, he said unto him: If thou wilt grant that my brethren may be cast out of prison, and also that Lamoni may retain his kingdom, and that ye be not displeased with him, but grant that he may do according to his own desires in whatsoever thing he thinketh, then will I spare thee; otherwise I will smite thee to the earth.
When Ammon saw that he had worked on the old king just as he wanted, he said to him, "If you'll agree to have my brothers released from prison, let Lamoni keep his kingdom, and not be displeased with him but let him do whatever he thinks best, then I'll spare you. Otherwise I'll strike you down."
Now when Ammon had said these words, the king began to rejoice because of his life.
When Ammon said this, the king rejoiced that his life was spared.
And when he saw that Ammon had no desire to destroy him, and when he also saw the great love he had for his son Lamoni, he was astonished exceedingly, and said: Because this is all that thou hast desired, that I would release thy brethren, and suffer that my son Lamoni should retain his kingdom, behold, I will grant unto you that my son may retain his kingdom from this time and forever; and I will govern him no more—
And when he saw that Ammon had no wish to kill him and saw the great love he had for his son Lamoni, he was amazed and said, "Since all you have asked is that I release your brothers and let my son Lamoni keep his kingdom, I'll grant you this: my son may keep his kingdom from this time on and forever, and I'll govern him no more.
And I will also grant unto thee that thy brethren may be cast out of prison, and thou and thy brethren may come unto me, in my kingdom; for I shall greatly desire to see thee. For the king was greatly astonished at the words which he had spoken, and also at the words which had been spoken by his son Lamoni, therefore he was desirous to learn them.
And I'll also grant that your brothers be released from prison, and that you and your brothers may come to me in my kingdom because I'll want very much to see you." The king was greatly astonished at what Ammon had said and what his son Lamoni had said too, so he wanted to learn more about these things.
And it came to pass that Ammon and Lamoni proceeded on their journey towards the land of Middoni. And Lamoni found favor in the eyes of the king of the land; therefore the brethren of Ammon were brought forth out of prison.
So Ammon and Lamoni went on with their journey to Middoni. Lamoni found favor with the king of that land, so Ammon's brothers were brought out of prison.
And when Ammon did meet them he was exceedingly sorrowful, for behold they were naked, and their skins were worn exceedingly because of being bound with strong cords. And they also had suffered hunger, thirst, and all kinds of afflictions; nevertheless they were patient in all their sufferings.
When Ammon met them, he was very sad because they were naked and their skin was worn raw from being bound with strong cords. They had also suffered hunger, thirst, and all kinds of hardships, yet they were patient through all their suffering.
And, as it happened, it was their lot to have fallen into the hands of a more hardened and a more stiffnecked people; therefore they would not hearken unto their words, and they had cast them out, and had smitten them, and had driven them from house to house, and from place to place, even until they had arrived in the land of Middoni; and there they were taken and cast into prison, and bound with strong cords, and kept in prison for many days, and were delivered by Lamoni and Ammon.
As it happened, they had fallen into the hands of a more hardened and more stubborn people, so those people wouldn't listen to what they said. They had thrown them out, beaten them, and driven them from house to house and from place to place until they came to Middoni. There they were seized and thrown into prison, bound with strong cords, and kept there for many days, until Lamoni and Ammon set them free.
And it came to pass that when they had established a church in that land, that king Lamoni desired that Ammon should go with him to the land of Nephi, that he might show him unto his father.
After they had established a church in that land, King Lamoni wanted Ammon to go with him to the land of Nephi to show him to his father.
And the voice of the Lord came to Ammon saying: Thou shalt not go up to the land of Nephi, for behold, the king will seek thy life; but thou shalt go to the land of Middoni; for behold, thy brother Aaron, and also Muloki and Ammah are in prison.
But the voice of the Lord came to Ammon: "You shall not go up to the land of Nephi, for the king will seek to kill you. But you shall go to the land of Middoni, for your brother Aaron is in prison there, and Muloki and Ammah with him."
Now it came to pass that when Ammon had heard this, he said unto Lamoni: Behold, my brother and brethren are in prison at Middoni, and I go that I may deliver them.
After Ammon had heard this, he said to Lamoni, "My brother and the others with him are in prison at Middoni, and I'm going to free them."
