3 Nephi 4:1
And it came to pa** 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
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
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
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 pa** away.
3 Nephi 4:5
And it came to pa** 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
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
And it came to pa** 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
And it came to pa** 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
And it came to pa** 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
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
And the battle commenced in this the sixth month; and great
and terrible was the battle thereof, yea, great and terrible was
the slaughter thereof, insomuch that there never was known so
great a slaughter among all the people of Lehi since he left
Jerusalem.
3 Nephi 4:12
And notwithstanding the threatenings and the oaths which
Giddianhi had made, behold, the Nephites did beat them, insomuch
that they did fall back from before them.
3 Nephi 4:13
And it came to pa** that Gidgiddoni commanded that his armies
should pursue them as far as the borders of the wilderness, and
that they should not spare any that should fall into their hands
by the way; and thus they did pursue them and did slay them, to
the borders of the wilderness, even until they had fulfilled the
commandment of Gidgiddoni.
3 Nephi 4:14
And it came to pa** that Giddianhi, who had stood and fought
with boldness, was pursued as he fled; and being weary because of
his much fighting he was overtaken and slain. And thus was the
end of Giddianhi the robber.
3 Nephi 4:15
And it came to pa** that the armies of the Nephites did
return again to their place of security. And it came to pa**
that this nineteenth year did pa** away, and the robbers did not
come again to battle; neither did they come again in the
twentieth year.
3 Nephi 4:16
And in the twenty and first year they did not come up to
battle, but they came up on all sides to lay siege round about
the people of Nephi; for they did suppose that if they should cut
off the people of Nephi from their lands, and should hem them in
on every side, and if they should cut them off from all their
outward privileges, that they could cause them to yield
themselves up according to their wishes.
3 Nephi 4:17
Now they had appointed unto themselves another leader, whose
name was Zemnarihah; therefore it was Zemnarihah that did cause
that this siege should take place.
3 Nephi 4:18
But behold, this was an advantage to the Nephites; for it was
impossible for the robbers to lay siege sufficiently long to have
any effect upon the Nephites, because of their much provision
which they had laid up in store,
3 Nephi 4:19
And because of the scantiness of provisions among the
robbers—for behold, they had nothing save it were meat for their
subsistence, which meat they did obtain in the wilderness;
3 Nephi 4:20
And it came to pa** that the wild game became scarce in the
wilderness—insomuch that the robbers were about to perish with
hunger.
3 Nephi 4:21
And the Nephites were continually marching out by day and by
night, and falling upon their armies, and cutting them off by
thousands and by tens of thousands.
3 Nephi 4:22
And thus it became the desire of the people of Zemnarihah to
withdraw from their design, because of the great destruction
which came upon them by night and by day.
3 Nephi 4:23
And it came to pa** that Zemnarihah did give command unto his
people that they should withdraw themselves from the siege, and
march into the furthermost parts of the land northward.
3 Nephi 4:24
And now, Gidgiddoni being aware of their design, and knowing
of their weakness because of the want of food, and the great
slaughter which had been made among them, therefore he did send
out his armies in the night-time, and did cut off the way of
their retreat, and did place his armies in the way of their
retreat.
3 Nephi 4:25
And this did they do in the night-time, and got on their
march beyond the robbers, so that on the morrow, when the robbers
began their march, they were met by the armies of the Nephites
both in their front and in their rear.
3 Nephi 4:26
And the robbers who were on the south were also cut off in
their places of retreat. And all these things were done by
command of Gidgiddoni.
3 Nephi 4:27
And there were many thousands who did yield themselves up
prisoners unto the Nephites, and the remainder of them were
slain.
3 Nephi 4:28
And their leader, Zemnarihah, was taken and hanged upon a
tree, yea, even upon the top thereof until he was dead. And when
they had hanged him until he was dead they did fell the tree to
the earth, and did cry with a loud voice, saying:
3 Nephi 4:29
May the Lord preserve his people in righteousness and in
holiness of heart, that they may cause to be felled to the earth
all who shall seek to slay them because of power and secret
combinations, even as this man hath been felled to the earth.
3 Nephi 4:30
And they did rejoice and cry again with one voice, saying:
May the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob, protect this people in righteousness, so long as they
shall call on the name of their God for protection.
3 Nephi 4:31
And it came to pa** that they did break forth, all as one, in
singing, and praising their God for the great thing which he had
done for them, in preserving them from falling into the hands of
their enemies.
3 Nephi 4:32
Yea, they did cry: Hosanna to the Most High God. And they
did cry: Blessed be the name of the Lord God Almighty, the Most
High God.
3 Nephi 4:33
And their hearts were swollen with joy, unto the gushing out
of many tears, because of the great goodness of God in delivering
them out of the hands of their enemies; and they knew it was
because of their repentance and their humility that they had been
delivered from an everlasting destruction.