Mosiah 19:1
And it came to pa** that the army of the king returned, having
searched in vain for the people of the Lord.
Mosiah 19:2
And now behold, the forces of the king were small, having been
reduced, and there began to be a division among the remainder of
the people.
Mosiah 19:3
And the lesser part began to breathe out threatenings against
the king, and there began to be a great contention among them.
Mosiah 19:4
And now there was a man among them whose name was Gideon, and
he being a strong man and an enemy to the king, therefore he drew
his sword, and swore in his wrath that he would slay the king.
Mosiah 19:5
And it came to pa** that he fought with the king; and when the
king saw that he was about to overpower him, he fled and ran and
got upon the tower which was near the temple.
Mosiah 19:6
And Gideon pursued after him and was about to get upon the
tower to slay the king, and the king cast his eyes round about
towards the land of Shemlon, and behold, the army of the
Lamanites were within the borders of the land.
Mosiah 19:7
And now the king cried out in the anguish of his soul, saying:
Gideon, spare me, for the Lamanites are upon us, and they will
destroy us; yea, they will destroy my people.
Mosiah 19:8
And now the king was not so much concerned about his people as
he was about his own life; nevertheless, Gideon did spare his
life.
Mosiah 19:9
And the king commanded the people that they should flee before
the Lamanites, and he himself did go before them, and they did
flee into the wilderness, with their women and their children.
Mosiah 19:10
And it came to pa** that the Lamanites did pursue them, and
did overtake them, and began to slay them.
Mosiah 19:11
Now it came to pa** that the king commanded them that all the
men should leave their wives and their children, and flee before
the Lamanites.
Mosiah 19:12
Now there were many that would not leave them, but had rather
stay and perish with them. And the rest left their wives and
their children and fled.
Mosiah 19:13
And it came to pa** that those who tarried with their wives
and their children caused that their fair daughters should stand
forth and plead with the Lamanites that they would not slay them.
Mosiah 19:14
And it came to pa** that the Lamanites had compa**ion on
them, for they were charmed with the beauty of their women.
Mosiah 19:15
Therefore the Lamanites did spare their lives, and took them
captives and carried them back to the land of Nephi, and granted
unto them that they might possess the land, under the conditions
that they would deliver up king Noah into the hands of the
Lamanites, and deliver up their property, even one half of all
they possessed, one half of their gold, and their silver, and all
their precious things, and thus they should pay tribute to the
king of the Lamanites from year to year.
Mosiah 19:16
And now there was one of the sons of the king among those
that were taken captive, whose name was Limhi.
Mosiah 19:17
And now Limhi was desirous that his father should not be
destroyed; nevertheless, Limhi was not ignorant of the iniquities
of his father, he himself being a just man.
Mosiah 19:18
And it came to pa** that Gideon sent men into the wilderness
secretly, to search for the king and those that were with him.
And it came to pa** that they met the people in the wilderness,
all save the king and his priests.
Mosiah 19:19
Now they had sworn in their hearts that they would return to
the land of Nephi, and if their wives and their children were
slain, and also those that had tarried with them, that they would
seek revenge, and also perish with them.
Mosiah 19:20
And the king commanded them that they should not return; and
they were angry with the king, and caused that he should suffer,
even unto d**h by fire.
Mosiah 19:21
And they were about to take the priests also and put them to
d**h, and they fled before them.
Mosiah 19:22
And it came to pa** that they were about to return to the
land of Nephi, and they met the men of Gideon. And the men of
Gideon told them of all that had happened to their wives and
their children; and that the Lamanites had granted unto them that
they might possess the land by paying a tribute to the Lamanites
of one half of all they possessed.
Mosiah 19:23
And the people told the men of Gideon that they had slain the
king, and his priests had fled from them farther into the
wilderness.
Mosiah 19:24
And it came to pa** that after they had ended the ceremony,
that they returned to the land of Nephi, rejoicing, because their
wives and their children were not slain; and they told Gideon
what they had done to the king.
Mosiah 19:25
And it came to pa** that the king of the Lamanites made an
oath unto them, that his people should not slay them.
Mosiah 19:26
And also Limhi, being the son of the king, having the kingdom
conferred upon him by the people, made oath unto the king of the
Lamanites that his people should pay tribute unto him, even one
half of all they possessed.
Mosiah 19:27
And it came to pa** that Limhi began to establish the kingdom
and to establish peace among his people.
Mosiah 19:28
And the king of the Lamanites set guards round about the
land, that he might keep the people of Limhi in the land, that
they might not depart into the wilderness; and he did support his
guards out of the tribute which he did receive from the Nephites.
Mosiah 19:29
And now king Limhi did have continual peace in his kingdom
for the space of two years, that the Lamanites did not molest
them nor seek to destroy them.