Now Lamoni said unto Ammon: I know, in the strength of the Lord thou canst do all things. But behold, I will go with thee to the land of Middoni; for the king of the land of Middoni, whose name is Antiomno, is a friend unto me; therefore I go to the land of Middoni, that I may flatter the king of the land, and he will cast thy brethren out of prison. Now Lamoni said unto him: Who told thee that thy brethren were in prison?
Lamoni said to Ammon, "I know that in the Lord's strength you can do anything. But I'll go with you to Middoni because the king of that land, whose name is Antiomno, is a friend of mine. So I'll go and flatter him, and he'll let your brothers out of prison." Then Lamoni asked him, "Who told you that your brothers were in prison?"
And Ammon said unto him: No one hath told me, save it be God; and he said unto me—Go and deliver thy brethren, for they are in prison in the land of Middoni.
Ammon answered, "No one told me except God. He said to me, 'Go and free your brothers, for they are in prison in the land of Middoni.'"
Now when Lamoni had heard this he caused that his servants should make ready his horses and his chariots.
After Lamoni had heard this, he had his servants get his horses and chariots ready.
And he said unto Ammon: Come, I will go with thee down to the land of Middoni, and there I will plead with the king that he will cast thy brethren out of prison.
And he said to Ammon, "Come, I'll go down there with you, and I'll plead with the king to let your brothers out of prison."
And it came to pass that as Ammon and Lamoni were journeying thither, they met the father of Lamoni, who was king over all the land.
As Ammon and Lamoni were traveling there, they met Lamoni's father, who was king over the whole land.
And behold, the father of Lamoni said unto him: Why did ye not come to the feast on that great day when I made a feast unto my sons, and unto my people?
His father said to him, "Why didn't you come to the feast on that great day when I gave a feast for my sons and my people?"
And he also said: Whither art thou going with this Nephite, who is one of the children of a liar?
He also said, "Where are you going with this Nephite, who is one of a liar's children?"
And it came to pass that Lamoni rehearsed unto him whither he was going, for he feared to offend him.
Lamoni told him where he was going because he was afraid of offending him.
And he also told him all the cause of his tarrying in his own kingdom, that he did not go unto his father to the feast which he had prepared.
He also told him the whole reason he had stayed in his own kingdom instead of going to the feast his father had prepared.
And now when Lamoni had rehearsed unto him all these things, behold, to his astonishment, his father was angry with him, and said: Lamoni, thou art going to deliver these Nephites, who are sons of a liar. Behold, he robbed our fathers; and now his children are also come amongst us that they may, by their cunning and their lyings, deceive us, that they again may rob us of our property.
When Lamoni told him all this, to his surprise his father was angry with him and said, "Lamoni, you're going to free these Nephites, who are sons of a liar. He robbed our fathers, and now his children have come among us too, so that by their cunning and lies they can deceive us and rob us of our property again."
Now the father of Lamoni commanded him that he should slay Ammon with the sword. And he also commanded him that he should not go to the land of Middoni, but that he should return with him to the land of Ishmael.
Then his father commanded him to kill Ammon with the sword. He also commanded him not to go to Middoni, but to return with him to the land of Ishmael.
But Lamoni said unto him: I will not slay Ammon, neither will I return to the land of Ishmael, but I go to the land of Middoni that I may release the brethren of Ammon, for I know that they are just men and holy prophets of the true God.
But Lamoni said to him, "I won't kill Ammon, and I won't go back to the land of Ishmael. I'm going to Middoni to free Ammon's brothers because I know they are good men and holy prophets of the true God."
Now when his father had heard these words, he was angry with him, and he drew his sword that he might smite him to the earth.
When his father heard this, he was angry with him and drew his sword to strike him down.
But Ammon stood forth and said unto him: Behold, thou shalt not slay thy son; nevertheless, it were better that he should fall than thee, for behold, he has repented of his sins; but if thou shouldst fall at this time, in thine anger, thy soul could not be saved.
But Ammon stepped forward and said to him, "You're not going to kill your son. Still, it would be better for him to die than for you, because he has repented of his sins. But if you died now, in your anger, your soul couldn't be saved.
And again, it is expedient that thou shouldst forbear; for if thou shouldst slay thy son, he being an innocent man, his blood would cry from the ground to the Lord his God, for vengeance to come upon thee; and perhaps thou wouldst lose thy soul.
And besides, you need to hold back. If you killed your son, an innocent man, his blood would cry out from the ground to the Lord his God for vengeance on you, and you might lose your soul."
Now when Ammon had said these words unto him, he answered him, saying: I know that if I should slay my son, that I should shed innocent blood; for it is thou that hast sought to destroy him.
When Ammon said this, the king answered, "I know that if I killed my son I would be shedding innocent blood because you're the one who has been trying to destroy him."
And he stretched forth his hand to slay Ammon. But Ammon withstood his blows, and also smote his arm that he could not use it.
Then he reached out his hand to kill Ammon. But Ammon blocked his blows and struck his arm so that he couldn't use it.
Now when the king saw that Ammon could slay him, he began to plead with Ammon that he would spare his life.
When the king saw that Ammon could kill him, he began pleading with Ammon to spare his life.
But Ammon raised his sword, and said unto him: Behold, I will smite thee except thou wilt grant unto me that my brethren may be cast out of prison.
But Ammon raised his sword and said to him, "I'll strike you down unless you agree to have my brothers released from prison."
Now the king, fearing he should lose his life, said: If thou wilt spare me I will grant unto thee whatsoever thou wilt ask, even to half of the kingdom.
The king, afraid he would lose his life, said, "If you'll spare me, I'll grant you whatever you ask, even up to half the kingdom."
Now when Ammon saw that he had wrought upon the old king according to his desire, he said unto him: If thou wilt grant that my brethren may be cast out of prison, and also that Lamoni may retain his kingdom, and that ye be not displeased with him, but grant that he may do according to his own desires in whatsoever thing he thinketh, then will I spare thee; otherwise I will smite thee to the earth.
When Ammon saw that he had worked on the old king just as he wanted, he said to him, "If you'll agree to have my brothers released from prison, let Lamoni keep his kingdom, and not be displeased with him but let him do whatever he thinks best, then I'll spare you. Otherwise I'll strike you down."
Now when Ammon had said these words, the king began to rejoice because of his life.
When Ammon said this, the king rejoiced that his life was spared.
And when he saw that Ammon had no desire to destroy him, and when he also saw the great love he had for his son Lamoni, he was astonished exceedingly, and said: Because this is all that thou hast desired, that I would release thy brethren, and suffer that my son Lamoni should retain his kingdom, behold, I will grant unto you that my son may retain his kingdom from this time and forever; and I will govern him no more—
And when he saw that Ammon had no wish to kill him and saw the great love he had for his son Lamoni, he was amazed and said, "Since all you have asked is that I release your brothers and let my son Lamoni keep his kingdom, I'll grant you this: my son may keep his kingdom from this time on and forever, and I'll govern him no more.
And I will also grant unto thee that thy brethren may be cast out of prison, and thou and thy brethren may come unto me, in my kingdom; for I shall greatly desire to see thee. For the king was greatly astonished at the words which he had spoken, and also at the words which had been spoken by his son Lamoni, therefore he was desirous to learn them.
And I'll also grant that your brothers be released from prison, and that you and your brothers may come to me in my kingdom because I'll want very much to see you." The king was greatly astonished at what Ammon had said and what his son Lamoni had said too, so he wanted to learn more about these things.
And it came to pass that Ammon and Lamoni proceeded on their journey towards the land of Middoni. And Lamoni found favor in the eyes of the king of the land; therefore the brethren of Ammon were brought forth out of prison.
So Ammon and Lamoni went on with their journey to Middoni. Lamoni found favor with the king of that land, so Ammon's brothers were brought out of prison.
And when Ammon did meet them he was exceedingly sorrowful, for behold they were naked, and their skins were worn exceedingly because of being bound with strong cords. And they also had suffered hunger, thirst, and all kinds of afflictions; nevertheless they were patient in all their sufferings.
When Ammon met them, he was very sad because they were naked and their skin was worn raw from being bound with strong cords. They had also suffered hunger, thirst, and all kinds of hardships, yet they were patient through all their suffering.
And, as it happened, it was their lot to have fallen into the hands of a more hardened and a more stiffnecked people; therefore they would not hearken unto their words, and they had cast them out, and had smitten them, and had driven them from house to house, and from place to place, even until they had arrived in the land of Middoni; and there they were taken and cast into prison, and bound with strong cords, and kept in prison for many days, and were delivered by Lamoni and Ammon.
As it happened, they had fallen into the hands of a more hardened and more stubborn people, so those people wouldn't listen to what they said. They had thrown them out, beaten them, and driven them from house to house and from place to place until they came to Middoni. There they were seized and thrown into prison, bound with strong cords, and kept there for many days, until Lamoni and Ammon set them free.